Untitled Document

Results and Report from Rounds 4 and 5- Mondello

Round 4 Mondello national circuit

Results Race 4

1 Fernandez, 2 D'Alton, 3 Murphy, 4 Roddy, 5 Blattmann, 6 Ryan

Fastest Lap Fernandez 104.48

Results Race 5

1 D'Alton, 2 Fernandez, 3 Murphy, 4 Bruton, 5 Weleratne, 6 Ryan

Fastest Lap Fernandez 104.312

Havoline Stryker Championship 2008

Positions after Round 5, Mondello Park, 7th June.

1	Damian Roddy	70
2	Valter Fernandez	56
3	Andrew D'Alton	45
4	Joao Blattmann	38
5	Paul Murphy	36
6	Des Bruton	22
7	Mark Willis	21
8	Colin Deering	21
9	David Walsh	18
10	Greg Kelly	13

www.irishstrykers.com

Next rounds Angelsey June 28/29th - (Double header)

by webmaster

Results and Report from Round 3 Mondello - May 10th

Round 3 of the Havoline Stryker Championship took place on the international track at Mondello Park on Sunday May 10 as part of Mondello's 40th Anniversary Celebrations. True to form the Stryker class again delivered probably the most exciting race of the day.

The early morning qualifying was dominated by Valter Fernandes and Joao Blattmann who secured the front row of the grid. However Blattmann was forced to start from the pit lane after an rigid interpretation of the techical rules. This elevated Damian Roddy to the front row along side pole man Fernandez followed by Dalton and Kelly.

At the flag Roddy got the jump on Fernandez behind whom all hell broke lose. In what was classified as a "racing accident!" Alan Watkins who had a fantastic start from row 3 tried to go through a rapidly closing gap to end up as the filling in a Dalton Kelly sandwich. The resulting debris led to the race getting red flagged. Foley. Kelly, Walkins, Wycherley and Karstel failed to make it to the restart.

Again Roddy got the drop on Fernandez at the restart and the rest of the field got away cleanly. Blattmann again started from the pit lane. Unfortunately Fernandez retired due to technical problems on lap one. The high attrition continued with Weleratne, Dalton, Reddin and Beale all retiring on lap 2. Blattmann continued his progress through the field to end up in 4th place and fastest lap. Roddy led from the outset with Colin Deering and Paul Murphy driving stongly to finist in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Results

1 Damian Roddy, 2 Colin Deering 3 Paul Murphy, 4 Joao Blattman, 5 Des Bruton, 6 James Maher

Fastest Lap Joao Blattmann 2 01.138

Havoline Stryker Championship 2008

Positions after Round 3, Mondello Park, 18th May.

1	Damian Roddy	60
2	Joao Blattmann	26
3	Valter Fernandez	21
4	Mark Willis	21
5	David Walsh	18
6	Colin Deering	15
7	Greg Kelly	13
8	Des Bruton	12
9	Paul Murphy	12
10	Andrew D'Alton	10

Next rounds, Mondello Park, 7th June

www.irishstrykers.com

by webmaster

Results from Rounds 1 and 2 Mondello - April 6th

The first two rounds of the Havoline Stryker Championship commenced at Mondello Park on Sunday April 6th.

Race 1

1 Damian Roddy, 2 David Walsh 3 Mark Willis, 4 Andrew Dalton, 5 Alan Watkins, 6 Valter Fernandes

Fastest Lap Valter Fernandes at 1.03.766

Race 2

1 Damian Roddy, 2 Valter Fernandez, 3 Joao Blattmann, 4 Greg Kelly, 5 Mark Willis, 6 Simon Reddin

Fastest Lap Joao Blattmann 1.03.923

See full results on Motorsport Ireland Website.

http://www.motorsportireland.com/index.cfm/loc/5/articleId/2553DB8B-9A46-AEC8-675973CBBAF38F72.htm

Championship Positions after Two Rounds

1 Damian Roddy 40

2 Valter Fernandez 21

3 Mark Willis 20

4 Joao Blattmann 16

5 David Walsh 15

6 Greg Kelly 13

7 Andrew D'Alton 10

8 Alan Watkins 8

9 Simon Reddan 7

10 Simon Beale 5

11 Des Bruton 4

12 Roger Welarante 2

13 Chris Bergin 1

by webmaster

Kirkistown Races 7 & 8 - Willis continues championship onslought

The Stryker class again hit windy Kirkistown. Those that made the trip up on Friday experienced a varied of track conditions from the dry to the waterlogged giving them a psychological advantage for Saturdays proceedings.

