Latest TKC News
Round 7 Race Report
14th October 2016
Whiteriver Park, Co. Louth played host to Tullyallen Kart Club’s seventh round of the 2016 Tullyallen Kart Club Championship. Conditions were ideal on October 9th which paved way for a day of great racing as competitors fought for championship positions in what was the penultimate round of the championship.
TKC were delighted to have introduced a number of newcomers on the day who fiercely enjoyed themselves and made steady progress throughout the day in their respected classes. We look forward to seeing all these newcomers back with us at the final round of the championship at Watergrasshill, Cork on October 30th – the latest venue to be added to the TKC Calendar. Entries are now open for this including gearbox. These can be submitted by entering your details here. All guest competitors are welcome to the event and spectator admission is absolutely free.
Bambino
Round seven of the 2016 Bambino championship saw another phenomenal entry of fourteen competitors aged between five and nine years old. Luke Agnew picked up another great win in the final with Kenzie McNally finishing in second and Carrickfergus youngster Kyle Irvine finishing third. Ballyclare’s Agnew had now extended his championship lead from Callum Doak in the overall championship standings with Tadgh Buckley holding off Kyle Irvine for third position.
Junior Cadet IAME
Junior Cadet IAME saw another mighty showdown between rivals Andrei Dabija and Jake Cudden, both drivers won a heat each and both started at the front for what would be a thrilling final. Unfortunately Cudden made a slight error whilst overtaking a back-marker and took himself out of contention for victory leaving Dabija to take a well-deserved and valuable win from Cudden. Brandon Boland valiantly held off a charging Alex O’Grady to take a podium finish.
Junior Cadet Open
Gavin Dewart once again demonstrated his star quality with three wins from three races, finishing ahead of second placed Kyle Thompson. This was Thompson’s second podium of the season and we are sure there will be plenty more to come from the youngster as he progresses in what is only his first year of racing. Andrei Lomov made yet more steady progress as he finished off the podium in third. Letisha Conn suffered a mechanical failure on lap three which sadly dropped her out of a potential podium result. We are sure Letisha will bounce back from this at the final round of the championship in three weeks time.
Senior Cadet IAME
Senior Cader Iame seen an exceptional performance from Portglenone’s Peadar O’Boyle who finished ahead of the #95 driver Sean Hogan and #141’s Zach Rodger in third.
Senior Cadet Open
The Senior Cadet open class saw an impressive battle take place between northern drivers Robert Orr and Irish Kart GP winner Lewis Duff. Both drivers exchanged positions many times in the final race with Orr eventually coming out of top with Duff finishing second. Newly crowned NI Champion Nicholas Wilkinson finished third which highlighted a successful day for the Newtownards driver on his Whiteriver debut.
Minimax
The Mini Max class produced some of the closest and thrilling racing of the day with all twelve 11 -14 year olds demonstrating their great talents on the racetrack. The final race of the day saw an exciting battle commence between #77’s Nathan Glenn and #IRL’s Karl O’Brien, both providing excellent entertainment for spectators in the paddock. Unfortunately the final lap saw a racing incident leave both drivers out of contention for victory leaving Team Kartsport driver Philip Patton to take a well-deserved victory from championship leader Jack Irvine. Irvine’s main championship rival Matthew McDowell finished in third meaning the championship will now go down to the wire in Watergrasshill.
Junior Max
Junior Max saw the welcome return of Jack Hall, who held off a charging Simon Cunningham from a close Cian Broderick. Anton Martin now leads the 2016 TKC Junior Max championship with one round to go.
Senior Rotax 165
Once again Shane Mullins demonstrated a class act taking victory from Andrew Hemeryck and Lorcan Bellew in third. Bellew was delighted to finally make his return to the podium!
Senior Rotax 180
Senior Max 180 welcomed several newcomers to the class including eventual race winner Jason Curran who challenged championship contender Barry Smith for the top step of the podium. Smith consolidated his championship lead with second place and a mighty effort was witnessed from Frank Joyce to finish in third. Championship contender Domhnall Lennon sadly suffered a DNF (did not finish) resulting in Smith taking a considerable step forward in sealing the 2016 Senior Max 180 Championship. But as the saying goes – “Anything can happen in motor racing” and we are sure neither driver will give up till the flag drops in Cork.
