Update on my F5 season + pics.

Kersh

So far this year there have been 6 rounds of the f5 championship. Im currently 2nd in the points, 25 behind the leader, 20 ahead of third place. With 4 rounds to go.
Round 1 at mondello i crashed off on lap 6 and damaged the car too much to get out for round 2 that day .
Round 3, again at mondello, i finished second (only 7 out), and in round 4 I repeated 2nd place, no problems with the car, still trying to get used to driving it.
Round 5, Mondello again, I was third when I blew a water pipe, so that was a DNF, and later on for round 6 , though i finished 2nd on the road i took maximum poibts as the driver who won was only guesting. Again i had a water leak in the race (overfull header tank), so backed off for the middle laps then picked up the pace a bit for the last few laps.
And at the non championship Phoenix Park races, i crashed out of the lead on saturday, but won on sunday, which was nice.
I still need quite a bit more seat time, as im not testing, as Im concentrating on the 2 Formula Vees that I run for 2 first time racers, who are second and third in C championship (rookie), and all one of them has to do is finish at least 2nd in class for the remaining 3 rounds and he will win it.
Heres a few pics of the F5.

Motormouth

Sounds good. I'm testing one of these soon, should be a laugh. What is Dan Daly trying to tell you in the last pic??!!!
The second last pic is really good (from the Park, who took that??)

Kersh

I think he liked my car... .
Cregor took them all. I have a few others too.
You will love it, I assume its Pauls car you are going out in?

Nuttzz

Looks good, just wondering what are your costs for doing this for a season?

Kersh

300eu per double header x5.
230eu per test day x5 (130eu half day)
800eu set tyres - max allowed is 3 setsper year inc testing.
800eu set of wet tyres - usually one set will do.
100eu petrol per weekend x5.

The race entry fees/testing fees and petrol are pretty much standard for any race class.

Motormouth

Kersh wrote:

I You will love it, I assume its Pauls car you are going out in?

I'm not sure, he didn't say which car it was. I'm looking forward to it now, but I haven't driven a single seater in about ten years.................except for a 5 lap run in a Formula Ireland a few years ago.
I might not even fit in

AdMMM

Just curious, I noticed that some of the cars pictured have wings. Do they generate downforce or are they just there to make the car look that bit faster?

Kersh

The f3000s would need them, our cars understeer without them, but Mondello is so tight a circuit, i hink their effect is diminished. At some circuits in UK they would be needed, as a lot the corners are quite quick - Coram, copse, charlies etc...

Motormouth

So apart from the power, how does it compare with the Vees you used to race?

Kersh

Believe it or not, Heavey looked at my onboard from last weekend, as did Keno, and they said Im driving it like a Vee!!, too smooth, and too precise. Paul said i should be throwing it in, and getting it moving about (so if you see marshals picking me out of the fields around the circuit next weekend, you know it went wrong). Its a lot quicker than a Vee, Paul has done 57.7 in one, and reckons with good setup/plenty of testing, 56s will be the times.

Motormouth

Yeah, he was flying last time out, nearly pipped that Hayabusa engined Stryker on the last lap for third!!! You out this weekend, yeah??

Kersh

Ye, double header for the Vees, and a double header for the 5s, a busy weekend. Are you supplying the commentary.??

Motormouth

Going out an a Global. got offered it last night. Should be a laugh but i hear the car's not the quickest............We'll see. I'll comentate on the rest with Matt though. How many 5s are out???

Kersh

9 of us.

aidan_dunne

Motormouth, I think you're starting to give away your identity as to who you really are now. Let's look at the clues;

1: You're a racer (or occasional racer).

2: You also commentate, sometimes alongside Matt (who I presume is Matt Feeney).

Okay, here's a not-so-wild guess but your first name wouldn't happen to be the same as the star sign which is represented by a lion by any chance, would it?

Motormouth

The game's up!!! You've cracked it!!!!!:(

aidan_dunne

Yep, I figured you out alright! Though, anyone who follows Irish racing at all and reads this forum here on Boards would have probably figured it out fairly easily too, I reackon!

You not racing Fiats anymore then? You used be a regular to the various Fiat classes over the years, haven't heard much about you lately though (or have I not been looking closely enough? ). Or has your commentating duties and work with Plum Tyndall (yes, I didn't miss that either! ) eaten into your racing time these days?

aidan_dunne

Oh yeah, just another quick question for you, Motormouth, seeing as you seem to be well in the loop, so to speak. Do you know if there's going to be any television coverage of the F5's at all, either by Plum or by 'On The Limit Sports' (in that case, if you asked your mate, Matt, he might know. )? I haven't seen any coverage so far this year by either 'On The Limit' or 'RPM' so I was just wondering if we'll get to see Kersh and his F5 buddies in action at all on the telly this year.

