Extreme weather conditions made it a difficult weekend for all competitors but the trusty Integrale performed admirably all day, evening surviving a clash with a Porsche in the third heat. Conditions were worse than ever for the final but the team were confident of challenging for the win. Unfortuantely, the windscreen fogged up on the Lancia, preventing Grzegorz from challenging for the lead and instead forcing him to defend his second position. This he did perfectly, crossing the line to take runner up spot and with it a healthy dose of championship points.
All this would not be possible without their sponsors and Grzegorz Kalinecki and his Sportchip Team would like to thank them for their support:
- Polish food shops in Ireland “MROZ” (www.mrozdublin.ie)
- www.Turbo-Tech.ie
- www.TKCCC.ie
- www.Mactronic.ie
- www.MBCProject.co.uk

I had kind of nearly accepted the fact that maybe I had lost my mojo as the past few months have been tough on my wallet but even more so my mind!! It’s very frustrating after spending heaps of dosh to have actually thundered backwards, I was expecting to be a bit slower at the start but not as bad as this! But happily after a quick map from Jog Tuning on the Saturday test day, I knocked 2 seconds off my lap straight away in my first session out!! Now I know I still got it!! Wahoooo!! Confidence in myself restored!

But it wasn’t all rosy on Sunday, as in race 1 I only managed 3 laps as I got tangled up with Mr Madden on the exit of Dunlop corner which spelled the end of my weekend as the bike took some small damage and we couldn’t have it ready for Race 2..

Nevertheless we drove away a bit battered and bruised and with my pride and joy of a race bike in the back in pieces but yet still smiling and saying how good of a weekend it was!! Just chuffed we’re back on the pipe and back enjoying racing at top level! Can’t wait till the next Adelaide Mondello Masters in June. Thanks to all my followers and supporters- especially during my tough times!!
Over and out from a chuffed flash!! #flashisback
Till next month.

Jamie#22

The Irish/British driver pairing, driving the No.52 Ram Racing Ferrari 458 Italia, were dominant from start to finish, and the two were never ousted from their deserved place at the front of the LMGTE field, even during a brief rain shower or while under pressure from some top class opponents. Apart from during the two scheduled pit stop windows, the white Ferrari led from flag to flag and crossed the line one lap ahead of its nearest rival, the No.55 AF Corse Ferrari of Perazzini/Cioci/Leo.

Third across the line at the chequered flag was Ram Racing’s second Ferrari 458 entry, the No.53 of Gunnar Jeannette and Frankie Montecalvo – the American pairing taking their second podium finish in two races. Young New Jersey driver, Montecalvo, was thrown in at the deep end by completing his own marathon stint of just over two hours. He held second place in class for much of his stint, only ceding it to very experienced Ferrari driver Marco Cioci, who applied extreme pressure on Frankie, in the final stages of the race.

Matt Griffin started the race in the No.52 and drove for two hours – enjoying a nose-to-tail battle with Porsche factory driver Pat Long in the No.77 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche in the early stages. Matt resisted huge pressure and, as the fuel load reduced in the Ferrari, so his lap times got quicker and he was able to gradually stretch out a healthy lead over his competitors. He completed a two hour stint and his team mate Johnny Mowlem was able to take the maximum care while driving in the final third to ensure brought home the win.

The battle between Matt Griffin and Long kept everyone entertained in the first hour but there was alarm amongst the media and spectators when they saw the Irish driver slow on track. He explains what happened: “We were pushing the envelope with the fuel a bit in order to match the Porsche’s fuel economy, and the car coughed a bit so I had to come off the throttle and nurse it round for my scheduled stop. I switched the engine map, watched Pat drive away from me but we were always planning to stop at that stage anyway. We had some fantastic Michelin tyres this weekend and that allowed us to follow the strategy we did, although the rears were going off a bit towards the end. It was a great result though, coming after pole position this morning, and it might take a while to wipe the smile from my face tonight!”

Johnny Mowlem: “For Ram Racing it’s a brilliant result to have achieved what they have in such a short period of time and to come here and effectively smash everyone else, including fantastic teams like AF Corse, is wonderful. Matt here made my job very, very easy and he did a great job keeping us ahead all the way. The car was unbelievable, especially the tyres as we were able to main the pace in the second stint just as well as in the first. The ELMS has some very strong opposition here and it’s great to be able to beat them all today.”

