Big motorcycle racing weekend for Dowling Property

A big weekend lies ahead for a local company, Dowling Property, which sponsors Irish and international motorcycle road racer Kevin Keyes, participating in one of the sport's biggest races this weekend, the Bennetts BSB International Race at Oulton Park in Cheshire. The BSB is now into its 38th year of championship racing, and this is a rare opportunity to compete against some of the sport's biggest names in this one-off, international race.

Kevin has had his best road racing season of his career so far in 2025, winning a prestigious award at the Isle of Man TT Races, RST Isle of Man TT's Star of Tomorrow Award, where a previous winner was Davey Todd, now one of the top motorcycle racers in the world, so not bad company for Kevin to be in.

The BSB race is the last event of the year for him, so he's hoping to have some success with the Rathangan-based Daracore Racing Team,  owned by Brian and Keith Farrell, for whom Kevin rides. 

John J Dowling of Dowling Property is himself a motorbike and road racing fanatic. "We are delighted to be involved as Kevin's sponsor, as not only is he fast and brings home the trophies, but he's a pure gentleman and a credit to the sport and his family. We've had a great year of travel with him and the Daracore Race Team to The North West 200 in Co Antrim, The Isle of Man TTs, and now off to Cheshire. It's such an exciting time, and we wish the Daracore Racing Team the best, as we know the hard work behind the scenes."

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Young Kilcullen driver wins British Kart Grand Prix

A Kilcullen 11-year-old has become the first Irish driver to win the Kartmasters British Kart Grand Prix in the 30 years since its inception, writes Brian Byrne. He's Christian Coby, who has been racing karts competitively since he was six. 

A previous winner of the Irish Bambino Championships and the youngest Cadet driver to ever win the Motorsport Ireland Championship, his GP victory has given him the chance to compete in the IAME World Finals in Valencia, Spain, in November. There, he will represent Ireland against the best young drivers from around the world. 

Christian's family background is deeply rooted in motorsport. His father, Gary, and his uncle, Aaron, both have a history of karting successes — his father secured a podium place three decades ago at the inaugural Kartmasters British Kart Grand Prix. His sister, Alyx, has competed in karting, Formula 4, and endurance racing at some of the most challenging tracks in America. 

Christian spends many weekends between March and September in the UK, where he races with Fusion Motorsport, one of the most successful Cadet teams in the UK. He also competes in events in Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany, and France. 

He credits his success mainly to the support of his family, who run a motor business in Dublin. His ambition is to be driving in Formula 2 within five years.

(The Diary has had a long chat with Christian, and we'll be doing a full feature later.)  

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Kildare Motor Club honours founder member

John Dowling, Liam Murphy, Oliver McCrossan and John Delaney.

A presentation yesterday to one of the founder members of the County Kildare Motor Club honoured Liam Murphy for his contribution to the 57-year-old club and to Irish motorsport in general, writes Brian Byrne. It was made at a lunch in The Hideout by John Dowling, one of those who were at the original meeting in January 1968 when it was decided to form the club. Among the 30 people at the lunch was photographer Oliver McCrossan, who had also been at that meeting. 

John Dowling said the idea to make the presentation 'sooner rather than later' had come when he and Oliver had driven together to attend the funeral of George Freyne. "We were acutely aware of our mortality seeing as we had parted with one of our most popular members in George," he said. He expressed his appreciation on behalf of the club to George's wife Breeda for being present at the lunch.

He noted that Liam Murphy had spent at least 60 of his 81 years involved in motorsport in 'an active and enthusiastic way'. "Not as an observer, not from a distance, but right there in the middle of it. He has to be getting his hands dirty and not just with spanners but in creating, organising and supporting." In particular he recalled Liam's great forte was in raising sponsorship for the club and the races they organised in Mondello Park. "For one meeting we had so many trophies that we took the whole window in Kerrigans shop in Naas to show them."

Oliver McCrossan provided an account of the club's early history. He told how, at the inaugural official meeting, the proposed activities of treasure hunts, night navigation rallies, film shows and an annual dance were 'favourably received'. "But eyebrows were raised when we said CKMC also planned to run a full scale race meeting when Mondello Park was up and running." Despite some pushback from the RIAC when they were forming the club, they persisted and eventually became regarded as one of the best motor clubs in the county. "And today's happy gathering is proof of that." 

He recalled the opening race meeting at Mondello Park in May 1968 where Liam Murphy in his Sprite had a podium finish and Dick O'Reilly in his Mini Chick put in some very fast laps. There was also the excitement of subsequently seeing other local drivers race at Mondello — among those he name-checked David Hall, Eddie Reagan, Des Donnelly, Sean Connaughton, Michael Roe, Seamus O'Connor, Brendan Conlon, John Burke and Jay O'Malley.

Altogether, yesterday's event was a happy buzz of reminisce and recollection, with echoes of gatherings in the same location through the 1970s and 1980s when the pub was where members met to plan and debrief club activities. 

