Mazda have entered the electric vehicle foray with an all-new model named the MX-30. Not only is it sleek and stylish, but somewhat coupé looking for an SUV. Starting from £27,650 the Mazda MX-30’s distinctive shape allows for a reintroduction of pillar-less freestyle doors as featured on the brands RX-8 many years ago. This type of door has featured on BMW’s i3 since its inception and offers great ease of access when not parked in a tight space. With a claimed driving range of 124 miles, the MX-30 doesn’t look overly attractive when compared with the models offered from rivals.…
Author: Graham Baalham-Curry
Saturday 19 March 2022 saw round two of the SW Adair Tyres Northern Ireland Sprint Championship being held at, an unusually for March, sunny Kirkistown by the 500 MRCI who held their St Patrick’s sprint. The event hosted a whopping 78 entrants with a fabulous mix of cars throughout all the classes. Obviously someone had put a good word in upstairs as the weather turned out to be brilliant as well with a dry, but windy day greeting all who ventured to the County Down venue. Which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Halfway through first practice a…
After a successful Gymkhana GRiD world finals qualifying event held behind closed gates last year Monster Energy returned to DubShed at the start of April with ‘The Stages’. With the exception of over 800 static cars on show at the Eikon Centre this year, that couldn’t be there last year due to restrictions on large gatherings, the live action was more or less the same formula as before. A slightly tweaked track ran in a different direction than last year, to offer thousands of spectators a greater spectacle. Ciarán Hanton, marketing team leader for Monster Energy on the island of…
Dublin driver, Niall Murray, is well known as an accomplished racing driver. He has won the coveted Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy in Formula Vee racing and the Martin Donnelly Trophy in Formula Ford 1600 racing. He was the 2018 BRSCC British National Formula Ford 1600 Champion. On Saturday 28th March 2022, he appeared at Kirkistown Racing Circuit in the three Legends races. For the benefit of those who do not know what the Legends cars are about, they are 5/8th scale 1930s American Stock car replicas, powered by 1,200cc engines. They are fast, light and very equally matched. At this meeting, fourteen of…
One of Northern Ireland’s largest car shows returned bigger and better than ever for its eleventh running of the event which in recent years has been held at the Eikon Centre in Lisburn. Held across two days at the start of April, event organisers were stepping onto what seemed like no man’s land after a forced sabbatical due to the global pandemic, and with it, uncertainty as to whether or not an event of this scale could successfully return. “There are around 800 cars on display here today (Sunday 3 April, 2022) and we are hopeful of seeing close to…
Carryduff’s Jonny Greer and co-driver Darragh Mullen secured victory at today’s Race & Rally Stages, round two of the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship! Held at County Down’s Bishopscourt Race Circuit and organised by Ballynahinch and District Motor Club, Greer dominated the six-stage event from start to finish. He was inch-perfect through the morning’s slippery conditions, quickly building up a sizeable advantage and catching his rivals on the hop. In the space of two stages, he had amassed a lead of more than 20 seconds – a huge margin on the single venue event. From there, he managed his…
Aerospace engineer, Iain Leinster, has been involved in motorsport since he was a child. The 35-year-old Derry/Londonderry man followed in his father’s wheel tracks and has enjoyed more than 30 years of motorsport, driving an array of single-seater and hillclimb machinery. He spoke to Graham Baalham-Curry and revealed a little bit more, “The car was bought in 1995 at Wilson’s auction, Dad was itching to buy something, and this rolled up. His friend said “Is that not quick enough or you?” and Dad said “It’s got a V8 in it, sure we’ll have it!” the hammer went down and that’s…
When it comes to vehicle manufacturers there are many who try to be something they are not. Then there are the likes of Suzuki, who call a spade a shovel, as I have find out on a few occasions. The most recent of which was just a week or two ago at the media launch of a car that was first launched in 2015. A car that in 2019, received a facelift, and in 2020, received mild-hybrid and advanced safety features as standard. The reason for this latest launch is the introduction of full hybrid technology. It is the future…
Having been the only championship to run in 2020 it was apparent from the outset that this year’s S.W. Adair Tyres Northern Ireland Sprint Championship was set to be a high-octane fight for outright honours. It didn’t disappoint either, as the fight went as far as the penultimate round, with Allan Cassells driving his OMS Turbo to the top of the rostrum and stamping his name on a trophy that he has been chasing for a few years, for the first time. The 36-year-old Lurgan man took a commanding victory on this year’s series, winning five of the six rounds…
With an increasing number new vehicles being nothing more than washing machines, and by that I mean throw away goods that serve a purpose but don’t offer anything more than the mundane chore they’re designed for, it was hugely refreshing to drive a brand new Ford last summer that demands driver involvement. The car in question is a Fiesta ST-3, finished on the car tested and pictured in an absolutely glorious Metallic Silver Fox colour, which sadly no longer seems to be available. Colour choices today include Red, White, Black, Graphite, and for those who want to stand out, Mean…
This season has been one like no other, not least for Daniel Campbell, 23, from Kells who has forced the changing of the guard on the hills of Northern Ireland. For decades names like Gordon Fogarty, Alan Jardine and David Francis have been evolving their tin-top machinery and constantly pushing the time-sheets, setting many new records along the way, especially the latter of these men. This ‘Old Guard’ of local clubmen have had youngsters like Daniel Campbell, as well as the young-at-heart Ian Lancashire and Stewart Strain nipping at their heels for the last number of years. It’s the fearless…
Toyota and performance are words that go hand in hand, but only for those of a certain vintage who remember their racing and rallying antics of the 1990’s. Knocking at the door of 40 years of age, I am most grateful to remember this era. Not because I got to enjoy watching the Celica GT4 or Corolla WRC at world rally level, nor because I got to enjoy watching the Supra fight it out on the race tracks with the likes of the Nissan Skyline. But because I got to enjoy the homologation road car variants of these models. I…