Round 6 Report – 2010

WESTWARD WINS AGAIN

Words: Stephen Errity

Images: Ed Fahey

After two rain-hit meetings in a row, the ITCC basked in perfect sunny weather at Mondello Park for the sixth round of the series. The hot and dry conditions meant that there would be little doubt over who would take the overall victory on the day, and Westward Engineering’s Martin Tracey duly delivered another commanding performance to take his fifth win of the year and put one hand on the championship trophy. But behind him, the midfield and Rookie Cup drivers produced some of the most entertaining racing seen in the championship to date.

QUALIFYING

The start of qualifying saw a number of drivers grappling with mechanical problems almost immediately. Regular Time Attack competitor Brian Moore was having turbocharger problems with his Subaru Impreza on his first day out in the ITCC, and repairs to the car’s intercooler pipe would be necessary before the first race. Ciaran Timmons was sharing James Collen’s Peugeot 306 GTI, but was unable to get the car started for the session and did not set a time. Keith Rabbitt’s distinctive MINI Cooper developed an oil leak, forcing him to start from the back of the grid, while Barry Rabbitt had to pull in to repair an anti-roll bar drop link on the Tuning Factory Honda Integra.

Philip Burdock immediately showed good pace, clocking first a 1:03 and then a 1:01 in his Honda Civic, leaving him third on the grid and very satisfied after suffering alternator and wiring problems in Friday’s testing. Tracey then assumed his customary position at the top of the timesheets with a 1:00.467 on his third flying lap, a time that would not be bettered by himself or anyone else for the duration of the session. Barry Rabbitt also set his best time early in the session, a 1:01.177 that would be good enough for second on the grid.

Tomas O’Rourke completed the second row in his Opel Astra, and said afterwards that his car is now as fast as it’s ever going to be without major power upgrades. Donal Arundel lined up a very impressive fifth on the grid in his Mazda MX-6 and credited his performance to the setup skills of the car’s co-owner Piaras McFheorais. Jonathan Brady was the highest-qualifying rookie in sixth, just ahead of fellow Honda Integra pilots Jimmy Hughes and James Mannion. Phil Brennan was another driver to reap the rewards of a good setup, qualifying the Octane.ie Rover 25 ninth despite a significant power deficit compared to the rest of the field.

Elsewhere, Anthony Murtagh rounded out the top 10 in the JOMO Engineering VW Corrado, in front of Dave Clarke and Tom Fahy. The Mondello Park staff contingent of Ian ‘Basher’ Beatty and Philip Lawless were out in their pair of Honda Preludes, qualifying 13th and 15th, but Beatty’s indomitable ‘eBay Corsa’ continues to terrorise the ITCC field, now in the hands of new owner and race debutant Paul Fitzpatrick, who became the 14th-place qualifier when four drivers (Paul O’Brien, Brian Moore, Danny Calnan and Fergal Bowes) had their times disallowed after failing to pass through scrutineering immediately after the session. Brake problems prevented Fran Kearns from either qualifying or racing, while Stephen Maher had perhaps the most creative excuse for missing the session, having just flown in from France, where he was holidaying with his family, that morning!

THE GRID

1 / Martin Tracey / Ford Sierra Cosworth / 1:00.467

2 / Barry Rabbitt / Honda Integra / 1:01.177

3 / Philip Burdock / Honda Civic / 1:01.553

4 / Thomas O’Rourke / Opel Astra / 1:02.088

5 / Donal Arundel / Mazda MX-6 / 1:03.770

6 / Jonathan Brady / Honda Integra / 1:04.024

7 / James Hughes / Honda Integra / 1:05.130

8 / James Mannion / Honda Integra / 1:05.259

9 / Phil Brennan / Rover 25 GTI / 1:05.479

10 / Anthony Murtagh / VW Corrado / 1:05.646

11 / David Clarke / VW Golf / 1:05.878

12 / Tom Fahy / Honda Integra / 1:06.494

13 / Ian Beatty / Honda Prelude / 1:08.708

14 / Brian Sexton / Toyota Altezza / 1:08.976

15 / Philip Lawless / Honda Prelude / 1:09.014

16 / Chris O’Connor / Peugeot 106 GTI / 1:10.902

17 / Paul Fitzpatrick / Opel Corsa / 1:12.091

CHAMPIONSHIP RACE

Barry Rabbitt and Martin Tracey once again went head-to-head in a drag race to Honda corner, and Rabbitt did well to keep level with the rear-wheel-drive powerhouse for most of the straight, but Tracey was able to emerge from turn one in front and remained there until the chequered flag fell. Rabbitt’s Integra seemed to have the measure of the Sierra in the twistier sections of the track, and he was very close on the run-up to Dunlop on more than one occasion, but Tracey’s turbo power saw him pull clear up the straight every time. Rabbitt eventually had to back off and settle for second after a suspension issue developed on the Integra.

Behind them, there was action straight away as Keith Rabbitt braked too deep into Honda and only just managed to hang on to a massive sideways moment. Tracey and Rabbitt’s battle at the front of the field was then brought to a temporary halt after James Hughes buried the nose of his Integra in the tyre barrier at Dunlop, necessitating a red flag and a restart while the teleporter extracted him. Brian Moore’s day also ended at this point, as his Impreza suffered a dramatic engine bay fire after a fuel line split, and Thomas O’Rourke was added to the list of retirees when his Astra’s engine let go.

