Elliott takes Park Title

Phoenix Park 12 /13-8-6

John Downey had a solid weekend in Formula vee despite struggling with a misfire for both races. Ken Elliott was due to race the JH004 for the first time but due to time constraints, he failed to get the car ready and elected to race in championship leader Ray Moore’s spare car.

Downey qualified a creditable 7th for both races given his problems. The team did their best to find the cause of the misfire which has plagued Downey for some time but despite their best efforts the problem could not be solved. This left Downey struggling around a track that relies heavily on a strong engine. Meanwhile Elliott surprised everyone by taking a double pole by half a second.

Even with the problem, Downey battled hard from the off. He held onto his 7th place for the opening laps but as the race wore on he began to struggle more and more. He dropped to eighth and steadily dropped backwards. He defended valiantly and with the benefit of some retirements, he managed to bring his JH002 home in 6th.

Elliott was involved in a spectacular three way battle for the lead for the duration of the race but a slight slip up at the first corner dropped him away from the leaders and he had to settle for third.

He made amends on Sunday when he put in a stunning drive to take the win after a similar race long battle. Downey had to defend for the majority of the race but another brave performance saw him record another top ten finish and round of a solid weekends racing for him.

Elliott was a popular winner in the paddock, as always and now looks forward to the next championship round at Kirkistown on August 26th with a boost in confidence. It is expected that he will debut his new JH004 at that meeting.