The Success Stories Of 2026 Formula Vee So Far

The class may have had five winners stand on top of the rostrum so far, but winning in Formula Vee is defined by so much more than 20 points.

By Evan Dalton

From Left To Right : Baby Eabha, Jack Byrne, Kevin O’Hara, Kieran Hannan, Emerson Hannan | Photo by @RaceDayDori

Jack Byrne

It would be a bit silly to start this piece with anyone other than Jack Byrne, who has undoubtedly been the standout driver of this year's championship. 

On Friday afternoon in Kirkistown, team Byrne left the circuit with a mechanical problem, ruling them out of contention in the season opener. The bad luck and misfortune was swiftly put in the back of the mind, and Byrne excelled in Mondello a handful of weeks later. Two wins from two, followed up by a dominant performance in race two at Bishopscourt, propelled Byrne into the championship lead.

With Melia chasing Byrne, and getting a win over him in June, the Wicklow native has looked unphased. With the right tools, and the confidence and composure gained by being in the class for years, Byrne is the favourite for the championship. 

Kieran Hannan 

With Tyredoctor.ie Formula Vee B Championship honours in 2024, and a stupidly consistent season in 2025, finishing no race lower than seventh, Hannan was faced with the question - how does it get better? 

Employing the talents of Leinster Trophy winner Ronan Doherty, as well as focusing on his own personal development, Hannan has propelled to another level in 2026. Three podiums this season so far, complimented by some of his quickest ever laps of the International circuit, the year is shaping up very nicely for the Tim Murray Racing driver. 

Hannan was another driver with a shaky start in Kirkistown. A stuck throttle on the very first lap ended his day. His luck at Kirkistown hasn’t vastly improved, as his first ever Formula Ford outing ended at 4pm on test day with a chassis crack. Let’s hope for Hannan’s sake the third time is the charm, when the class heads north for Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy weekend. The ‘Emmo’ is no doubt a bucket list win for Hannan, whose son is named after the Brazilian World Champion. 

Photo by @RaceDayDori

Conor Melia

Conor Melia, although physically resembling Nigel Mansell, has the mindset of Max Verstappen. He’s not happy unless he’s winning. 

The sigh of relief was felt around County Kildare when Melia stood on the top step of the national championship podium for the second time in his Formula Vee career. He said it himself post race, he was relieved the first one wasn’t a fluke. 

His first win came at the final round of the season in Kirkistown in wet conditions. The race was controversial, as both drivers on the front row, Sean McClements and Gavin Buckley, had to start from the back after missing the call for paddock assembly. Even though Melia had the pace to contend for the win that day, it’s easy to see where the doubt may have come from. 

SM Racing were hard at work to fix some mechanical gremlins at the start of the season, and still are trying to make the cars faster for Silverstone. Silverstone will see Stephen Morrin step inside the cockpit himself, racing alongside the Clane team’s two drivers, Melia and Niall O’Mara. Christy is expected to return to photographer duties.

Melia proved he was a winner on that day in Mondello however. Even Felipe Massa on his best days in Williams would struggle to pilot a Martini livered machine in the manner the Dubliner did. 

Celebrations after Conor Melia’s Round 6 win | Photo by @RaceDayDori

Harry Fagan

12 months is a long time in life. It’s an even longer time in motorsport. 

This time last year, Harry Fagan was preparing for the Irish Kart Grand Prix in Nutts Corner, a famous kart venue not too far from Belfast. He was leading the Rotax Max Senior 177 Championship, and beating any challenger who came his way. 

A year later, he is still recovering from a horror accident in Mondello, which saw significant vertebrae injuries, sidelining him from the circuit for a number of rounds. 

The Leastone driver has shown unbelievable perseverance throughout the previous few months however. He has tackled a major milestone, albeit not a great one, in his early racing career with such resilience, tenacity and vigor. 

Motorsport isn’t always about the on the track wins, and Fagan has proved to the entire paddock that he will bounce back no matter what is thrown his way. His return to asphalt has been completed, and he’s ready to hit the ground running on his next outing. No doubt Fagan is one of this year’s big winners. 

No.95 Harry Fagan heads out on track for qualifying | Photo by @RaceDayDori

Jonny Hollywood

As funny as a jab at Jonny in the class Whatsapp group can be, his work for Formula Vee so far in 2026 can not be understated. 

Hollywood was one of the pioneers of the RTA Virtual Motorsport Formula Vee Scholarship, and gave up his car to the prize winners, allowing three sim racers to take to the circuit in single seater machinery for the first time. 

What started out as a small idea, has ended up gaining the attention of hundreds of thousands of eyes across the world. The three drivers took two rookie wins and a rookie podium between them, as well as Travis Mawhinney standing on the national championship podium with a driver of the day performance starting 21st and finishing 3rd. 

Hollywood, alongside Adam Macaulay, ran the car across the three weekends, with tireless efforts from the pair present behind the scenes to secure sponsorship, entries and everything in between. 

As said by the Irish Independent, “motorsport legend Jonny Hollywood,” will be back in action in Northamptonshire for the classes’ pilgrimage to Silverstone. 

A rather confused Jonny Hollywood | Photo by @RaceDayDori

Fergal Begley

Fergal bought a new Formula Vee for 2026 and got to race a Vee at the Mid Ohio Sportscar Course in the United States at the start of the summer. That, in itself, makes him one of the winners of the season so far. 

What’s To Come For The Remainder Of 2026? 

Silverstone

The story ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce is a tale of an ordinary day in Dublin, which makes it a horrendously inadequate name for the ferry carrying the grid of Irish Formula Vee drivers embarking on an adventure of a lifetime.

There’s nothing ordinary about Silverstone. The site of the first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix. The circuit that has produced historic moments of every racers childhood, regardless of generation. Mansell’s famous win, Schumacher and Hill colliding allowing Johnny Herbert through to win in 1995, Hamilton’s famous 2008 win, or his duel with Verstappen in 2021. It was also the location of the first ever turbo charged engine in Formula 1, back in 1977, piloted by Jean-Pierre Jabouille.

The International layout, using the current Formula 1 pitlane and the famous Hangar straight, will no doubt test the engines of the Vees, but the racing should be sublime. The excitement is building in the approaching weeks. 

The Sim Racers Return 

Some of the more old school members of the class may be sick of the word ‘Sim Racers,’ and yes, the scholarship has ended, but two more will be returning. 

Sean McClements and Kevin Joyce have both featured on the grid this season and impressed. McClements took the opening win of the season in Kirkistown, with Joyce debuting for James Friel Motorsport in Mondello. McClements acted as driver coach for Joyce ahead of his debut, but the duo will now be fiercely battling out on track. 

[Kevin’s company, Validify, is one of Sean’s sponsors, so they haven’t gone all Rosberg/Hamilton yet.] 

From Left To Right : Gavin Buckley, Sean McClements, Sean McCallion| Photo by @RaceDayDori

The Awards Night

As confirmed by the committee, the Formula Vee awards will take place on Saturday November 7th in the Westgrove Hotel, Clane. It is always a good night, where our champions will be crowned. 

And if you think this is a cop out on not knowing how to end this article, you’d be absolutely correct.