The two Mondello Park promoted Fiesta Championships were the cream of the Car Racing action at Mondello Park over the weekend of June 8th and 9thas the drivers tackled the National Track in reverse for the one and only time this season. William Kellett in the Zetec class emerged from the hectic action as the highest points scorer with a pair of wins.

The Keelan Construction Fiesta Zetec class were first on track in qualifying and it was William Kellett who took pole position ahead of a large field which saw the top eleven drivers covered by a second. Reigning champion Owen Purcell was second despite gearbox issues ahead of Stanislaw Ukleja and Andy Kavanagh.

The fifteen minute race began with Kellett in the lead from the fast starting Ukleja with Kavanagh third ahead of the resurgent former champion Philip Lawless. On lap ten the relatively inexperience Ukleja found a way past Kellett to lead a race for the first time, as the top two pulled clear of the field. Behind them Lloyd Murphy was recovering from a poor start and moved past Lawless for fourth just as the lead was changing. Going onto the final lap Kellett looked to be settling for second and a good haul of championship points, but a good run through the penultimate corner gave him an opportunity to dive down the inside of the leader and retake the lead on the final corner, which he grabbed with both hands. Ukleja came home second but was later excluded for a technical infringement leaving Kavanagh as runner-up, from the recovering Murphy.

With the top six reversed for race two it was Purcell on pole but he made a poor getaway and dropped down the field before being rescued by a race stoppage. Back on pole for the restart Purcell made a much better getaway and was busy fending off the attentions of Murphy when his gearbox issues put him out of the race. Having slowed suddenly on the main straight the leader was luck to only receive a glancing blow from Murphy as the rest of the pack somehow avoided him. Shortly afterwards the race was once again stopped due to Shane Egan putting his car on its roof exiting the second last corner. At the third time of asking and with Purcell out for the rest of the day, it was Colm Barrable who took the lead. Barrable then proceeded to fend off Murphy, Kellett and Kavanagh for the rest of a thrilling race with the top four crossing the line within a second of each other.

For race three Barry Barrable took pole from Lawless and Kavanagh with Kellett fourth. A mistake by Lawless at the first turn dropped him to fifth leaving Kellett chasing Kavanagh and Barrable. On the second lap Kellett found a way by Kavanagh and then reeled the leader in. At the start of lap four he went down the outside of Barrable into Southside Motor Factors corner and then ran around the outside through the first and second turns finally taking the lead in turn three. The remainder of the race was unusually processional as Kellett took a four second win from Kavanagh and Wayne Laverick, who had started seventh.

The Keelan Construction Fiesta Zetec Championship will be back in action at Mondello Park on July 13th and 14th.

Images by Carl Cleary