Kirkistown continues to provide a friendly racing environment and good value when compared with Mondello with two separate qualifying sessions and both races running to full duration following a recent trend of curtailment due to schedule delays and red flagging at Mondello.

The inform Mark Willis was piped for pole in both races by Tristin Quinn.

Race 1

Quinn led off from the in form Mark Willis who won the previous two championship evens at Mondello. Andrew Dalton who started in 3^rd was passed by the flying Greg Kelly who finished lap 1 in 3^rd place. Willis got past Quinn to lead at the end of lap 1. Niall Foley had a strong race albeit he got a fright when the unlucky Des Bruton had a suspension collapse at the end of Lap7 causing significant damage. Quinn and Willis had a fantastic battle with Greg Kelly also participating in the action. Willis led for the majority of the race ceding leadership briefly on laps 5 and 6. Further down the field Sonya Fildes was holding off the fast charging Alan Watkins using the back markers with great skill. However on the final bend Willis ran wide and Quinn won the drag to the line to win by 0.2 seconds followed by Greg Kelly, Andrew Dalton and Alan Walkins who passed Sonya Fildes on the last corner. The 1600 class was one by Fernandes, Welaratne and Bergin. Fastest lap was Quinn at1.07.597 with an average speed of over 80.5mph.

Race 2

After a strong start Greg Kelly initially led but by the end of lap 1 Willis had assumed the lead. Alan Walkins had the drive of the race battling from 4^th on lap one to a titanic struggle with initially Kelly and then Quinn before chasing down a passing Willis albeit on for a short period. Watkins whose fastest lap was 4/10ths of a second faster than his nearest rival Willis put on a display of daring driving particularly his passing around the outside at the end of the main straight. Andrew Dalton looked like he was going to join in the battle for leadership but lost ground at the end of the race. Dalton was followed by Sonya Fildes and her chasing husband Niall Foley. The 1600 race was won by Fernandes followed by Bergin and Welarante. Of particular note was the fast time achieved by 1600 regular Joao Blattman in a borrowed 1800 of 1.08.293, the 4^th fastest time of the race.

Willis is now challenging Quinn for Championship leadership followed by Sonya Fildes.

by webmaster

Mondello Race 5 & 6 - Willis wins twice for first championship victory

Mondello

by webmaster

Race 3 and 4

Mondello

by webmaster

Fildes dominates on first day

The Havoline Stryker Championship for 2007 commenced last Sunday at a sun drenched Mondello Park. Twenty two cars lined up for the Sunday morning qualifying. While first day nerves and some confusing flag waving by some marshals resulted in a number of people not availing of the full allocation of qualifying time the final grid positions were quite different to the pre season form book. Sonya Fildes finished the session with her first pole position followed by Alan Walkins,Greg Kelly,Tristan Quinn and Alan Auerbach. Mark Nagle was fastest of the 1600 class

Race 1

Sonya Fildes started from pole for the first but was beaten to the first corner by the fast starting Watkins and Quinn. Alan Auerbach who qualified unfortunately retired with a minor mechanical problem on lap1.On lap 3 Damian Roddy spun while trying to pass the fast charging Andrew Dalton who started in 10^th place on the grid. After bringing considerable rubble onto the track in turn 3 Roddy was then unable to restart the car. Confusion reigned with a safety car coming onto the track before departing only to return again after a number of laps. At the restart Watkins led from Tristin Quinn, Fildes and Walkins. On lap 12 Walkins got slighly sideways in turn one and was punted by the closely following Quinn. Fildes managed to squeeze through on the inside while the rebounding Walkins caught the unfortunate passing Dalton. Chaos ensued with many cars taking to the grass.The fortunate Tristan Quinn benefited from the confusion and recovered to finish second behind Sonya Fildes and ahead of Greg Kelly in the borrowed Johnny Lynch car. The 1600 class was won by Mark Nagle from Valter Fernandez and Roger Welarante. Fastest Lap Quinn at 1:05.169

