First of the 2025 Mega-Meeting car races at Kirkistown to take place this weekend
This Saturday 26th July, 2025, sees a bumper race meeting for car racing enthusiasts happening at Kirkistown Racing Circuit in County Down.
Over 100 drivers have entered, with some doing five races!
There are seven double header classes and a unique Fiesta Zetec Allcomers race at the end of the racing day. Add to that a display of Ford Mustang cars and a parade of the same, and you have something for every petrolhead to enjoy.
The Formula Vees will be the first cars on track. 18 have entered, including Dublin’s Gavin Buckley, who sealed the 2024 Championship at Kirkistown last year.
He is currently leading the Formula Vee Championship this year and will be hard to beat. However, Conor Melia, from Lucan, is second in the rankings and will be hoping to gain ground. The Vees always provide close racing at the front.
Next out will be the ICCR Fiesta Zetecs. This is a class that originated at Kirkistown and was then adopted at Mondello, growing into massive fields.
Twenty-three cars are set to race, including New York driver, Aidan Mulready, who currently leads the Kirkistown Fiesta Championship and is also third in the ICCR Fiesta Championship.
Sean McGovern, from Ticknock, and Alan Dawson, from Clonee, will be two of his closest rivals.
The Roadsports, GTs and Saloons will have a 10 car field. Jim Larkham, from Newtownabbey, will renew his rivalry with Mike Ward, from Youghal, in their Radicals.
These two should be the fastest in the field, although if Banbridge driver, Arnie Black, gets his Crosslé 37S properly hooked up, he will be there or thereabouts.
The saloons should be interesting, with three Seat Supercopas and a very quick BMW.
The Seats are driven by Peter Baxter, from Lurgan, Paul Parr, from Newry, and Gavin Kilkey, from Derry.
Davy Smyth, from Saintfield, will he seeking better reliability from his BMW. In the GTs, Matthew McCord, from Cookstown, and Alexander Preston, from Loughgall, will be battling in their SHP Wildcats.
The ICCR Fiesta STs are returning to Kirkistown for the first time in some years. David Maguire, from Rathgar, currently leads the Championship and he should be heading this 15-car field.
However, Portadown driver, Derek Graham, has home advantage and will be in the mix, as will be Roy White, from Donnybrook, and Dubliner, Tim McQuaid, who are currently second and thirrd in the Championship.
The growing class at Kirkistown is the Modi-5-Cup Mazdas. This is largely due to Ballyhalbert man, David Cousins, who founded the class and prepares over half the cars in the field.
This time there are 13 entered. The man to beat will be Dundonald’s Craig Ewing. His main challengers will be Francie Allen, from Moira, Damian Moran, from Dundalk and Rob Kennedy, from Culloville. However, the mid-field is also packed with quick drivers.
The Kirkistown Fiestas produced two brilliant races at the last meeting at Kirkistown. Aidan Mulready had dominated up until then but Banbridge driver, Neville Anderson, raised his game and took a win and a close second. He will be looking to go one better this time. Another improving driver is Conor Mulholland, from Newtownabbey. He could well be bothering the front men.
Formula Ford 1600 has a very healthy and somewhat international field, with 14 cars entered. The international element is provided by Peter Sikström, from Fristad, Sweden, Giovanni Romagnoli Sacci, currently living in London, and New Zealander, Alan Crocker, who would be a shoe-in winner of Kirkistown’s Come Dancing, if we had such a competition! Top local talent includes Ronan Doherty, from Dunloy, Stephen O’Connor, from Dublin, and Ian Campbell, from Dundalk.
Qualifying starts at 8:45am and the first race should be at 11:00am.