Gunnar Jeannette said afterwards: “To come away with another double podium and the team’s first victory I’m super proud to be a part of it and hopefully will remember this day a couple of years from now. The No.53 had a good run and I was in third behind Matt and Pat Long for most of my stint, and then came in and handed over to Frankie. He got cycled back to second and was up against Marco Cioci at the end, who is basically a Ferrari supported driver, and just made a bit of a mistake. I was both sad and happy to see Frankie racing him hard – to know where he is in his development as a driver, today will be a good day to remember and he will learn from mistakes. When we get to Austria we will be stronger.”

Frankie Montecalvo: “I’m pleased we got the podium – if we’d missed that I’ve have been even a little more mad at myself. We had some great racing and the car was perfect, the team was great as always. I struggled a bit with lack of track time out there. On Friday we lost first practice with the rain and we only had a short period of time to do a lot of work and it was a little hard for me with this new track. It took me a little while to get up to the pace and then I made some mistakes as a driver which I need to work on.”

Team Principal Dan Shufflebottom was full of praise for all four of Ram Racing’s drivers: “We are very pleased with this result. We tried to pull a couple of stunts like double-stinting the tyres to try and stay ahead of AF Corse, but it didn’t work out for Frankie in the end. It was very close those and to get the first win, especially here in Italy, is amazing.

“Everyone in the team has been faultless the whole weekend. The guys do such a mega job of preparing the cars and we never have any issues with that stuff so the drivers just have to concentrate on doing the best job they can. They all did an awesome job today; Matt was so impressive in his double stint – you don’t really hear from him on the radio, he just gets on with the job. Johnny did a solid job to bring it home in the end, and both Frankie and Gunnar – considering they’ve never been here before – did the same fantastic job they do every time they drive for us. It would have been good to get to Gunnar to do his maximum 1hr40 in the car but he wasn’t very comfortable and it was starting to hurt him. We haven’t got his seat position quite right yet and we’ll make sure we get that sorted for the next round in Austria.”

The team now has a break until July when they travel to the Red Bull Ring in Austria for the third round of the 2013 European Le Mans Series.

By the time qualifying came around on Saturday evening I had yet to complete a dry lap of the circuit. The timetable for the event was very tight so our class was mixed with the Formula Vees for testing which impeded both classes terribly. Conditions for qualifying were damp but drying and I made sure to be on circuit at the end when the track was at its best. My second last lap was good enough for P3 but the data on the car showed that on my last lap I was on for a lap some 6 tenths quicker but I lost time overtaking a car. In the end I would line up P3 for race 1 and pole position for race 2 as my second fastest lap was the quickest of all drivers.

Carnage on the way to turn one!

Race one was a thoroughly wet affair, my first ever wet single seater race! I made a reasonable start but on the run to turn one I was tagged by the rear wheel of another car which spun me at 90 degrees to the oncoming traffic. A few swirls of the wheel and luckily I could point the car back towards turn one but I was down to almost last position. I put my head down and worked my way back through the field to P3. At turn two on lap 8 as I slowed for a yellow flag zone I was unceremoniously punted out of the race and into retirement on the grass.

Race two was a much drier affair and I lined the FCR Media Racing car on pole position. I got a reasonable start but Kevin Sheane made a better one from the row behind and took the lead on the run to turn one. The balance in my car was very good and I had the confidence to push hard on the cold tyres and retook the position around the outside of the 4th gear left hander. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be for long as on turn 3 I made a driving error and ran wide, demoting myself to 7th position and in the process thumping the steering wheel in frustration! Again I had to work myself back up the order and once again got as far as 3rd place. By now the rain had returned and the safety car was deployed to collect a stranded car. Now right on the gearbox of the leading two cars I was ready for a win or bin final lap or two but twice the safety car turned its lights off only to turn them back on and in the end we never got a dash to the flag, much to my frustration.

All told it was not a positive weekend, we had the pace but not the luck. I’m looking forward to returning to Mondello Park for the 45 year anniversary meeting in June where hopefully we can get our championship aspirations back on track!

Single seater action comes the way of Formula Fords, Formula Vees and Formula Libre while Roadsports return for a double header and the low budget formula for Ford Fiestas also have a double header.

With four rounds of the Northern Ireland Formula Ford Championship in the bag, the opening two at Kirkistown followed by rounds 3 and 4 at Bishopscourt, the question is who can stop the winning streak by Ballymena driver Ivor McCullough.

To date he has won all four and is keen to further add to his tally of wins. This season has been the best in many in terms of numbers and McCullough knows all too well the threat posed by young guns such as Jonny McMullan and Kevin O’Hara in the Motorsport Ireland supported car. O’Hara was involved in a spectacular crash at the opening meeting at Kirkistown and he bounced

back with impressive qualifying times at Bishopscourt. The next two rounds promise a lot and McCullough’s rivals must gain points if they are to stop the Ballymena ace running away with the

championship.