Race 2

Alan Walkins started in pole from Sonya Fildes but was gobbled up at the start by both Greg Kelly and Tristin Quinn. For a number of laps the order was Kelly, Quinn and Fildes with Andrew Dalton carving his way up through the grid to 4^th place setting fastest lap along the way. Coming into Dunlop on lap 8 Quinn launched himself into a non existent gap, catching the rear of Kelly and pushing his way through to the annoyance of Kelly. Behind them all was calm other than a coming together with the young chargers Auerbach and Willis which left Willis without rear bodywork. Fildes and Dalton followed the indestructible Quinn home. Valtar Fernandez led home Mark Nagle and Joao Blattmann. Particularly noteworthy was the fact that all new entrants to the class achieved times better than 1:09 including some 1^st time racers like Mark Roche and Pat Bergin.

The Championship is jointly led by Fildes and Quinn with Nagle and Fernandez leading the 1600 class

by webmaster

Phoenix Park August 12th and 13th

The return of the much-heralded Phoenix Park races after a gap in 2005 was a fantastic success judged by the well-supported classes and the outstanding number of spectators. The challenging triangular Oldtown Circuit was once again used and provided a fantastic challenge for the drivers in the Stryker class where the average speed on the 1.75mile circuit was 77mph. The circuit is not for the faint hearted due to the close proximity of the long-standing trees. The trees were in some cases protected by straw bales provided by Stryker driver Des Bruton. Thankfully few people over the weekend tested the quality of the Dunboyne based farmers straw. An added feature of the Phoenix Park was the risk provided by the free roaming deer population.

Special thanks are due to the voluntary event organising team led by John Heavey and Richard White who galvanised the racing classes to put their hands in their well stitched pockets to get the event up and running. The Leinster Motor Club with Ann Stevens and team ran the event efficiently. Special thanks are due to our own Nicola Watkins who provided PR on the event. The success of which was easy to see by the huge crowd in attendance on both days.

The Stryker class had the prime mid afternoon slot on both days recognising the entertainment value of the class for the spectators. The Stryker class ran two non-championship races in conjunction with the
Global Lights class. To the embarrassment of a number of the Global Light drivers some Stryker drivers out qualified the theoretically faster slick tyred machines.

The teenage sensations Daniel McCarthy and Mark Willis followed by the more experienced but slower on the day Damian Roddy and Tristan Quinn dominated qualifying. Des Bruton and Andrew Dalton had disappointing qualifying sessions.

Race One – Saturday
The race commenced with a rolling start and all competitors successfully negotiated the very tight first corner. Robert Reid making a guest appearance had a fantastic start to enter turn one in 5th place from the back of the grid. Daniel McCarty and Mark Willis who put up a fantastic performance as newcomers to the Phoenix Park, dominated the race. While McCarthy fended off a close fight from Willis for much of the race, a mistake midway through the race at the tight Furry Glen corner allowed
Willis through. The other places were very closely fought with Des Bruton and Damian Roddy having a tough battle throughout the race. Slower and nameless Global drivers were an added complication for the Stryker drivers and hampered the progress of the vocal Alan Watkins amongst others .On the final lap Roddy got ahead of Bruton but a lapse of concentration going into Furry Glen resulted in both drivers embarrassingly overshooting the bend gifting Andrew Dalton an easy third place. Willis held off McCarthy to win his first ever race.