Motormouth

Hi Aidan,
the Fiats are almost all sold:
Abarth gone to Aldo Marini
Punto 1400 to Gary Griffin (new guy, going well)
Uno to Alan Byrne and onto Val Thompson
Have a few machines left, including an Alfa 147 Cup car and a Fiat 127GT but haven't raced any of them yet!!!
Doing a bit for RPM all right, did FF1600 from Kirko yesterday, went out last night on UTV.
As for the F5s, no plans for TV for them this year but they'll more than likely get some coverage next year. They look and sound great but they could do with better promotion............
Maybe in '07???
Kersh??? Any plans?

aidan_dunne

Motormouth wrote:

Doing a bit for RPM all right, did FF1600 from Kirko yesterday, went out last night on UTV.

Yeah, caught that last night alright. Good job on the commentary as usual with yourself and Arnie.

Quick question for yourself or maybe Kersh might be able to answer for me as well. What's that new building at Kirkistown I noticed on last night's coverage? It's a kind of yellow coloured building with a fair bit of glass, I think, as well. It's alongside the back straight, just behind the barriers, on the right hand side as you'd be driving down the straight. Don't think I've ever noticed that before so it must have only recently been built or over the winter or something. Is it a new race control building or what?

I also see from last night's coverage that Kirkistown has started naming corners after sponsors too, ala Mondello. Does that mean we won't hear mention of Debtors and Fishermans and the like anymore? Have to say, if that's the case it's rather sad. Just like with Mondello, I'm not fond of corners named after sponsors and then the names always seem to change as the sponsors do (eg. Coca-Cola -> Hewlett Packard or HP hairpin -> Honda hairpin at Mondello). Much prefer corners to be named properly after racing drivers or other famous corners at other tracks around the world or things like that and they always keep their names no matter who's banners are stuck up at the corners over the years. Can you imagine Eau Rouge being renamed 'Vodafone Hill' or Copse being renamed www.eBay.co.uk? I shudder at the thought! :eek: I mean 'Holiday in Ireland' or 'Ireland.ie' corner sounds bad enough as it is!

Kersh

Aidan - its the new clubhouse, and its really good.
As for f5 promotion, I dont know whats in the pipeline. A race finish would be nice..:mad:

Motormouth

Yeah, I know what you mean about the corners Aidan. I went to Mondello with my Dad as soon as I could walk and we didn't miss one for years so I remember all the old corners...Turn one was was Shell, turn two was BOAC, turn three was Duckhams (later Budweiser), not sure about the esses (various names including Subaru and Mobil) and Dunlop was, and still is Dunlop. At least the new ones on the International circuit at Mondello are names after people. Birrane's Bends, Daly's Drift, Kennedy's rise, Devaney's etc.............

Kirkistown's corners were sold for the weekend only. Tyndall PR have done a three year deal to promote that meeting and they sold off all the corners......
Part 2, including The Final of the Martin Donnelly Trophy is on RPM this coming Thursday on UTV at 11pm (Shameless plug there in case you hadn't noticed :rolleyes: )

aidan_dunne

Just been watching highlights of the Phoenix Park races on 'On The Limit Sports'. I have to say, Kersh, you did a good job holding off that FF1600 in the combined F5/Vee/FF1600 race they showed there. Also, it's nice to finally be able to put a face and a voice to the username! The car looks really great in action and also sounds fantastic. Those bike engines in the F5s are real little screamers, aren't they? Sound like mini-F1 engines almost! I bet they sound even better in real-life.

And what about poor old Dan Daly making sh!t of the chicane in the Libre race! :eek: Such a shame because it's a beautifully turned out car. Though, being such a big Mansell fan, I would say that, wouldn't I?

Kersh

Cheers Aidan .
They do sound great. Well , the win made up for crashing out of the lead on saturday . I was absolutely distraught all day and night on saturday... I thought I had blown my big 'Park win' chance of my life!!
Poor Dan, he never looked like stopping at all did he.