Myles O'Reilly, Peter Lynch, Ann Fitzsimons, Tom Callinan.

Des Bruton, Padraic Farrell, Eddie Rootes, Ed Colton, Rory Dooley.

Sean O'Gorman, Eddie Kinironn, Tony Phillips.

John Dowling, David Towey, Breda Freyne, Reece Dowling.

Anne Dowling, Bob Webster,  Betty McCrossan.

Oliver McCrossan, Liam Murphy, Eddie Fitzgerald.

John Delaney, Syd Quille, Robert Moody, Sean Connaughton, Mairead Connaughton, Gaye Brabazon, Pat O'Connor.

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Mondello motorsport weekend helps KWWSPCA

Motorsport enthusiasts can support the animal welfare work of Kildare West Wicklow SPCA this weekend at the Carole Nash Historic Festival at Mondello Park, writes Brian Byrne. They also have a chance to win a thrilling BMW Driving Experience.

Irelands’s only Historic Motor Racing event celebrates Classic and Vintage Race Cars and Bikes from the glamour of the roaring 1920s through to the swinging 1960s is an unmissable event for motor racing enthusiasts and car and bike lovers of all ages.

KWWSPCA has been invited to fundraise at the very family event which runs from 10am on Saturday and 9.30am on Sunday. The charity, currently based in Athgarvan and working to build a permanent Shelter outside Kildare Town, will have donation buckets, offer cartoon pet portraits and face painting, and a 'Buy a Block' campaign for the new Shelter. A raffle has a top prize of the BMW Racing Experience, courtesy of Mondello Park, along with other prizes including hampers.

For the motorsport enthusiasts there'll be live racing for the Dublin Grand Prix Trophy, the St Brigid’s Trophy, and the Birrane Perpetual Trophy, showcasing the skill of drivers in vintage and classic vehicles. Additionally, there will be displays of pedigree Grand Prix motorcycles, complete with the unique sights and smells of distinctive two-stroke engines. 

Tickets for the festival can be booked here. 

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Connections from race 120 years ago bring two Murphys together in Kilcullen

Oliver Murphy and David Murphy, unrelated but connected.

Yesterday's first Kilcullen showing of a new documentary on the 1903 Gordon Bennett Race brought two unrelated Murphys to Kilcullen Heritage Centre, both with very strong family connections to the original race, writes Brian Byrne.

Retired Newbridge businessman Oliver Murphy's grandfather drove his steam-powered roller from County Down to Athy to help with preparing the roads of the race route. David Murphy, from Dublin, also has a generational connection to the race, as his grandfather TW Murphy was a timekeeper for the biggest event ever held in Ireland at the time.

Oliver Murphy's grandfather was William Allen from Cumber in County Down and it took him seven days to drive his steamroller from his home town to County Kildare, stopping every three hours to fill it with water. "After working on the roads for the race he stayed on in the area," Oliver recalled, "and in 1914 he joined Kildare County Council and drove the roller for them until he retired in 1952, at 76 years of age." Oliver says that the only reason his grandfather retired was that steam had been superseded by diesel-powered road-making machines. "He died at the age of 96, a lovely man."

David Murphy's grandfather worked for Mecredy Publishers, who produced a special road map for the event, with sponsorship from Brampton's Chains, Palmer Tyres, Lanchester Cars and Clipper Tyres. David brought along a copy of that item. "It's now very delicate," he noted as he carefully unfolded it.

Those who came to watch How Ireland Saved Motorsport were very impressed with the production, which includes contemporaneous film footage as well as interviews with enthusiasts who drive their vintage and veteran cars each year to commemorate the event.

The half-hour documentary, in two parts, was made by Bailey & Blake Productions for the heritage offices of Kildare, Carlow and Laois county councils. As part of Heritage Week 2023, it is running on a rolling basis each afternoon this week in Kilcullen Heritage Centre until Friday, from 2.30pm. All welcome, a free event and there's tea and biscuits.

(The Diary's linked spreadsheet of Heritage Week events through County Kildare can be accessed here. They are tabulated both by town and by date.)

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The Gordon Bennett Times II run

On Saturday 25th of July 2020, a new milestone was added to the history of motorsport in Ireland. More than a score of vintage and veteran cars completed the original 1903 Gordon Bennett course twice in a day, the first time that had been done since the actual seven-laps race itself. Produced by Brian Byrne.

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Kilcullen rally enthusiasts doing well

The first two rallies in 2019 have being hugely successful for Kilcullen motorsport participants, writes Trevor Howard.

Pictured top is Aaron McHale driving his Hyundai i20 R5 who participated in the Galway International Rally 2019 and came second in his class.

The other is Barry Talt doing the notes in the Peugeot 106 in the Birr Stages Rally and winning their class with his driver Michael Cunniffe from Westmeath.

(Pics by Trevor Howard.)