Result 1. Mark Willis, 2. Daniel Mc Cathy, 3. Andrew Dalton

Race Two Saturday
The standing start to race two resulted in a tremendous start by Andrew Dalton from the back of the grid to exit turn one behind McCarthy and Willis. Niall Foley also figured in the initial shake up after a strong qualifying performance. Peter Auerbach after qualifying strongly was hampered by a catalogue of mechanical problems including a recurring overheating problem. Tristin Quinn was in the contention in the early laps but a rare mechanical failure saw him retire. Two accidents by Global drivers resulted in two Safety Car periods that allowed the group to bunch up. Unfortunately for Niall Foley, the flying Niall O'Brien and Peter Auerbach the Safety Car took up position in front of him thereby compromising their race. The four car train of McCarthy, Willis, Dalton and Roddy continued for a number of laps until McCarthy decided to play skittles with the barriers as he overshot the chicane allowing Willis through. A subsequent retirement by Dalton led to Roddy and Bruton taking up the minor places behind the all-conquering Willis who also had the fastest lap of the weekend at 1m 21 sec or 77mph.

Result 1. Mark Willis, 2. Damian Roddy, 3. Des Bruton, 4.Alan Watkins, 5. Daniel McCarthy, 6. Niall Foley

by P.Grogan

Wacky Races in Kirkistown!

After a very dry summer the Havoline Stryker Championship decamped to Kirkistown the windswept former airfield circuit near the colourful village of Portavogie in Co Down. This tricky high speed circuit favours the brave particularly around the flat out bend known as debtors. The formbook from Fridays practice session were Strykers were clocked at in excess of 130 mph was turned on its head by the torrential rain that engulfed the coastal circuit for Saturdays race schedule.
HAVOLINE STRYKER RACE 1 (12 laps):
Pole sitter Alan Watkins crumbled under the pressure of his first pole to spin off the track at the sweeping Debtors bend on the first lap. Tristin Quinn made his traditional rocket like start. Does the “ExSparetise” car have traction control? Mark Willis led the race for many laps before the loneliness of the position got to him and he fell off the track temporarily. Tristin Quinn retired for the first time this year. Des Bruton inherited the lead only to be passed by Damian Roddy in the penultimate lap on the way into Debtors to give Roddy his first ever championship race victory.
1 Damian Roddy 15m 16.45s, 71.27 mph, 2 Des Bruton, 3 Andrew Dalton, 4 Mark Willis, 5 Alan Watkins, 6 Sonya Fildes. Fastest lap: Roddy 1m 13.99s, 73.57 mph.
HAVOLINE STRYKER RACE 2 (12 laps):
Race two was Stryker racings interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors”. The track was damp on the warm up lap. However by the time cars got to turn one Colonial after the green light lo****ed rain had the track resembling the Irish Sea. Five cars failed to get around turn one albeit without incurring any damage and all rejoined the race. Sonia Fildes took up the leadership mantel followed by Damian Roddy. As Sonia was mastering the conditions both Bruton and Quinn passed the floundering Roddy. Renowned wet weather expert Bruton had a major moment losing control at the fast debtors bend collecting Roddy as he ricochetted back across the track. Quinn assumed his now traditional position at the front of the field and led to the final flag holding off the fast charging Watkins who was lapping 1.5 seconds faster than his nearest competitors in a masterful display of wet weather driving. Was it a weight advantage this time?
1 Tristin Quinn 15m 46.69s, 68.70 mph, 2 Alan Watkins, 3 Mark Willis, 4 Sonya Fildes, 5 Andrew D'Alton, 6 Des Bruton. Fastest lap: Watkins 1m 14.36s, 73.20 mph.
Next race the non championship Phoenix Park races.

by P.Grogan

Race 5 & 6 report

The Stryker Championship together with a number of other local championship classes supported the much heralded visiting rounds of the British F3 and GT championship in the Carlow Car Club organised event at Mondello Park on June 24th and 25th. Qualifying for this well-run event under the firm stewardship of Declan Grogan started under Kildares rainfilled clouds on the Saturday morning. The waterlogged circuit led to slow qualifying times but resulted in the Top 3 slots being filled by the experienced Andrew Dalton, Des Bruton and Damian Roddy. The aggregate age of the three is close to 140 years making it probably the most experience front rows on the day. Particularly noteworthy was the fantastic qualifying performance of relative newcomer Alan Auerbach in the 1600 to get in amongst the quicker 1800’s in very wet conditions. One to watch for the future!