Tullyallen Kart Club would like to take the opportunity to once again thank all competitors, officials, marshals and spectators for their assistance and support for this event, it was a highly enjoyable day for all. We would also like to draw readers attention towards the 2016 TKC Club Celebration and Awards Presentation evening being held on Saturday 28th January 2017 at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Dundalk, Co. Louth. This event will include a three course sit down meal (for adults and kids), drinks reception, and ballot with some brilliant prizes up for grabs. This is not a night to be missed, tickets are 20 Euro for Adults and 10 Euro for children, ticket prices subsided by TKC. Tickets available at Round 8 Watergrasshill, Co. Cork (30th October) and at the T-Plate in December.
Round 4 TKC Driver of the Day
2nd August 2016
We are pleased to announced our TKC Driver of the Day for Round 4 at Athboy Karting as Letisha Conn. This was rightfully won by Letisha due to her continued progress in junior open cadet this year classifying herself as a regular front runner in the class. A win is not far away Latisha. Well done girl! We will have your special Driver of The Day trophy for you at Round 5 in Midland Karting, Co. Longford. #GirlPower #TKC #DriverOfTheDay
Round 3 - TKC Race Report
20th June 2016
Sunday 12th June seen Midland Karting, Edgeworthstown play host to the much anticipated round three of the 2016 Tullyallen Kart Club Championship. Weather conditions for the event remained with sunshine however small downpours throughout the day resulted in competitors using their finest wet weather skills to negotiate a wet track on slick tyres. This provided a few surprising yet very well deserved results in many of the classes.
Bambino
Midland Karting seen another strong turn out of Bambino racers ready to drive their young hearts out for the win. Following close battles throughout the day victory eventually went to Callum Doak with Luke Agnew in second and third place going to a well deserved Kenzie McNally. Charlie Gardine finished in fourth and Newtownards youngster Ollie Matthews secured his best result as yet in 2016 finishing in a fine fifth place.
Junior Cadet Iame
Junior Cadet Iame produced yet another show down between Andrei Dabija and Jake Cudden with this round going in Cudden’s favour, the Duleek driver drove exceptionally well to win heat one and the final with Dabija managing to consolidate points with a victory in heat two and a third place in final. Second place went to a resurgent Alex O’Grady whom is race by race gaining momentum on the top two championship contenders, this is certainly turning into a three way fight for the title.
Junior Cadet Open
Heat one in Junior cadet Open class produced a terrific and class act performance from number 42 driver Kyle Thompson. Thompson stormed to his first ever victory in karting in his first ever season of racing, the Lisburn driver was on top form following on from his win in heat one unfortunately he struggled to find the pace in heat two and the final to continue to push the front runners. Victory eventually going to a delighted Gavin Dewart who worked his way back up to the front following on from a stalled motor on the grid losing his pole position in the process. Cian Stanley finished in second and Letisha Conn rounded off the podium in third. Great racing again from the junior cadet open class.
Mini Max
Mini Max produced a great drive from Sean Purcell who secured victory in the final from Carrickfergus youngster Ben McDowell with Strabane’s Haslely Crawford finishing in third. Sean Purcell has now gained significant ground in the championship fight with Ben McDowell and as the championship fight heads to Athboy for round four - it's all for the taking for both drivers.
Junior Max
Although Junior Max seen a significant drop in entrants for round four of the championship, the class produced close racing between Anton Martin and Matt McDowell. Both McDowell and Martin headed into the final with a heat win each, and after a close final of bumper to bumper racing, Martin pipped McDowell to the line to receive his well-deserved first place trophy. A fine drive from both drivers and an excellent example of sportsmanship from both.
Senior Max 165
Senior Max 165 finally delivered a different winner for 2016 following on from dominant wins in every race so far from Shane Mullins. Delvin’s Stephen Joyce returned back to winning ways clinching a fantastic heat one win and a second overall in the final, his best result since moving from Junior Karting to Senior Karting, this achievement was enough to convince race officials to award Stephen with TKC Driver of the Day for round three. Mullins continued his winning ways with wins in heat two and the final to make it three wins from three finals in 2016 thus far, a fantastic accomplishment from the Galway man. Mullins and Joyce were joined on the podium by Conor Gilhooley in third.
