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WATERFORD RACEWAY ROUND 8

The Pike 1 September 2024

After the disappointment of August’s fog affected meeting, Waterford Raceway’s next event, on 1 September, was again threatened by the weather, but this time it was possible to run through the full programme in extra quick time, with the concluding Maura Walsh Cup race finishing just before the weather turned really nasty. Healthy entries in Class 1B and the two main Junior classes brought the total attendance up to 54 entries in 51 cars, equalling the season’s best car turnout, and just short of the 57 drivers who raced on the Sunday of the June two-dayer. Close racing, and eve n closer finishes, were the order of the day, with the final race for the Rookie Juniors ending in a rare dead heat.

To get the racing started early, practice was curtailed for the senior classes, being replaced by two warm-up laps before their first heats. The action kicked off with the well-supported CLASS 1B featuring a return to the track by the man who must have built more Micra Hot Rods than everyone else put together, Stephen O’Shea. In a car he built many years ago for Brian Scannell, Stephen set off in the lead of the first race, before being passed by Ross Ryan, in brother Sean’s car, with Ross finally having to surrender the win to James Deane. Callum Swayne just snatched third on the line from dad Killian, as Stephen held on to fifth ahead of Darragh Healy, Dylan Eager, Nicky O’Leary, James Fitzpatrick and Adam Rooney.

Second time out James Fitzgerald was the early leader, but Callum Swayne came through quickly to lead by half distance, holding Killian off all the way as Darragh Healy got the better of Nicky O’Leary, Adam Rooney and James Fitzgerald in the third place battle.

The final round saw the shared car of Adam Rooney taking its first win after Adam led all the way, but he had to work hard for it, fending off Killian Swayne and James Deane in the closing laps, with Killian alongside for a photo finish. Callum Swayne pulled out after a first lap puncture made his cornering style even more spectacular than normal, but Stephen O’Shea had a good run to fourth, just ahead of Darragh Healy, Nicky O’Leary, James Fitzgerald and Dylan Eager. Ross Ryan’s day ended early after the re-shelled Micra’s engine expired in Sean’s first race. Overall, Killian Swayne took the win from James Deane and Callum Swayne.

The ROOKIES again needed to be split into two groups, based on championship points, which meant that the very quick Rory O’Connor, with just two full meetings under his belt, was racing with the (theoretically) slower group. Group A saw a very close race in the first heat, with Luke O’Connell just getting the better of Ronan Sisk and Anna Fitzgerald, chased by Rom Robinson, Emily Sisk, James Curran and Cayden Leahy. Ronan Sisk took the second race from Cayden Leahy, as Anna Fitzgerald, Emily Sisk and James Curran all did well to avoid disaster in a last lap tangle. The final race saw a couple of unfortunate incidents, with a tangle between Tom Robinson and Anna Fitzgerald bringing out the reds, and then another stoppage when Ronan Sisk had a heavy impact with the bank. The rerun was led as far as the last lap by James Curran. Cayden Leahy drew ahead last time down the back straight, only for James to switch back to the inside out of the last corner, resulting in the race being called as a dead heat after very impressive drives by both boys. Luke O’Connell took a close third from Anna Fitzgerald, Tom Robinson and Emily Sisk. Overall Luke O’Connell took the win from Cayden Leahy, with Ronan Sisk taking the third trophy despite his very bent car.

Rory O’Connor made short work of Group B; finishing the first race nearly a lap ahead of the second place battle between Katelyn O’Connell and Ruby McCarthy, with James Leahy, new boy Keelan Gleason and Sean D’Arcy completing the runners. Rory was given a bigger handicap in race two, but caught and passed James Leahy to win again, with Ruby third and Cashel-based Keelan Gleason showing promise as he held off Sean D’Arcy and Katelyn O’Connell. This group also needed a restart to their final, after Roby and Katelyn tangled. Sean D’Arcy, in his second full day, drove very well to hold the lead until inevitably Rory came through for another dominant win in the borrowed Cole McGann car. Sean claimed a good second from Ruby, James Leahy, Keelan Gleason and Katelyn O’Connell. Rory won overall from Ruby and James.

The PRODUCTION JUNIORS had a full 12-car grid, although we soon lost Sean Ryan whose new car following the July meeting’s pile-up came to a steamy halt. Jamie Eager ran away with the first race, with Cole McGann making it through to second ahead of Sherise O’Shea before the red flag ended the race early; the racing in the main pack got too close, with Aoibhe Fitzgerald getting spun into the top straight banking.