Race 5 (Championship)
Pole position holder Andrew Dalton got away cleanly after successfully controlling the rolling start to his advantage. Dalton was closely followed into the first bend by Des Bruton, Damian Roddy and the fast charging Alan Watkins (who would subsequently play a crucial role in the outcome of the race). The rolling start format resulted in a high-speed approach by the pack into the first corner albeit without incident on this occasion. Coming into Devaney’s on lap 2 Alan Watkins seeing an almost non-existent gap nipped inside the locked up car of Damian Roddy to collect Andrew Dalton just as he was exiting the corner. Watkins was lucky not be collected by Roddy and the following pack as he careered back across the track. Tristan Quinn was the main beneficiary of this incident as he set off in pursuit of the leading car of Des Bruton. Regular competitors were left shocked at the sight of Des Bruton’s “unbreakable car” No. 90 retiring with a broken gearbox. Quinn had by this stage developed a comfortable lead and Sonia Fildes worked her way up to third place to put Roddy under great pressure in the final lap. In a magnanimous gesture Alan Watkins who had by now retired to the pits changed the wheel he had punctured on Andrew Daltons car in the earlier incident. Dalton rejoined the race from the pits at the restart caused by the Global of Pat Murphy losing a wheel and blocking the track. Results:- 1. Quinn, 2. Roddy, 3. Fildes, 4. Willis, 5.Kelly and then Dalton finishing in a credible 6th place. Simon Redden won the 1600 class which was just reward for the extensive effort he has made in rebuilding the car after his accident in the previous race. Fastest Lap Quinn 2:01.795

Race 6 (Championship)
Following a noble and generous gesture by Team impresario Alan Byrne to allow his pit crew of Mark Willis and Daniel McCarthy to work overnight replacing the gearbox in Des Bruton’s car Des was able to assume his hard earned place on front row of the grid alongside Andrew Dalton. At the outset Des Bruton and Damian Roddy took the lead after a poor start by Andrew Dalton who in an aggressive attempt to seize an advantage at the start broke his gearlever. Alan Watkins claimed to be baulked by Andrew Dalton but only the brave or foolhardy get in Alan’s way these days. Quinn set off in pursuit of Roddy and Bruton and in a typically robust move by Quinn, barged past Roddy on the exit of Turn 3 on lap 5 leaving some of his shinny new yellow and blue paint behind to follow him on the front and rear wings of Roddys car. Des Bruton was next for the Quinn treatment as he was passed on Turn 7A and 7B although no paint was reported to have been transferred on this occasion. Alan Watkins was pursuing Roddy but a "tank slapper" on the exit of Turn 2 allowed Roddy some breathing space and put Watkins back within the clutches of the fast charging Sonia who was disappointed not to be making it four podiums in a row. Simon Redden again won the 1600 class followed by Mark Kelly with bad luck of the Greg Kelly prepared Johnny Lynch continuing. Results 1. Quinn, 2. Bruton, 3. Roddy 4. Watkins 5. Fildes and 6th Mark Willis Fastest Lap Watkins 2 :00.852

Race (Non Championship)
The Non Championship Race 3 resulted in a first ever victory for Damian Roddy after some very very close attention from Andrew Dalton. The race also saw a first ever podium for Mark Willis. Alan Watkins again had an eventful race spinning after putting a tyre on the grass on the exit of the “too narrow” Lola bend destroying Des Bruton’s chance of victory on the day. Results 1. Roddy, 2. Dalton, 3. Willis, 4.Watkins, 5 Bruton and 6th Foley. Fastest Lap Dalton. 2:02.051

The championship lead is held by Tristan Quinn followed by Sonia Fildes, Alan Watkins, Andrew Dalton and Des Bruton. Simon Reddan has a strong lead in the 1600 class.

by P.Grogan

Round 3 & 4 proved to be a cracker!

The second meeting of the season took place at Mondello Park on 7th May.The two races were filmed for “on the limit” and 17 cars started.

Race 1.

Poleman Triston Quinn took the lead with Andy Dalton and Daniel McCarthy in pursuit.On lap 2, Peter Auerbach spun and was collected by Greg Kelly who rolled, Simon Reddin and Niall Foley were also sidelined in the incident.At the restart Triston and Andy swapped the lead for the remainder of the race with Triston taking the win by .8 of a sec. A superb dice between Sonya Fildes, Daniel McCarthy, Alan Watkins, Damian Roddy and Mark Willis resulted in Sonya coming out best after an outstanding overtaking manoeuvre that had the Grandstand on its feet.
Mark Kelly won the 1600 class from Maurice McMonagle and Niall O`Brien.

