Race Report - Formula 5

Mondello Park 20-4-8

The Formula 5 season kicked off with a vengeance at Mondello Park last weekend. Series returnee Kevin Gillespie and series newcomer Dan Polley shared the spoils on the opening weekend, which saw the cars successfully negotiate the new two race layout laid out in the 2008 Formula Libre series.
In order to maintain safety with an increasing amount of quick cars appearing, driver must now earn their place on the grid for the ‘main’ race by qualifying either directly through or by earning a place resulting from the qualifying heat. It says quite a lot about the pace of the DH01 that all formula 5 cars made the grid for the main event.
John Downey secured an impressive class pole with Kevin Gillespie just a couple of hundredths behind. Daniel Polley showed stunning form to grab third ahead of series hotshoe and reigning 1 litre Formula Libre champion Mark Reade. Polley was using 2007 series champion Stephen Kershaw’s DH01 to great effect around the 1.6km National layout.

Gillespie snatched the lead off the line with Reade, Downey and Polley in close attendance. He managed the make a slight break in the early stages of the race as his pursuers squabbled over second place. Once the race settled down, it was Reade in hot pursuit, continuing his impressive form from last season. Gillespie had the gap stabilised mid way through the race but Reade saw an opportunity when the pace car came out in the latter stages.
A lengthy safety car period left the drivers struggling to keep optimum tyre temperature and who ever was bravest on cold tyres was going to snatch the class win. Gillespie’s experience shone through as he fended off a challenge from his young team mate and opened up a small, but significant margin in the opening lap. Meanwhile Polley had moved up to third as Downey struggled with a clutch problem from the mid point of the race.
Reade looked to have everything in hand during the main race after Gillespie was sidelined with an electrical problem during the opening laps. His cause was aided as Downey and Polley were embroiled in a frantic battle for the runner up spot in the early stages of the 18 minute event. This battle continued past the mid point of the race when Downey suffered a recurrence of the clutch problem that hampered his comeback in the earlier race.
Polley was released and immediately began to the reduce the substantial advantage enjoyed by Reade for the majority of the race. With just two laps remaining, Polley passed Reade for the class win as the Naas youngster ground to a halt after a chain failure. Mis-aligning sprockets resulted in excessive heat running through the chain, a problem that was only uncovered in post race inspection.

Polley showed good pace with the fastest lap in the qualifying heat and transferred that into a class win with a sensible and well fought main race. With last weekend results, he has surely left the series regulars with some food for thought on the run up to the series return to Kirkistown on the 26th of April.