After a two month break since the last round of the BOSS Ireland season which took place at Kirkistown, I was looking forward to getting back to the tight and twisty Mondello National Circuit, a track that suits my car better than the high speed nature of Kirkistown. I’m ashamed to say that due to work and other commitments I didn’t so much as look at my car since depositing it at the workshop the day after the last round. It’s a testament to the quality of these Formula Renault cars that you can literally wipe them down, put fuel in them and go straight into qualifying.
Speaking of qualifying, I was delighted to line the car up on the front row of the grid alongside Cian Carey. I’ve been making good starts in the car lately and was hoping to be able to get to the front off the line as I knew that should Cian get away on the opening lap it would be unlikely that I could catch him. In race one I made an OK start but it wasn’t one of my best and I couldn’t get the jump on Cian. I pushed very hard for the opening lap and was just about able to keep on the rear gearbox of Carey. Behind me the beast that is Eamon Matheson’s green machine was looming large. I knew it was ferociously fast in a straight line but I had no idea just how ludicrous it was. Coming onto the start finish straight to start lap two I had a cursory look in my mirrors and seen that Eamon was probably some 100 metres behind me. Now, just for context, my Formula Renault is about 400bhp per ton, accelerates to 100mph from a standing start in 6 seconds and the Mondello straight is not exactly Mulsanne like in it’s length. So, with 100 metres of fresh air betwen us I turned my attention forward to keeping in touch with Carey. Passing the grandstand at 120mph and hitting the brakes at about 90 metres ahead of turn one and just starting to head for my apex I got the fright of my life when a blob of green appeared pretty much alongside me…..Jesus, how fast IS that thing!? The rest of the race was less eventful, I managed to pull out a safe gap from Matheson and Carey did the same as me. I pushed hard on every lap and pretty much replicated my qualifying pace all in an, ultimately futile, attempt to pressurise Cian into a mistake. A slight wobble on the entry to the Esses aside, Cian drove a faultless race and took the win.
Race two on Sunday saw the same front row line up with Carey alongside me, this time I made a marginally better start
INSIDE LINE
BARRY RABITT'S