Junior MINI battles thrill at Leinster Trophy Meeting

The Patch Tyre Equipment Junior MINI Challenge is undoubtedly one of the motorsport success stories of recent times. Open to drivers from 13-17, it has provided large grids and produced some superb talent. The season so far has been dominated by the “Tirvine” duo of Kyle Irvine and TJ Taaffe with Jayden McBrearty, who took a win at Kirkistown recently, right in there too.

For the recent Leinster Trophy meeting there were 20 beautifully prepared cars on the grid and it was Taaffe who grabbed the all important pole position, with Irvine alongside, just two hundreths of a second slower. Row two would comprise of Jayden McBrearty and three time Junior Rallycross Champion Logan Hoey.  Next up, and on Rookie pole, was the fast improving Alex Watkins (below), from Junior Rallycross convert David McAdams, another who has been moving towards the front as the season progresses. Row four would be Harry Phayres and Mondello Scholarship winner Eoin Dooley, while Rookie series leader Nathan Sweeney and Kori Bagnell rounded out the top ten.

When the lights went out on the Alfa Romeo bridge, Taaffe made a great start to lead away and fought off a challenge into Campion from the fast starting McBrearty who had managed to get past Irvine at the exit of Castrol. Irvine was alongside McBrearty on the run to T3, but he put a wheel on the grass  and the Championship leader found himself skating across the gravel. He stayed calm though and came off the brakes, using the momentum to rejoin as opposed to sinking in the kitty litter, which is easy to happen. He was back to 13th though, with a load of work to do if he was to defend his Championship lead. Watkins also had a bad start, missing second off the line, dropping him to the back, after a superb qualifying effort.

This left Taaffe in the lead from McBrearty, Hoey, McAdams and the fast starting Dooley. Then it was Bagnell, Phayres, Sweeney, Jack Lenehan and Sean Savage. Into Lola ad Sweeney was down the inside of Phayres for  seventh, the pair running door to door all the way to 7A where he completed the move, with an opportunistic Lenehan also trying his case into 7B. Right behind this battle, Scottish visitor Kieran Stewart was also up a few places as he got to grips with the Mondello International layout for the first time.

Out of Devenney’s and Phayres got back alongside Sweeney and the pair tackles Nordic Spirit corner side by side. they briefly tangles on the exit but both backed out and didn’t lose anytime, save the fact that Phayres was back ahead once again.

Predictably, Irvine was throwing caution to the win as he began his climb up through the pack, slicing down the inside of Savage to cross the line in tenth.

Up front, McBrearty was shadowing Taaffe, with Hoey and McAdams pretty close too. The there was a small gap to Dooley and the impressive Bagnell. Into 7A and Irvine came together with Phayres, allowing both Sweeney and Lenehan past them both with Savage and Stewart right with them as they approached Birrane’s Bends.

Behind this, Kieran Stewart (above) was in battle with Alex O’Grady,  Gavin Brown and newbie Jack Peters, with the recovering Watkins holding a watching brief.

Megan Daly (above) in the DDE car had also got onto the back of this train and when Watkins passed Peters, she did likewise with a dive down the inside through Nordic Spirit. Peters though, got it back into Southside and the battle continued.

Taaffe was visibly trying out front and managed to eke out a lead of a few lengths over McBrearty who enjoyed a similar gap back to Hoey in third. After a mid race stoppage and safety car restart,  Irvine was on a charge again. The pack closing up helped him and he passed a few cars in quick succession before slicing down the inside of Sweeney into 7A.

At the flag then, it was a delighted Taaffe, from McBrearty and Hoey. McAdams took a strong Rookie win and fourth overall while, incredibly, Irvine was up to fifth at the flag! Then it was Sweeney , from Bagnell, Dooley, Phayres  and Savage.

In race two, for which the winner would receive the prestigious Ann Stevens trophy (and a generous €500 cash prize from the Stevens family),Taaffe once again led away, from Irvine with Hoey this time snatching third from McBrearty, who was carrying the See It Live onboard camera for the live stream! Irvine and Taaffe had been scrapping with each other in Friday testing but this looked a bit more urgent as Irvine began to pile the pressure on the leader.  Hoey and McBrearty were next, from McAdams whilst Watkins was under huge pressure from Sweeney. When the pair touched at Campion, Phayres didn’t need to be asked twice and swept by both to move up to sixth.  Bagnell was also in close attendance and , using a bit of grass and a but of momentum, managed to get past Sweeney on the run to Turn Three! Watkins, just ahead, over committed into T3 and briefly went off on the exit, losing a heap of places and giving himself a lot of work to do.

A lunge down the inside into Southside appeared to give Irvine the lead, but Taaffe managed the switchback and after a drag race down the main straight, took it back into Castrol. Irvine had another go at the second ape of T3 but Taaffe had the inside for Bridgestone and hung on. Irvine though, was far from done and with a couple of laps to run, he launched to down the inside into Castrol. It was timed to absolute perfection and Taaffe had no chance for a switchback so had to slot into second as they went through Campion. A run through Lola gave TJ the run and he managed to get down the inside into 7!. He couldn’t quite get it stopped though and incredibly, Irvine was back through again. This brought Hoey and McBrearty right back into it and the quarter started the final lap as one. A brave run around the outside of T3 for Taaffe didn’t come off and allowed the opportunistic Hoey alongside as they came back towards the main arena. Into 7A for the final time and Hoey braked incredibly late down the outside. It didn’t come off though and McBrearty seized the chance to grab third.

At the flag then, it was Irvine, bump drafted across the line by Taaffe, with McBrearty completing the podium. McAdams was fifth and took the podium from the flying Sean Savage for Rookie P2, and Dooley, who completed the Rookie podium in seventh overall. Lenehan, Bangall and Sweeney were eighth, ninth and tenth respectively, also taking fourth, fifth and sixth in Rookies.

There are just 2 rounds left in the 2026 Patch Tyre Equipment Junior MINI Challenge and they take place at the final TengTools ICCR meeting of year at Mondello Park on October 18.

Images from Marc Quinlivan