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Formula Ford racers to battle for Leinster trophey |
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Monday, 17 September 2007 |
A bumper grid of Formula
Ford's battling for the Leinster Trophy will be just one of many high
points of this weekends Leinster Motor Club event at Mondello park. The
two day event is the annual highlight of the domestic racing season
with not only the prestigious Leinster Trophy to be contested but also
the final rounds of most of the Irish racing championships. The event
time table is crammed with twenty four races that will in many cases
decide the destiny of the 2007 national championship titles.
Formula
Ford remains as the class chosen to fight for the top award with
drivers looking to follow in the footsteps of some of the biggest names
in world motorsport in adding their name to the Leinster Trophy roll of
honour, which include Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen. The regular
Republic of Ireland championship contenders will be joined as usual by
visitors from the Northern Irish championship and a handful of overseas
drivers to produce the biggest Formula Ford grid of the year all
looking to emulate teenager Kris Loane who took the title last
September.
Of the other classes on the bill the Dunlop Supercar Championship is
the one most likely to produce fireworks as current series leader and
reigning champion Rod McGovern continue their race long battle for
supremacy. Having led for most of the year McGovern has recently lost
out to a late season charge by Whelan who has won four of the last five
races to move into a fourteen point championship lead and make himself
favourite to take his second title. While these two concentrate on the
championship any one of half a dozen other drivers are capable of
taking race victory so the two Supercar races should be some of the
most competitive of the weekend.
All of the other Irish championships will be on the bill on either
Saturday or Sunday, with the addition of a new saloon libre class which
will run alongside the Dunlop Abarth Cup races. Also on the programme
is the second of Mondello's new Sportscar Endurance races which feature
two drivers per car, pit stops and refueling during their forty five
minute duration.
Saturdays programme starts with qualifying and continues with nine
races before finishing off with Supercar qualifying last thing on
Saturday evening. Following Saturday's Formula Ford championship race
the Leinster Trophy contenders will have an additional qualifying
session for the Leinster Trophy feature race, which will be part of a
busy fifteen race timetable.
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TIMETABLE
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Saturday
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Time
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Class
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Session
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Duration
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09:15
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Historic & Porsche Open
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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09:40
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Strykers & Global Lights
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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10:05
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Formula Sheane
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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10:30
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Sportscar Endurance
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Qualifying
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25 mins
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11:05
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Formula Ford 1600
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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11:30
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Fiat Punto & Uno
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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11:55
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Formula Libre
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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12:20
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Historics
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Race 1
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15 mins
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12:45
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Global Lights
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Race 1
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15 mins
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Lunch break
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13:45
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Formula Sheane
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Race 1
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15 mins
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14:10
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Porsche Open
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Race 1
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15 mins
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14:35
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Formula Ford 1600
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Race 1
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15 mins
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15:00
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Strykers
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Race 1
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15 mins
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15:25
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Formula Libre
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Race 1
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15 mins
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15:50
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Fiat Punto & Uno
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Race 1
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15 mins
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16:15
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Sportscar Endurance
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Race 1
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45 mins
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17:10
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Dunlop Supercars
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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Sunday
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Time
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Class
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Session
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Duration
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09:00
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Formula Vee
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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09:25
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Dunlop Abarths & Saloon Libre
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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09:50
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‘Leinster Trophy’ (FF1600)
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Qualifying
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15 mins
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10:15
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Dunlop Supercars
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Race 1
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15 mins
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10:40
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Global Lights
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Race 2
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15 mins
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11:05
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Fiat Punto & Uno
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Race 2
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15 mins
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11:30
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Historics
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Race 2
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15 mins
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11:55
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Dunlop Supercars
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Race 2
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15 mins
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12:20
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Formula Vee
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Race 1
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15 mins
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Lunch Break
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13:45
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Dunlop Abarths & Saloon Libre
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Race 1
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15 mins
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14:10
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Formula Sheane
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Race 2
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15 mins
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14:35
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Strykers
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Race 2
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15 mins
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15:00
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Formula Libre
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Race 2
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15 mins
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15:25
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Porsche Open
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Race 2
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15 mins
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15:50
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‘Leinster Trophy’
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Race 2
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20 mins
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16:20
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Dunlop Supercars
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Race 3
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15 mins
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16:45
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Formula Vee
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Race 2
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15 mins
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17:10
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Dunlop Abarths & Saloon Libre
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Race 2
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15 mins
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