Formula Vee Rounds 6 & 7 - Kirkistown - 26th September
The Formula Vee Championship visited Kirkistown last week for Rounds 6 and 7 of the 2020 season. Mark Reade and Michael Killian were hoping to continue their strong season at the Northern Ireland venue, with Mark in contention for the VW Spares Championship and Michael battling for the Motorsport.ie rookie title.
Qualifying saw the field search for the all-important slipstream and both Reade and Killian struggled to put together a totally clean lap. Mark would line up on the third row and Michael on the inside of row seven.
Race 1
After a dry qualifying, the drivers would be tested following a downpour prior to race one. Mark hooked up a decent start to vault himself up to 3rd on the opening lap but that would be about as good as it got, as a spin on lap 3 dropped him down the order. Things would go from bad to worse when a misfire developed, preventing him from mounting any semblance of a comeback. Late in the race, while lying 8th, the misfire would become terminal and would see Reade sidelined on the penultimate lap.
Michael’s race was somewhat up and down, as a poor start dropped him to the tail of the field. Despite the tricky conditions, he settled into a solid rhythm and began picking his way up the order lap by lap. He would manage to pull himself inside the top ten to 9th at the chequered flag, securing a 4th place in the Motorsport.ie results in the process.
Race 2
Race two would get no better for Reade, as despite the team’s efforts, the source of the electrical issue could not be traced. He would be unable to complete a racing lap and would record his second DNF of the year. With only one drop score applicable this year, his championship hopes would take a significant hit.
Michael had a better start in race two, maintaining position over the course of the opening laps before again picking his way up the order. He would repeat his top ten result from race one, also repeating his 4th in class for the Motorsport.ie championship, rounding out a solid weekend for the Cork doctor.
Both Mark and Michael are looking to round out the season on a high when the series closes out in Mondello Park on the 10/11th of October. While Karl O’Sullivan has already taken the Motorsport.ie rookie crown, Michael is still in with a shout of a top 3 result while Mark is in contention for the VW Spares Ltd. title, thanks to his strong results earlier in the year.
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