Race Report - Irish Vee

Mondello Park 17/8-5-8

Ken Elliott reignited his 2008 championship campaign in emphatic style at Mondello Park last weekend. Elliott drove superbly from a lowly grid slot to take the win in front of a sizeable crowd and also in front of the On the Limit TV cameras.
Qualifying was held in overcast but dry conditions and Elliott struggled to put a lap together around the technical 3.5km international circuit, citing traffic and a late session red flag as contributing factors in his 4th row grid slot.

Once the red lights made out, Elliott and his JH004 made their customary good start to take 6th by the end of the first lap. It was worrying times in the early stages, with the top 6 being unusually strung out but it was apparent that Elliott was happy with his car on the international loop as he began to reel in the deficit each time the field left the national circuit.
He relieved 5th and 4th placed cars of their positions in quick succession, pulling off some committed manoeuvres in doing so. No sooner had he snatched 4th place and began closing on the final podium slot when the leader spun and was collected by the unsuspecting 2nd place driver, gifting Elliott two places, meaning he was now battling for the lead.
He knew that it was his best time to take the lead, with the new leader unnerved after what had just unfolded. Elliott pulled off a sensational move entering Dunlop to take the lead on the fourth lap, a lap which saw him move from 5th to 1st. It looked as if Elliott had made the break as second place got swamped behind him but it was clear that he was struggling around the tighter confines of the national circuit before his JH004 could stretch its legs on the international loop.
This pattern saw his chasers close his lead to virtually nothing before Elliott could pull a gap in the later stages of the lap. This led to worrying times on the Leastone pitwall as Elliott was challenged a couple of times on the main straight but each time the Clondalkin man had it covered. On the final lap he pulled a substantial lead on the first part of the international loop and he could afford to relax somewhat as the chequered flag was displayed.

“This is exactly what we needed right now. We weren’t too confident after qualifying this morning but the car was dynamite in the race. I took the chances when I needed and they all paid off with the result that we are now right back in the hunt.” said a delighted Elliott post race.
With the championship leader suffering a frustrating weekend, this result greatly helps Elliott in his quest to retain his title. The Vee’s now look forward to a lengthy break during which the team will hopefully improve the JH004’s qualifying speed before Ken is back in action at Mondello on the 29th of June.
Keep an eye out for Ken’s winning performance on On the Limit sports in the coming weeks.