With less than 10 percent of the total race time having been completed, the restart would see the drivers return to their original grid positions, which left the likes of James Mannion (who had been running fourth) and Stephen Maher (who had moved up to 11th overall after starting at the back) disappointed. Undeterred, Maher staged another fightback drive marked by several impressive overtakes, and he would eventually finish fifth overall to take the Rookie Cup win. Shortly after the restart, Chris O’Connor had a scary moment coming into Honda when his Peugeot 106′s brake pedal went to the floor and the car came very close to rolling in the gravel trap. The yellows stayed out at Honda for the remainder of the race, but there was no need for a safety car or another red flag.

At this point, the top five of Tracey, Rabbitt, Philip Burdock and Donal Arundel had settled into a rhythm, but from sixth place back a very tight pack of cars, including Dave Clarke, Tom Fahy, James Mannion and Anthony Murtagh, was constantly swapping places right up until the flag fell, with Fahy and Clarke taking second and third respectively on the Rookie Cup podium behind Maher. Fahy was particularly pleased with his result, as his Integra was not revving past 6,500rpm due to a faulty crank sensor. “That was both the hardest and the most enjoyable race I’ve done yet,” he said afterwards. Clarke, too, was battling mechanical issues, as his Golf lost second gear during the race.

Meanwhile, Phil Brennan was working miracles with the Octane.ie Rover 25, and was on course for a strong top 10 finish until a fuelling problem cruelly sidelined him with only minutes to go. Luck was not on Ciaran Timmons’ side either, as he had to pit to secure a loose bonnet pin and thus lost any chance of a strong finish. Keith Rabbitt then suffered further drama when he lost his MINI’s bonnet down at turn three, but there was better news for Anthony Murtagh, who brought home the JOMO Corrado in ninth place in only his second-ever race and secured the ‘Hard Charger’ award for his efforts. He finished just ahead of fellow JOMO driver Brian Sexton, who was out in a near-standard Toyota Altezza after his Mitsubishi Evo wasn’t ready on time.

The three first-time racers at this ITCC round had mixed fortunes – Paul Fitzpatrick battled gearbox trouble all weekend and had to drive the majority of this race in third gear. Rallycross champion Danny Calnan was driving his first race in the Honda Civic he purchased from Stephen Maher earlier in the year and had a relatively trouble-free race, save for a broken gear lever towards the end. Paul O’Brien, brother of successful Dunlop Supercar racer David O’Brien, entered a 1988 VW Scirocco that has been in his family for many years and ended his qualifying session in the gravel at Dunlop after the throttle stuck open. He would go on to finish the race in 17th position.

CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULT

1 / Martin Tracey

2 / Barry Rabbitt

3 / Philip Burdock

4 / Donal Arundel

5 / Stephen Maher

6 / Tom Fahy

7 / David Clarke

8 / James Mannion

9 / Anthony Murtagh

10 / Brian Sexton

11 / Fergal Bowes

12 / Ian Beatty

13 / Danny Calnan

14 / Keith Rabbitt

15 / Philip Lawless

16 / Paul Fitzpatrick

17 / Paul O’Brien

18 / Ciaran Timmons

NON-CHAMPIONSHIP RACE

Championship contenders Martin Tracey and Barry Rabbitt both elected to sit out the second, non-points-paying race of the day, leaving Philip Burdock on pole and raring to go after his podium finish earlier in the day. But it would be Stephen Maher who would dive into the lead on lap one, using his BMW’s rear-wheel-drive traction to maximum effect, while further back, Dave Clarke’s challenge unfortunately succumbed to mechanical problems on the first lap. Burdock then got on terms with Maher and re-took the lead at Honda corner on lap two, but seconds later, Maher overdid it on the way into turn three and went for a long trip through the grass. His car was undamaged but he now had another mountain to climb from the back of the field. Elsewhere, Keith Rabbitt was a man on the move, having wrestled his MINI into fifth place from a lowly eleventh on the grid. Robust defensive driving saw him hang onto his position for several laps, with James Mannion, Paul O’Brien and a recovering Maher all jostling for position behind.

The safety car was then called out after James Collen ended his race in the grass at turn three, and Anthony Murtagh also retired at this point with an overheating engine. On the restart, Maher sneaked past Rabbitt on the way out of the Esses, but Mannion and O’Brien still could not find a way past the Meath man. Ian Beatty then found the gravel trap at turn four in his Honda Prelude, but managed to extract himself before too long, and would go on to finish just ahead of his Mondello colleague Philip Lawless in a similar car. At this stage, Mannion had slipped past Rabbitt, but an on-form Phil Brennan had now joined the fray in his Rover 25. Brennan, O’Brien and Rabbitt had the crowd on their feet as they tore down the straight three abreast. Arriving into Honda corner, Brennan took the outside line and drove around Rabbitt to take sixth, while O’Brien snuck into fifth. The fight was not yet over, however, as Brennan then set about reeling O’Brien in and eventually passed him to take a well-earned fifth place and make up for his earlier disappointment. James Mannion kept his cool for the remainder of the race and brought it home in fourth, while the bottom step of the podium went to Donal Arundel who put in another fine performance in the MX-6. Tom Fahy took second in his Integra, now with its full rev range restored, but he would have been third were it not for a penultimate-lap mechanical failure for Maher, who had driven through from the back of the field for the third time that day but would not be rewarded for his efforts.

NON-CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULT

1 / Philip Burdock

2 / Tom Fahy

3 / Donal Arundel

4 / James Mannion

5 / Phil Brennan

6 / Paul O’Brien

7 / Keith Rabbitt

8 / Fergal Bowes

9 / Ian Beatty

10 / Philip Lawless