Senior Max 180
Monaghan’s Barry Smith produced a dominant performance in the Senior Max to secure a hat trick of wins in both heats and in the final. A great result from Smith who opened the Championship points gap up from 2nd place in the championship Domhnall Lennon. Frank Joyce rounded off the podium in third.
TKC wishes to pass on our greatest thanks to all track marshals, paddock marshals, Midland Karting staff, scrutineering attendants and to all competitors and followers of the club. We now await a month gap for the next round of the championship taking place at Athboy Karting Centre on July 24th. We look forward to seeing everyone again very soon. As always we welcome new members and spectators. Anyone interested in getting involved in karting please visit our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/tullyallen.karting and send us a message.
Round 3 TKC Driver of the Day
15th June 2016
After deep discussion tonight amongst the TKC committee, Tullyallen Kart Club are pleased to announce Stephen Joyce as TKC Driver of the Day for Round 3 at Midland Karting. Stephen achieved this through his continued progress in his move to the Senior Max 165 class and following on from his first heat win at Edgeworthstown and a second overall on Sunday. Fantastic job Stephen, there will be a trophy for you waiting at drivers briefing in Athboy
Round 2 TKC Driver of the Day
25th May 2016
As it was already announced at prize giving on Sunday we would like to add our congratulations to the winner of Round 2's TKC Driver of the Day: Aoife Melia. Aoife showed a superb effort in the Junior Max final finishing second, closing a siginificant gap between herself and a dominant Jack Hall throughout the day, a class act from both drivers and a photo finish. It just shows to all racers that you should never give up! Well done Aoife!
Round 1 - Race Report
5th May 2016
Monday 2nd May saw Tullyallen Kart Club hosted its opening round of the 2016 TKC Championship at Athboy Karting Centre. Weather forecasts suggested showers intermittent throughout the day but this didn't stop 72 determined racers to stamp their authority on this years championship campaign.
From dry to wet, to wet to dry , the wet tyres were on and off, and this created at times frantic tyre changes as drivers pushed to make the right tyre decision at the right time. This created some thrilling drives, to name but a few, Kyle Irvine drove a flawless race in the Bambino class, only to spin and lose the lead with two corners to go. There were still all smiles though as eventual winner Tadgh Buckley joined Kyle and third placed Luke Agnew on the podium. Gavin Dewart, from Waringstown, scored his maiden Tullyallen win after winning the final of the Junior Cadet Open class, a day we are sure young Gavin won't be forgetting for quite some time.
Another first was Carrickfergus driver Ben McDowell who won on his debut in mini max following his step up from senior cadet. Ben had never driven a mini max kart before morning practice and was blown away by the performance of the Rotax motor compared to his Iame Cadet, this didn't stop him however pipping Jack Irvine to the line in a thrilling race.
The Senior classes also provided a few surprise results, Oscar Managan, from Wilkinstown, Meath, scored a superb second place finish following on from his debut year in 2015. Oscar challenged eventual winner Shane Mullins right to the finish and will sure give Shane a run for his money in this years championship race.
TKC would like to send its deepest thanks to all involved in helping us to deliver a safe and highly enjoyable race meeting, especially to Michael Burke at KartStop for sponsoring our wonderful prizes on the day. The next round of the TKC championship will be held on Sunday 22nd May at WhiteRiver Park. Any queries as to how to get involved with our club please do not hesitate to get in touch with us though our Facebook page at Tullyallen Karting.
Round 2 approaching fast
21st April 2016
The start of the much anticipated first round of the TKC championship will take place Monday 2nd May 2016. TKC will be accepting memberships on the day. Please ensure that all entries are in by 6pm Thursday 28th April - a late fee will apply if registering for the race after this date.
2016 TKC Merchandise - Support your club and look cool doing it
20th April 2016
TKC is releasing 2016 merchandise for its members! We have beanie hats, caps and best of all t-shirts!! The merchandise has been kindly sponsored by Company A, Company B, Company C, Company D.
Check out our merch here