Motormouth

Yeah, the car looked great on TV, the 5s always sound good too. Looked as though you might have had the bias wound a turn or so too much to the back, it was getting well out of shape on the brakes once or twice.....looks great though!!:cool:

Kersh

Thats what pitched me into the chicane on saturday. I had the balance wound all the way forward.. . Im still working on it though, it was a bit better for the last mondello.

Motormouth

Aha!
What happened you at the last Mondello? And are you racing on Saturday?

Kersh

In race 1 the driveshaft broke straight off the line, probably a legacy of the Park crash.
In race 2 I went off avoiding the spun purple F3 car at Tarzan, and broke the exhaust, broke a rear anti roll bar, and lost air filters. I did well to last 9 laps.
The only problem was that I finished 75% of the race and they didnt classify me (I took the last lap board), so now I cant catch Gillespie for the title.
I argued with the Coc but he said I have to take the chequered. I argued back saying that on a few occasions this year people have been classified as finishers when they broke down a lap before the flag.

Motormouth

No way? did you check the green book? Have look and see what the official line is? You gonna go up North anyway, yeah?

Kersh

I argued like mad with him, but he was having none of it. He said write a letter to MI asking for a rule clarification. Either way it cost me probably 5000 euro, and maybe the title.
I have to put my engine back in tomorrow, but either way Ill be up there, one of my drivers, Dan Polley is fighting for the Vee C title. All he has to do is finish second of the C runners to take it.
But Im 99% sure Ill have the F5 out.

The tax man

aidan_dunne wrote:

Just been watching highlights of the Phoenix Park races on 'On The Limit Sports'.

Just watched a repeat tonight. Well done on the win Kersh.A win in the park is always nice to have on your cv.
Your car looks sweet on TV.
Hope you don't go leaving us now that your a big star on TV and all.:D

Motormouth

Kersh wrote:

A race finish would be nice..:mad:

Well you got your finish! Great race, well done. was wondering what was up when the Leyton House never made the grid!!!

Kersh

I had to take it easy in Kevs car, after all he wanted to do the second race..:) and I couldn afford to fix if i wrecked it.
It was very decent of him. He got some ribbing afterwards when I went 8 tenths quicker than him in his own car... and 3 seconds a lap quicker than I could manage in my own car :mad: :mad: .
I see yoiu had a good run in the Fiat

Motormouth

Had a ball in the Fiat but the rest of those Historics are seriously quick in a straight line, had to work hard to even have a pop at the stragglers...........
I loaned it to Gary Cunningham to do the Libre saloon race and he was nearly 2 seconds quicker than me in qual, jumping the chicane and everything!! :mad:
Thankfully I reversed it the races and ended up .7 quicker, cos it would have been a long journey home listening to him if I hadn't!!! :rolleyes:
So thsts it for a while........unless anyone wants to sell me a cheap stock hatch!!!!

Scober11

KersH;

Did you have to drill a hole in the floor on Saturday morning, when i arrived Friday night it was raining pretty heavy and the poor little F5 left out in the cold! or was it punishment for breaking on Friday afternoon?

Kersh

I didnt think it would rain, but when it did I said Fk it, its missing a rod anyway
Than I had to go take my 25kg block of lead out of it :mad: :mad: and put it in Kevs car. There was quite a bit of water on the seat and under it .
I didnt see the FFord race, how did you get on?

Scober11

Won Pre 90, beating J Magall in a straight out dog fight by 0.006s(my claim to fame as everybody knows how quick that guy is) and finished fifth in the open race only1.9s behind the leader, not bad for a pre 82 car.

Off to Brands and Silverstone next so fingers crossed we can keep up the momentum and get a few decent finishes on the "MAINLAND":D

Xmorpheus

Scober, you going to the Fordy Festival at Brands and then the WHT?

Kersh

Class . McGall would be highly rated alright. Fair play on the other result. Do you have 2 FFords, or just the one?

Motormouth

Yeah, great pre '90 race. McGall wasn't giving it up too handy was he? nice timing on the run to the line!!:cool:

Scober11

Still have the two FF's. The 30F's a rolling chassis, engine hasn't come back yet!

Yeah going to Brands. Doing Classics and King of the Kent race, so a busy weekend (hope I don't end up in hospital like I did on my last trip to Brands:) )
Then onto Silverstone for the Watery Hayes. Better get out my Scuba gear!!

Yeah that Magall fella knows where to put that car at every corner!


Anyone going over to Brands or Silverstone?

Fantastic Kaz

Well done grasshopper, so proud! *tear*:D

Xmorpheus

I'll be in Brands - can't manage the WHT as well unfortunately.