Students participating in the National Award in Motorsport at the Omagh Campus, have raised a few eyebrows within the motorsport fraternity over the last numbers of months.
Several students are actively involved in the competition aspect of motorsport, ranging from Auto-Testing, Stock Car racing to Rallying.
Another unsurprising form of motorsport is the Robin Reliant Sunday Series in Nutts Corner. Stewart McLean is continuing to progress well within this series, managing to obtain finishes in all his previous rounds.
Gerard Neeson is currently competing in the DDT Raceway Championship in the 1600cc Class. In the last three events since April, Gerard in running 2nd overall in his class by obtaining two 2nd places and coming 1st overall in his last outing at the beginning of May.
Samantha Thom is a reigning Junior Rally Cross Champion and moved to focus on the rallying scene at the start of this year. As a regular competitor in the left hand drive, 1600 Peugeot 106, Samantha is adapting well to her new sport. Having competed in the Ballypatrick Rally in the Class 3, 1600 Category, Samantha had a blister running, obtaining 4th in class and 29th Overall.
‘Team Motorsport SWC’ is currently competing in the Pacenotes ANICC Two Wheel Drive Rally Tarmac Championship. The 1300cc powered Skoda Felicia is competing in the Class One Category up to 1401cc. In additional to all their motorsport activities, the Skoda is prepared and maintained during and after events by the second year students.
Having missed the first round in January, the team where fully prepared for second round based in the Ballypatrick Forest near Ballycastle on the May bank holiday weekend. Under the guidance of tutor Alan Browne, the car was maintained to the highest standard.
The Championship is the first of its kind for Clubman rally competitors and being their first outing, it was a challenge for the driver, Barry O’Neill, Course Tutor and all the Team. Having a disastrous start due to sliding off and the first stage been cancelled due to another competitors car catching fire, it raveled the crew, putting them off pace, some 39seconds down from the class leader and running in 4th in class.
After the first service, a few alternations where made to over come the down in power issue and from then it was full steam ahead. With the weather been ideal, the crew took advantage of this setting 2nd fastest class times all day and obtaining 2nd in Class, some 2 minutes ahead of another Skoda, 1400cc and 1minute 30secs behind the class winner.
Having obtained 2nd in Class and 40th overall, they are now joint 4th overall in the Championship.
To continue with this success, the first year students have registered for the Kilwacky Race in Kilera at the end of June. The Kilwacky Races is similar to the Red Bull Soap Box Challenge where an individual will drive a soap box down a hill, with only the used of steering and brakes. In three teams, they will compete against one another to see who finishes first. This group project enables them to design a soap box kart, using their engineering skills and computer aided design and build to the required specification. It is hoped that this will be a success and it planned to be a yearly event.
We wish all our competitor students and team continued success in their next up coming events and make the college proud.
