Tactical Warfare In The Donington Trenches - RTA Formula Vee Round 3 Review
The sun was sweltering upon one of Britain’s popular rock festival venues, but tonight Donington Park was playing host to what it knows best - brilliant budget single seater racing.
The RTA Virtual Motorsport Formula Vee Ireland Series returned for Round 3 of the thrilling championship, with another trifecta of heats on offer. Two time champion Dylan McClements held the top of the standings upon arrival to the paddock, but plenty of drivers were in hot pursuit.
The early qualifying pace was once again set by Shaun McGoldrick, in similar fashion to the season opener, but it was Brandon McCaughan who denied the synchronised slipstream efforts of Conor Melia, Sean McClements and Peter McCann, to take his first ever RTA pole position late in the session.
Heat 1
With lights out, the lead was immediately lost to Dylan McClements into the ‘Old Hairpin.’ McCaughan fought back and retook his place before the ‘Goddards’ chicane.
That was the quietest moment of the race.
Lap three arrived, and four wide the leaders went. McCaughan, both McClements brothers, Melia and Travis Mawhinney, with McCann just trailing. The latter two would eventually make contact, knocking the Laois native McCann down to eight.
It wasn’t the only bit of contact, with trouble emerging for Ronan Hederman, Kevin Joyce and Niall Leahy, who ended up down the order. On the other hand, Kamto Chukwureh was a beneficiary, and climbed 12 positions.
The top three were away, and McCaughan campaigned to start a “wall of Antrim” up top. What followed was a wall that a certain controversial presidential figure would’ve been proud of. No one challenged them, but they still had to sort the order of the bricks.
Despite last lap efforts, Sean McClements was able to hold on for the win. His brother Dylan just trailed, with Brandon the Builder in third.
Heat 2
The frantic Formula continued on, with cars gracing the tyre wall before the first corner. This time it was Darragh Halley.
The leaders decided four wide in Heat 1 was too tame, and a five wide barrage of low powered Volkswagen single seaters embarked on a chicane that, two wide through would be considered brave. A shout of “oopsie daisy” on the team radio, followed by Brandon McCaughan at rest on the apex led to a few drivers heading to pitlane for repairs.
The battle up front was not as peaceful as Heat 1. The McClements brothers tried their usual tactic of teamwork makes the dreamwork, but Travis Mawhinney was not playing ball. The two competitors of this year's Junior Mini Challenge Scholarship, Dylan McClements and Mawhinney came into contact, with Peter Brett involved as well, with a fire being lit within the championship leader.
A rare portion of luck fell into the turnkey of Hederman, who drove excellently from the back to find himself in fourth. Some incidents towards the top, including one for Hederman with Halley.
Mawhinney didn’t fancy following the team work up front, responding to a plea of Sean McClements saying “we can with this,” with “who’s we mate?” He would go on to take a second Heat 2 win in successive weeks.
Chukwureh earned himself reverse grid pole position with an eight place finish.
Heat 3
A “terrifying” run down the ‘Craner Curves,’ led by McCaughan and both McClements saw battles all over Castle Donington on the opening trip round. Chukwureh held the lead, with controller racer Jordan Kelly in second followed by Sylvie Bartlett.
As the top 10 went snaking through the middle sector, a tense atmosphere arrived. It was similar to an old war movie, where the soldiers sat in the trenches awaiting their command for battle.
The command was shouted at concert level decibels by Mawhinney, who made contact with his new found foe Dylan McClements and Ryan Coon. Coon was sent catapulting into the air like a harrier jump jet.
Two more wheelies followed. McClements had his Vietnam-esque flashback, but got away with it. Chukwureh wasn’t so lucky. Acquisitions were thrown, but you weren’t there man!!
Melia led at the halfway mark, with Halley on his comeback fight and acting as a “road block” according to Kelly team radio. He became a road block himself with a spin through ‘Coppice,’ straight into the path of Dylan McClements.
Two new squadrons were formed. Sean McClements and Conor Melia worked together to try to extend their lead, and McCann and Dylan McClements tried to close them down. McGoldrick was in no man's land in the middle.
It all built to a crescendo and a top four fight. Dylan McClements had the gumption and somehow brought himself back into the fight. They stayed tame throughout the lap, but Melia and Dylan McClements went side by side through the final corner. Melia had got the exit, and Dylan McClements held onto his car like a bull rider. An exceptional run off the corner for Sean McClements led to him nudging Melia, killing his momentum, and handing his brother the race victory.
RTA Virtual Motorsport returns next week in Oulton Park for another hectic week of racing.
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