Conor Melia, with his trophy after winning the Tyre Doctor.ie Formula Vee race
Picture by Barry Cregg
First Formula Vee C’ship win for Melia
A WET and cold start to the third round of the TyreDoctor.ie Formula Vee championship contenders last week, reports Barry Cregg.
Kirkistown Racing Circuit was the venue located south of Belfast.
The popular northern track can provide some great racing with slip stream style young racing due to the long straights but this time with the wet conditions on a newly surfaced track it would be a job to stay on it at all. Testing on Friday was also wet so the crews got the setups done well in time for qualifying on Saturday morning.
Despite the conditions Eamonn Thornton, Conor Melia from Lucan, and Fergal Begley really upped their game and put in some quick times to put themselves right in the mix the with ‘A’ championship runners.
Thornton lined up on pole position his best qualifying to date, and ahead of Conor Melia. Fergal Begley and Lee Flynn lined up on row two so it would be a close battle if the previous race in Mondello was to go by.
The wet and greasy conditions would also have an effect and needed to be treated carefully.
A heavy mist came down as the rolled up to the line and as the lights went out it was Melia who got the best start and lead the field away to turn one.
Begley also got a flyer and moved into second demoting Thornton to third.
By the end of the first lap it remained the same but all were nose to tail so anything could happen and still very early days.
Begley tried to take the lead on the inside of turn one but had to back out but still kept enough momentum to try a move on the outside of turn two.
However it ended in a spin and all hopes of victory gone.
This left Melia and Thornton to battle it out at the front and both men from Lucan in Dublin had similar pace so it would who had the nerve to try a move in the tricky and slippery conditions.
Up front Melia had his work cut out holding Thornton off and a move down the inside at turn one saw Thornton take the lead.
A slide on the exit of turn three saw Melia loose ground over the next couple of laps but not enough to loose the crucial toe.
Two laps later and a better exit from the chicane saw both men side by side down the back straight. It looked as if Melia had it at the hairpin but Thornton drew alongside down the main straight and held the lead but only just.
This was another cracker at Kirkistown despite the bad weather.
Niall O’Mara was lying comfortably in third and on for some good points but ran wide on the exit of turn 3 and hit the barrier but luckily managed to get back going but dropped down the field. More points lost as in Mondello. Surely his luck will have to change soon.
Conor during the race
Picture by Barry Cregg
Back at the head of the field Thornton again made a gap on Melia but lost it overtaking the struggling O’Mara which lead to Melia getting on his tail again and despite his best efforts to get by at the hairpin each lap he lost his advantage on the exit and could not make the move stick down the main straight.
With laps running out it would have to work or find a new spot to take the lead.
With a two laps to go he pulled it off and bravely held it round the outside of turn one to stay in the lead.
His pace trough the chicane helped him pull enough of a gap to prevent a move by Thornton down the back straight but there was still a lap to go.
All eyes were on first and second as they raced to the hairpin for the final time.
An side move by Thornton ended in a spin and luckily it didn’t end with a collision with Melia.
It did end his chances of victory though but luckily he still had enough over third place man Andy Keogh to keep himself in second. It left Melia to take the chequered flag with ease.
It was the only point in the whole race he could do anything with ease. It was a great first championship victory for the Dubliner and also a great way to put the ghosts of the bad crash he had at the circuit last season to bed.
Thornton came home in second, still a great result for him and Andy Keogh took third.
A delighted winner after the race explained how it went: “It’s great to finally get my first win after all that happened last year here.
‘It was hard the weather made the track so slippy in places it was like ice. Eamonn and myself had a great battle so fair play to him it was great fun.
‘Hopefully I can do it at Bishopscourt next time out.”