The Formula Vees are every inch as entertaining as the Formula Fords and with two rounds in their series up for points, expect to see Ray Moore amongst the leading pack. Bishopcourt saw Adam Macauley score his first win and there is no doubt he will be seeking another top podium spot at Kirkistown. Dan Polley also won at Bishopscourt and he now shares the lead in the race for the championship with Ray Moore.

Roadsports bring a variety of cars to the grid and at the April double header, both races went the way of Lurgan driver Stephen Donnelly with his new S&H Honda, Jim Larkham following him home with his Radical. Other drivers to watch in this entertaining form of racing, Alan Davidson and Trevor Allen.

The Ford Fiestas have burst onto the scene to provide an introduction to saloon racing and we must remember that former BTCC Champion Colin Turkington cut his teeth in budget saloon racing at Kirkistown.

Keeping it very much in the Turkington family is Colin’s younger brother James. Last season on his way to the crown he was never headed. Back in April the young Turkington really had to fight for his victory, a dice with Ryan Campbell produced one of the closest finishes at the County Down venue.

Finally the powerful Formula Libre cars will be in action and amongst the entry Philip Shields; he has two cars to select from his nimble Formula Masters or the GP2 car with which he lowered the outright circuit lap record last season. Donal Griffin has entered his mighty 5 litre Rover powered Reynard and Castlewellan engineer Eamon Matheson and Tim Buckley are amongst the entry.

Qualifying from 9am with racing from 1.30pm.

The morning saw us greeted by rain as we prepared to head out onto the first loop of three stages, and this coupled with new tyres led to an interesting outlook for the day!

We headed onto stage one, Sherwood, feeling confident, where we were met by extremely greasy and slippery conditions, on what was already a tough stage. This was further proven by the amount of casualties that were taken on the stage, and although fortunate enough to get to the end, we still had a small amount of drama of our own. We lost a lot of time on the stage, with hitting a bank on a square left, and then a further overshoot on a square right about mid way around the stage. We did however exit the stage happy to be lying 5th overall in the Junior section, and 1st in class 16.

Following the cancellation of stage two, it was on to the much faster stage three, Bohermore. After the near misses on the first stage, I was possibly a little too cautious in places, but exited the stage holding onto 5th, and 1st in class. As we headed to service we were feeling optimistic about the loop of stages to follow, especially as the rain had eased, and the roads were beginning to somewhat dry up.

Unfortunately on reaching the service area in Tullow, our hopes were put to a swift end, when we spotted a problem with the car that was set to end our rally. We opened the bonnet to find the fan belt sitting neatly in the engine bay, after the pulley had apparently sheared off. With no hope of being able to fix the problem, we were forced to call it a day.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, but such is rallying, and these things will happen! So while it wasn’t a great start to our South East Stages campaign, if nothing else it was a great experience to get the two stages, as they gave me a few miles to get used to the new setup in the car.

So to round off, I’d like to start by saying thanks to Terence and all the crew in Carlow Car Club, for a great, well run event. To my sponsors Somers garage for the pre event prep, and finally to our latest addition to the car, Joe Leslie Rally videos for all their support!

So for now its time to get back to work on repairing the car, and the next event on the cards will be the Ravens Rock Rally on the 30th June.

Until next time!

Tonya

We arrived at the track and our first stop was the cantina for a breakfast, after which I wandered around the paddock for a while chatting to a few people, and having a few cups of tea. Feeling jetlagged from my recent holiday I went for a nap in the back of the Leastone truck emerging for the start of racing. John Murphy and Colm Blackburn won the Formula Ford, and Formula Vee qualifying races before lunch.

Discussing ice cream with JayTee

Jay Tee alerted me onto the ice cream stand in the paddock so I tried some at lunchtime. A local farm makes it and it was out of this world. Rhubarb and custard was the top flavour if you’re heading that way during the season. The wind picked up over lunch making for a cold afternoon. I stayed at the chicane and Fishermans for most of the afternoon and watched some close racing. There were wins for Ivor McCoullough, Dylan Curley, David Beatty, and Stephen Davidson. Kevin Seane won a thrilling Sheane race that produced controversy when Robbie Allen was excluded post race, while Ray Moore ran away with the Vee race.