The second race was led most of the way by Ben Fitzgerald, but Cole McGann again worked the traffic well to emerge from the main pack, then catching and passing Ben for the win, with Tommy Fong well in contention in third. In the final Cillian Rooney led away, but Tommy Fong was soon in front, with Cole McGann steadily closing the gap until Cole was close enough to dive round the outside in the last corner, taking the narrowest of wins from Tommy. The rest finished in one bunch, headed over the line by Conor Hoey, from Aoibhe Fitzgerald, Jack Roche, Sherise O’Shea, Jamie Eager, Daryl Deane, Ben Fitzgerald, Eoin Robinson and Cillian Rooney. Overall, Cole won from Tommy Fong and Jack Roche.

CLASS 1 featured five cars, with Davy Banville back in action and just losing out after a good battle for the first race win with Shane Hickey. Shane, back in his familiar blue car this week, then had an epic duel with Michael Kiersey in the second race, completing lap after lap side by side before Shane, on the outside line, finally edged ahead to win from Michael, Davy Banville, Conor Fitsgerald and Liam Kiersey. Liam then headed the field for much of the final, with Shane and Davey eventually passing to finish first and second, with Michael just stealing third from his brother on the line, and Conor Fitz this time at the back of the evenly matched group. Shane was the overall winner from Davy and Michael.

Although nine drivers have scored in CLASS 2 this year, recent rounds have seen the same three cars on the grid, and again Wayne O’Shea came out on top in his Micra, with the Fiat-powered Starlets of Pat Nolan and Darragh Healy eventually sharing second after each narrowly beat the other once, with neither finishing the second heat.

CLASS 3 again featured the ongoing battle between the beautifully presented Starlet-Hondas of Cork duo Tommy Daly and Jason Murphy. Tommy took to the grass on the last corner in a last ditch challenge on Jason in the first heat. Tommy then won round two after Jason briefly tried to climb the inside bank, and Tommy then managed to find a way past Jason in the last two laps to win the final, and the day overall.

CLASS 4 has similarly been dominated by a battle between two immaculate Starlet-Hondas, with Kieron Murphy and Kieran Cooney, with their number 711 and 117 cars, again keeping the commentator and lap scorers on their toes. This time Kieran Cooney took the advantage in the closing stages of the first two races (including a rerun of the first heat, called after the warm-up laps were “forgotten”, catching out the drivers at the start). In the final Cooney had to make do with a close second behind fellow Wexford man Andy Foley, dropping down a class with his familiar Starlet, with Kieron Murphy dropped out. Kieran was the overall winner from Andy and Kieron.

CLASS 5 just featured Midleton-based Mike Sigerson who, after a troubled outing in his own Starlet at the previous meeting, had acquired Luke O’Donovan’s ex-Andy O’Brien car, which gave Mike three finishes and an unchallenged class win.

With no entries again in the once popular Stocks class, the LADIES shared the track with the one JUNIOR MINI and a RALLY CAR class, in which Ross Ryan debuted his new Fiesta R2, kept company by Kevin Healy in Aoife’s BMW Mini. Katie Egan’s Starlet caught and passed Chelsea Eager’s Micra to win the first heat, but then couldn’t catch Chelsea in the second race. Problems with Chelsea’s own car then put her in brother Jamie’s Junior Micra for the final, with Katie winning that race and the class overall. Michael Wynn picked up more experience running competitively with the other cars despite being alone in the Junior Mini class.

The day finished with one of The Pike’s most sought-after annual cup races, the MAURA WALSH MEMORIAL. This brought out 12 of the potential 16 qualifiers for the always spectacular 20-lapper. Liam Kiersey led away and stayed in front for seven laps before Shane Hickey took it up, soon to be joined by Wayne O’Shea and Kieran Cooney. With four laps to go, Wayne and Kieran found a way past Shane and raced side by side until Kieran established himself in front, taking the flag a couple of lengths ahead of Wayne, who by now had Tommy Daly on his tail in third. Shane Hickey pulled off on the last lap, with a holed radiator, and Andy Foley took fourth, from Conor Fitz, Katie Egan, Darragh Healy and Mike Sigerson. Jason Murphy, Pat Nolan and Liam Kiersey retired.