Formula Vee - Mondello Park - 5th July

Paul Heavey
2 days ago
2 min read

The Leastone team was back at Mondello Park last weekend with the Irish Formula Vee Championship, as the series tackled the technical International layout. Following a challenging round 6, championship front runner Colm Blackburn was looking to bounce back around the 3.5km Kildare circuit. Colm was joined by fresh-faced newcomer, Michael Stafford, who had the unenviable task of learning all 13 corners during limited running on Friday.

Qualifying was interrupted by an early red flag, but Blackburn set the pace once running resumed. Suffering some handling niggles, he slipped to 4^th by the end of the session, so the team set to work on finding solutions. Michael fared well in his first qualifying session, further dropping his lap time from the previous day's benchmark and securing 18^th on the grid, 4^th of the rookie class runners. He was struggling to make his 6ft 3 frame comfortable in the JH004, and the team was working hard with minor adjustments to help him feel more at home.

Come race time, Colm was hoping the setup changes would help him drive forward, but from the initial laps, it was clear to see he was still not entirely happy. He was missing that final bit of pace to allow him to join the lead battle over the course of the 8-lap race. He was embroiled in an exciting 3-way fight for the final podium spot. Blackburn ultimately fell short and crossed the line in 4^th place, but unfortunately, that was all in vain, as following post-race inspection, a technical infringement was discovered, and he was excluded from the results.

Michael handled his first-ever race start well, even managing to gain a place in the opening stages of the race. His main target throughout the weekend was to maximize track time, and he settled into a steady rhythm, chipping away at lap time with each passing lap. Despite his inexperience, he was still able to put pressure on the car in front, which provided a useful target to gauge himself against.

Stafford demonstrated progress during the remainder of the race, not just by dropping his lap time, but by advancing from his initial 18th place starting position to finish 16th when the checkered flag was waved. Most notably, he secured the final position on the rookie podium in his debut race.

Michael will aim to continue his progress when the Formula Vee series returns to Kirkistown on July 26^th, where he will benefit from prior track knowledge gained during a test with the team last month.