A few incidents led to delays as the afternoon wore on and as 5pm approached there were still a few races to run. The Fomula Ford race was stopped several times for incidents, but the racing was brilliant at the front. McCoullough took his second win of the day, as the young guns of Stephen Doyle and Niall Murray gave a good account of themselves. The final races were cut short but it was still nearly 7pm by the time it was all over which was a bit late to be leaving for the drive back to Dublin.

F458 Challenge Shakedown

What really impresses me is the filtering down of F1 technology into the powertrain architecture, the current tread of seamless gear shift and active diffs to control whole corner balance is right there with this car. So with no delay, a shakedown with Philip at the helm and Richard Lyons as backup pilot was undertaken. A quick download of captured car data does indeed show the many electronic interventions of diff control thus enabling driver to just press right foot pedal and go. Don’t get me wrong, not even the F1 tech clever electronics can beat the laws of physics so drivers are still on their toes to avoid any pilot error induced pendulum effects; however the car proves to be fairly easy to drive and point through the corners. One thing that did become apparent to both drivers is the effect of some positive lift on the car at various performance points and so upon return to workshop an aero package has been the topic of development discussion. The plan is for Philip to learn the circuits in the UK with the Challenge, so I am pleased to say Breezemount Motorsport has linked up with Ferrari specialists FF Corsa who will take over the running of the car at their base at Silverstone with intentions to support us to UK and European circuits.

Stuart checking Ferrari data.

In the meantime while an aero upgrade is sourced for the Ferrari we have moved onto the Formula Master and Seat Leon. Our first outing this year with the Master at Mondello has highlighted an issue with setup as we have switched tyre brands and sizes, something which will require additional testing as we assess and learn to understand changes to the dynamics of the car. I fear quite a few changes to suspension components and permutations of setup to achieve balance equilibrium. This takes time which we are short of when that plate is already full and the saloon championship is well underway, so more on Formula Master developments later.

Our first race at Kirkistown in the saloons showed Philip has the speed to qualify well but the Seat Supercopa Achilles heel is its DSG gearbox, AKA getting off the line. It’s a rather hit or miss affair as Philip found out on both races, then there was the realization that the saloon boys don’t give a damn if Philip is the outright record holder at Kirko. With a mixture of relatively equal matched machinery here, if you want to be first across the line then you have to learn to squeeze every ounce of horsepower from the engine on corner exit and accept that no one is going to give an inch on corner entry. Good point finishes for both races on our first event this year we are glad off, but much discussion on return to the workshop was had with many cups of coffee. So another test was booked 2 days before the second saloon race meet. I implemented another setup adjustment and Richard Lyons was on hand for the finer points of race craft and that all important lap time, then it was down to the stopwatch to tell the tale of positives or negatives. The times are good, real good, into the mid 61’s for Philip as the Leon is touching the edge of its performance envelope. So with race day on the next sunrise, the Leon is back

A job well done!

on the flat patch into the dark hours getting a final adjustment to remove a little of the nervousness that has crept in. A little red eye in the morning soon disappears as caffeine is consumed, 2 qualifies and 2 races await the Leon Supercopa as she warms up on air jacks. A quick download then check of engine vitals on the laptop confirms all is go for the morning qualify runs. The hard work Philip has been putting in is starting to pay off, fastest in his class and even out pacing the GT’s for Q1. ‘Car feeling better with that setup tweak Stu’ Philip comments, and indeed the confidence shows on Philips data, ‘just got to get the car cleanly off the line now!’ Well both races went well as it turned out, the DSG gearbox launch control is indeed useless as Philip loses places on both starts, however Philip drove well, exceptionally well, fighting with the mighty Hondas with a few well placed overtaking maneouvers to take class wins in both races. And to top things off a new saloon lap record of 62.2! Well done Philip, you have our attention now!

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Carlton Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe in association with Ballinasloe Town will be the new title

sponsors of the 2013 Galway Summer Stages Rally.

Michelle Ryan, Marketing Manager of The Carlton commented “We are delighted along with

Ballinasloe Town to be the title sponsor of such a prestigious event. The Carlton Shearwater, one

of the newest Galway Hotels, is an exquisite 4 star hotel and spa resort with easy access to Galway

and Athlone. Ideally situated at Marina Point on the majestic River Suck, one of the most beautiful

rivers in the country, this is the perfect retreat. Luxurious accommodation and suites, the very

finest in dining, and a Leisure & Fitness centre with swimming pool will all combine to make your

stay in Galway a magical one. Our C-Spa offers a range of soothing treatments and a team of expert

beauticians that will ensure you look as good on the outside as we promise to make you feel on the

inside. All that’s left for you to do is sit back, relax and enjoy your stay. The Carlton Shearwater Hotel