Race 2.

The second race was run with a reverse grid and after a hectic few early laps ,Andy Dalton and Triston Quinn worked through the field to contest the lead with Andy having the upper hand .Drama ensued going into the last lap when the 2 cars touched on the main straight with Andy ending up in the barrier. More excitement followed after the chequered flag when Triston and Daniel collided.
After some exclusions by the COC, Alan Watkins was declared winner from an on-form Sonya Fildes and Damian Roddy.
Mark Kelly again was best of the 1600s from Johnny Lynch.

Results

Race 1 Race 2

1 Triston Quinn 1 Alan Watkins
2Andrew Dalton 2 Sonya Fildes
3 Sonya Fildes 3 Damian Roddy
4 Daniel McCarthy 4 Colin Deering
5 Alan Watkins 5 Mark Kelly
6 Damian Roddy 6Johnny Lynch

Fastest lap Dalton 1.04864 Roddy 1.04969

Next Meeting will be at Mondello Park on 24/25 June where we will be supporting the British F3 round on the International Circuit

by P.Grogan

Round 1 & 2 - Mondello Park Sunday 9th April

The opening meeting took place at Mondello Park on 9 April, consisting of 2 races, one of 12 laps and the other of 15. The Strykers were running with the Global Lights and a great turnout of 16 Strykers and 12 Globals meant a full grid.

Race 1.

Des Bruton lead into Turn 1 from front row men Greg Kelly and Tristan Quinn. Des and Greg had a coming together at Turn 3 which let Greg into the lead. The first 2 places were unchanged to the flag with 0.6 sec separating. Tristan and Andrew Dalton had a race long scrap and crossed the line side by side with Tristan taking the 3rd podium spot.
In the 1600 class, Simon Reddan had the upper hand, with husband and wife duo Johnny Lynch and Sinead Burns joining him on the podium.

Race 2

Race 2 had a rolling start in deference to the Globals’ fragile drive shafts. Tristan Quinn got the better of the front row starters, Greg Kelly and Des Bruton, and led Des to the flag. Greg dropped down the order with a time consuming spin, allowing Andrew Dalton through to take the third podium place. Simon Reddan was again the winner of the 1600 class, having a comfortable win from a scrapping Niall O’Brien and Johnny Lynch.

Results

Race 1 Race 2

1. Greg Kelly 1. Tristan Quinn
2. Des Bruton 2. Des Bruton
3. Tristan Quinn 3. Andrew Dalton
4. Andrew Dalton 4. Alan Watkins
5. Alan Watkins 5. Greg Kelly
6. Mark Willis 6. Sonya Fildes

Fastest Lap Bruton 1.04.04 Quinn 1.04.19

The next meeting will be at Mondello Park on 7 May and will be a televised Double Header
It will feature a reverse grid for the 2nd race which should make for a lively race! There should be 3 more 1600 cars competing. And it is hoped that, by the 3rd meeting on 23 June, the Stryker pack will pass the magic number of 20.

by P.Grogan

Results and Report from Rounds 4 and 5- Mondello

Round 4 Mondello national circuit

Results Race 4

1 Fernandez, 2 D'Alton, 3 Murphy, 4 Roddy, 5 Blattmann, 6 Ryan

Fastest Lap Fernandez 104.48

Results Race 5

1 D'Alton, 2 Fernandez, 3 Murphy, 4 Bruton, 5 Weleratne, 6 Ryan

Fastest Lap Fernandez 104.312

Havoline Stryker Championship 2008

Positions after Round 5, Mondello Park, 7th June.

1	Damian Roddy	70
2	Valter Fernandez	56
3	Andrew D'Alton	45
4	Joao Blattmann	38
5	Paul Murphy	36
6	Des Bruton	22
7	Mark Willis	21
8	Colin Deering	21
9	David Walsh	18
10	Greg Kelly	13