Author: Donal O'Neill

Saloon class race competitor and partner organiser of Trackskills track days at Kirkistown Circuit.

Trackskills started organising and running track days for cars, at Kirkistown Racing Circuit, in 2000. One of the things that we have noticed, over the years, is how particular cars come in and out of vogue at our events. In the early years it was Mazda MX5’s. Then it was Westfields. A few years later Renault Clio’s were the car to have and then the MX5’s made a comeback, along-side the Clio’s. The latest trend seems to be the Renault Megane. In the first session of our season opening event on Sunday 5th February, we had five Megane’s.…

Read More

A compact programme provided spectators with plenty of exciting racing at the Five Hundred Motor Racing Club of Ireland’s July meeting at Kirkistown. The opening race was a combined affair for Saloons, GTs and Mazda MX5s. Dungiven’s Gerard O’Connell was the only GT and he duly set off at a blistering pace in his RSR Ford Escort, never to be headed. In the Saloons, Peter Baxter, from Lurgan, took the lead from Matt Lyness, from Banbridge and Donal O’Neill, from Nutt’s Corner. In the MX5s, Gregory McMillan, from Ballymena, led off the line, just ahead of Derry’s Gavin Kilkey. On…

Read More

The weather forecast for Sunday 4th July had been getting worse all week, so much so that we contacted one driver who we know has only slick tyres and told him not to come. We should not have bothered. The weather turned out to be perfect for a track day! Warm and dry. Even without the afore-mentioned driver and two of his friends, there was still a great turnout. Many regulars were there including Tony Greenan, who was back in his Atom this time. Although not as quick as his SR8 Radical, it still set a blistering pace, before his…

Read More

Saturday 26th June 2021 saw the return of spectators to Kirkistown Race Circuit, in County Down, for the first time in over a year. They were treated to some amazing racing by extremely talented and committed drivers. The first race of the day was a combined affair for Saloons and GTs. The Saloon field was reduced to just four cars when Greer Wray’s BMW developed a severe cooling problem. However, the GT field was boosted by 6 Supercars plus Dromore driver, Mike Johnston’s incredibly quick MG. Johnston elected to start at the back of the grid but took off like…

Read More

The 2021 motor racing season finally got under way, in glorious weather, on Saturday 29th May, at Kirkistown Race Circuit in County Down. Having had two extra months of preparation, the majority of racing cars were looking great! The first race of the season got off to a terrible start. The combined Kirkistown Fiesta and Mazda Modi-5-Cup race was red flagged on the first lap when German driver, Timon Dohnke, had a gearbox seizure, leaving him stranded in the middle of the circuit. Since this happened on lap1, the restart was declared a new race. The Mazda race was excellent,…

Read More

The final car and superkart meeting of 2020, being held at the Kirkistown Motor Racing Circuit in County Down, on Saturday 17th October, was forced to abandon after five qualifying sessions, when an email from the Department For Communities arrived into Race Control at 10:37am. It stated that since there were more than fifteen participants and the same participants were not “Elite Athletes”, the event could not run under the most recent Covid-19 regulations. The meeting had already started just after 9:00am. This was a smaller than usual event with only sixty three drivers over six classes. Given that each…

Read More

“Character building!” “Success in spite of adversity.” “Just when you think it can’t get any worse…” and finally “Every cloud has a silver lining.” All of these clichés could have been applied to our track day last Sunday 11th October. It all started…at the start! First session, first lap, red flag. Car off in a dangerous position! First lap of restart, red flag! Car hard into the barriers at Maguire’s Hairpin! Driver shaken but okay. Car not so. Armco post broken. Delay while car extricated. Meanwhile the cars had all formed up on the track at the start/finish line. We…

Read More

Excellent, close racing was the order of the day at the 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland’s race meeting at Kirkistown on Saturday. Two major trophies were up for grabs, The Martin Donnelly Trophy for Formula Ford 1600 and The Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy for Formula Vee. However, the day kicked off with a combined race for Saloons and GTs. There was great anticipation because, for the first time this year in the GT class, Dungiven driver, Gerard O’Connell’s Escort had a genuine rival in the shape of Belfast’s Ian Leinster, in his MG Midget. From the start, O’Connell took the…

Read More

If Carlsberg ran track days… I think that would be the opinion of most of the participants at the Trackskills track day at Kirkistown on Sunday 13th September, 2020. Not absolutely all! The unfortunate Ricky Burke hauled his nice red Clio 197 all the way from Dublin. He was there for the first time, went out and had a great run in his initial session. Unfortunately, when he went to go out again, the key for the car was nowhere to be found. He searched everywhere and I mean everywhere! End of fun for the day. A phone call to…

Read More

Car Racing at Kirkistown on Saturday 29th August began with the combined race for MX5s and Fiestas. There were only four Mazdas but they were evenly matched. However, Ballyhalbert’s David Cousins had a fuel supply issue on the warm-up lap and dropped to the rear of the grid. Randalstown’s Paul Sheridan and Newcastle’s Eugene McCann were having a great battle with Tandragee’s Stephen Murray close behind. When Sheridan tried to sell McCann a dummy into Maguire’s Hairpin, it went wrong and he spun, letting Murray and the recovering Cousins through. This let McCann build a gap that he would not…

Read More

This Saturday 29th August sees the second car and Superkart race meeting at Kirkistown Race Circuit, this year. There is a bumper, fifteen race schedule. Unfortunately, spectators are still not permitted due to Covid-19 restrictions. All classes have two races, except for the Superkarts, who have three. In the N.I. FF1600s David Parks from Ballina will be looking for a repeat of his win at the July meeting. The Randalstown Rocket, Alan Davidson, who is still getting used to his “new” Mondiale M89, will be keeping him honest. The Roadsports have a better field this time. John Benson, from Holywood…

Read More

The racing season finally got under way at Kirkistown Racing Circuit in County Down on Saturday 25th July, after a Covid-19 enforced hiatus since March. Under closed gate conditions, the 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland produced an eleven race programme that covered their domestic championships for cars and Superkarts. Fittingly, the N.I.FF1600s got the ball rolling. The Randalstown Rocket, Alan Davidson, put his newly acquired Mondiale M89s on pole. This is the sister car of the one he had been racing for Hugh Reid, during the last few years. Ballymena’s David McCullough was along side him on the front row. Ballina father…

Read More