& C Spa is celebrating their 6th birthday this year and are part of the Carlton Hotel group, which is an

Irish owned hotel group with eight properties located across Ireland”

Donal Scannell, President of Ballinasloe Chamber Of Commerce said “We are thrilled to have the

rally based in Ballinasloe following the success of the finish of the Galway International Rally in the

town in February. The rally brings a great buzz to the town as well as a much needed boost to the

local economy. Ballinasloe is an ideal location for the rally given its central location and access to the

M6 Motorway. Welcome to the Gateway To The West”

Mark Parsons, Clerk of the Course for the Galway Summer Rally stated, “The Carlton Shearwater

Hotel and Ballinasloe Town is an ideal sponsor for the Galway Summer Rally. The Carlton Group has

an established connection with the exciting sport of motor rallying through sponsorship of other

rally events. The town of Ballinasloe could not have been more helpful in our preparations to date.

The Rally will take place over the weekend of August 31

the Dunlop National and Top Part West Coast Championships. The Headquarters will be The Carlton

Shearwater Hotel with Service and Scrutiny in close proximity. The event is expected to attract a full

entry of over 130 cars and teams to the town.

Galway Motor Club endorses the Road Safety Authority’s “Keep the Race in Its Place” initiative and is

a supporter of “The Gathering” tourism promotion.

The British team, which marked its ELMS debut at the 3 Hours of Silverstone with second and third place finishes in the production-led LMGTE category, heads to Italy with a single, focussed aim – victory at the 4.9km Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari.

Silverstone-based Ram Racing’s driver line up of Johnny Mowlem (GBR) and Matt Griffin (IRL) in the No.52 entry and Americans Gunnar Jeannette and Frankie Montecalvo in the No.53 all firmly believe that victory is within their grasp, and that it was only denied them at their home round due to the appalling weather conditions. The USA drivers will both be making their first visit to Imola, and in the early stages will rely on the experience and advice of their European team mates, both of whom have raced there before. The Imola track is renowned as being difficult to conquer, and its twists and turns require accuracy as well as speed but the rewards are high when it all comes together.

Fresh from a Portuguese race win in a Ferrari 458 in the GT Open series last weekend, Ireland’s Matt Griffin explains why he loves the Italian circuit: “The track has lots of high speed elements which suits the car, and you know that any race you do with Ram Racing you’re going to have a fantastically prepared car under you – as evidenced at Silverstone – which makes a driver’s job much easier.

“The Imola circuit is quick technical but I love it as it’s an old style track, with lots of history which you can feel all around you. You need maximum commitment to do well here, with the high speed corners, but it’s very rewarding. The trickiest corner is the Acque Minerali as it is downhill, high speed which makes it difficult on the brakes, and then there’s an uphill exit; as a driver you can make a big difference to your lap time here but if you’re over the limit you can run the risk of going off. You have to be pinpoint accurate.”

Despite the four-week gap since the 3 Hours of Silverstone, the team has been busy refining and preparing its GTE cars in readiness for the weekend. Team Principal Dan Shufflebottom says that the intervening weeks have allowed the team to go over the cars with a fine tooth comb: “We’ve had a chance to carry out some improvements to the cars that we didn’t have time to do before Silverstone such as ceramic coating of the exhausts, and heat shielding the fuel cell and the back of the chassis. The dampers have been back to Dynamics to be re-valved and tested on their dyno and hopefully this will work to our advantage over the kerbs in Imola.

“As far as the competition is concerned, we’ve had a Balance of Performance adjustment which comes into effect from this weekend which includes a larger engine restrictor and another 12 litres of fuel, taking us up to 102 litres. This should, in theory, benefit us more than Porsche as the larger restrictor is likely to hurt their fuel economy heavily but the gain here is also balanced by an additional 25 kg of ballast we have to carry. Until we all get there, and see what happens in practice, it’s speculative as to who gains and who loses but I think we should do well. We obviously hope it doesn’t rain for the race – although there are showers forecast for practice on Friday – as the track surface can be very slippery in the wet. I think we all had enough rain at Silverstone to last us a season!”

The European Le Mans Series will be run alongside the FFSA GT Tour in Italy as part of a weekend of racing at Imola. Two one-hour practice sessions will take place on Friday, 17th May followed by a 20-minute qualifying session on Saturday morning. The three-hour race starts at 4:00 pm (CET) on Saturday afternoon.

2013 Schedule
13 April: Silverstone
18 May: Imola
20 July: Red Bull Ring
14 September: Hungaroring
28 September: Paul Ricard