Tommy Graham took victory within the inaugural Irish Rallycross Grand Prix that noticed a number of leaders and motion all through the race. Tristan Ovenden recovered from a setback within the semi-finals to beat Jake Harris on observe for his second British Rallycross victory.
At lights out, fast-starting Derek Tohill and Michael Leonard Jnr got here collectively on the first nook. Each spun huge and right down to final. It meant the opposite front-row starter, Harris vaulted into an early lead in his electrical Mini Countryman. Graham slotted into second forward of Ovenden and Gary Donoghue.
Semi-final two winner, Harris, took a conservative strategy all through the race, not eager to repeat a mistake earlier within the occasion. He was capable of maintain vehicles behind however allowed the remainder of the sphere to make use of joker technique to cross him.
As soon as out of the way in which, Graham emerged as the brand new chief, having jokered on lap two. John McCluskey was second place forward of a charging Tohill. Come the ultimate lap Tohill was everywhere in the again of McCluskey however suffered suspension failure. He was capable of drag the automotive to the road although dropped to final place.
It meant that Graham took his first victory in a left-hand drive automotive, having lately bought Kevin Proctor’s Fiesta. McCluskey took second forward of Ovenden who slowed whereas main his semi-final which dropped him to 3rd. Finishing the operating order have been Donoghue, Leonard Jnr, Harris, and Tohill. Darragh Morris was a non-starter having retired in his semi-final. Publish-race, Tohill was disqualified for his maneuver in the beginning.
Patrick Ryan, Michael Morris and Andrew Morris all didn’t qualify for the ultimate, the latter not even making the grid for the semi-finals. Worse was for Julian Godfrey. The six-time champion suffered a roll in Q2. Main into flip one he was half spun by Tohill and McCluskey. As Godfrey recovered he hit a mound on the within at an angle and launched the automotive into the air. After a few rolls he landed on his wheels. The scrutineers deemed the automotive unsafe to drive and the workforce known as it a day. It nonetheless gave him a third-place end within the decreased area of British entries.
Each Shane Murphy and Michael Boak failed to start out the spherical. A suspected gearbox failure in spherical three put Murphy out whereas Boak had engine points whereas warming up and didn’t make it out for follow.
Within the Irish Superfinal, McCluskey took his first victory of the yr. Tohill crossed the road in second however after being disqualified within the Supercar closing was faraway from the classification. As a substitute, Leonard Jnr and Donoghue accomplished the rostrum.
Ovenden now leads the British championship with 59 factors. Godfrey sits on 49 with each Harris and Patrick O’Donovan on 40, with out accounting for drop scores. The following spherical will happen alongside the World Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill in July. A big contingent of British Supercars is anticipated.
