County Kildare News

The biggest prize in Irish Motor Racing is up for grabs this weekend as Ireland's top Formula Ford drivers go head to head for the Leinster Motor Club's 'Leinster Trophy' as part of a two day event on the Mondello Park international circuit. Sunday's Feature event will see a mix of up and coming young chargers and experienced racers do battle to add their names to the likes of Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen who have previously won this valuable award.

The FF1600 racers two championship rounds will be the centre piece of a weekend's action which totals twenty races over two days. Heading the entry list, and starting as the favourites will be near neighbours from Swords Co. Dublin, Patrick McKenna and Peter Barrable. Both twenty year old's have won Motorsport Ireland Young driver of the month awards this season and will be hoping to add the Leinster Trophy victory to their impressive CV's this weekend. Barrable will start with a slight psychological advantage courtesy of his double win last time the International Mondello layout was used back in May.

The Formula Ford's will complete a championship race on Saturday which counts towards three separate series. Points will be available in the Southern Irish Championship, Northern Irish Championship and All-Ireland Championship. On Sunday the championship points will again be up for grabs along with the trophy that they all want to lift, the 'Leinster Trophy'.

Aside from Formula Ford there will be plenty of other action on track this weekend as all of the Irish race championships come to a close. With most classes racing in two rounds over the two days the majority of titles are still up for grabs. Perennial crowd pleaser's, the Dunlop Supercars, will race once each day with reigning champion Rod McGovern looking likely to repeat his previous championship successes. His closest challenger is another former winner Jonathan Fildes who will be hoping for some bad luck for McGovern in race one so that he can take the title fight through to the final race on Sunday. The Supercars will have their biggest field of the year with sixteen drivers entered.

The other classes to race on both days are Formula Vee, Global Lights, and Historic's. Saturday's programme is rounded out by the final race of the Porsche Open championship and a long distance sports car race. Sunday's schedule sees all three Fiat classes, the Abarth Cup, Punto's and Uno's race once, with the Punto's and Uno's racing simultaneously. Formula Libre, Formula Sheane, Stryker Sports Cars and the Open Saloon Challenge will round out Sunday's action.

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