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Hot Rod Awards night scheduled

Ballyshannon Hot Rod Track has scheduled its Awards Night for Saturday 3 November.

The Awards will be presented at the event in the Town House Hotel, Naas.

The starter's flag drops at 8pm sharp, and there will be finger food for attendees, and a DJ will entertain for the rest of the evening.

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End of the season with Betsie

As many of you know I do some rallying, writes Barry Talt. I am a navigator. For people not accustomed to the sport, I basically shout upcoming corners to the driver who will hopefully listen, with the aim of getting through a stage as quickly and safely as humanly possible.

This year I made a come-back to the sport after a three-year lapse, with a lad named Michael Cunniffe. Michael is a Westmeath man, at the fine old age of 22 and like myself, lives for the sport that we do.

So far this year we have completed six rallies together — Cavan, Carlow, Laois, Donegal, Raven's Rock and Stonethrowers. We have travelled from one end of the island to the other with our little white 1984 Peugeot 205 GTI named 'Betsie'. We run a very tight budget (and I mean tight!) and as both our fathers would say "we're a throwback to the good old days of Irish rallying".

Our Betsie is nothing special by any means. The spec of the car is a 1600cc 8V engine on twin 45s producing 127bhp at the wheels, standard bottom end with a polished and ported head (done with a dremel by my father in our shed if my memory serves me correctly), a H pattern be3 gearbox and Bilstein suspension. It was built by my father Henry Talt some 15+ years ago and later acquired by Michael and his father Aidan.

But what we do with all those 127 ponies is something not far short of being a spectacle. We constantly come up against cars with engines literally putting out 100+ bhp more than us that have been built by specialists, with sequential gearboxes and fancy three-way suspension. These gearboxes new are worth twice, if not more, than what our car is worth in total.

To put it in perspective, just last Sunday at the weekend we came second overall in the junior class. Coming within 13 seconds on a 10km stage of the class winning car. A 200+bhp, sequential-gearboxed monster of a car driven by one of the nicest and talented lads in the country at the Fanning Motor Factors Stonethrowers Rally. And if we were in the main field at Raven's Rock, our times would have landed us with a top 20 finish overall.

We have secured the Junior class in the 2018 Midlands East Rally Championship and are on route to take the South East Rally Championship also. We have beaten cars much faster and much much more expensive than ours.

The talent that Michael possesses is a gift. He can push a car to its limits without going over (so far anyway). And most importantly he can have the craic along the way.

Our season with Betsie has now come to an end. Her engine is tired, her gearbox knackered and everything in between a bit tired and worn. It's now time to roll her into the shed and look ahead to 2019.

Thank you to our sponsors CK Premier Construction Ltd 087 2168724/087 2152865 and H Talt Services Ltd, and our loyal supporters, namely Leah Moran, Colleen Talt and Dee Cunniffe ... we literally couldn't have done it without you.

And on that note I would like to apologise to my father Henry, and Michael's father Aidan.

As some may remember, we took part in Donegal International Rally this year. We gained a late entry on the Thursday evening before the rally, and against both our fathers' (probably logical and sensible) wishes me and Michael insisted on going. The car was brought to my house on the Friday afternoon, when a spare gearbox was installed, new brake pads, rotors and a calliper installed, along with a wheel bearing or two replaced. For the stress we caused you both that weekend, we are sorry.

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New management Ballyshannon Hod Rod Track racing on Sunday

Ballyshannon Hot Rod Track will have its first racing under new management next Sunday 12 August, writes Brian Byrne.

The first race is at 1pm sharp, and all hotrods and autograss cars are welcome.

The gate fee is €5. Registration from 11am.

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Opening date for hotrod season

Photo: Facebook Ballyshannon Hotrod Club.

The Ballyshannon Hot Rod Club will start its 2018 season on Sunday 22 April, writes Brian Byrne.

Subsequently the schedule will be for racing every second Sunday, weather permitting. A Derby Day is planned for 22 July.

Following the recent AGM, it was decided that all classes will remain as is for the new season. Some changes have been made to the track and the start line.

For those who would like to try out the sport before investing in a car or building one, the Club has a 1.0 car available at the track which can be rented for a small fee.

The Club's track is located at Thomastown, south of Old Kilcullen on the Athy Road. It has been active since 1990, under the direction of longtime chairman John Broderick.

The new flagman will be Danny O'Neill, following the decision by Trevor McManus to take a back seat from the position due to family commitments.

Further details available by calling 087 6133356.

Hot Rod Club AGM upcoming

The AGM of Ballyshannon Hot Rod Club will take place on Wednesday 7 February, writes Brian Byrne.

The location is the Eleson House pub in Kilmeague and things rev up at 8.30pm.

The committee asks that everyone who races should attend as there are a lot of new ideas to be discussed and there are changes to be made.

Hot Rod racing today

There's racing at Ballyshannon Hot Rod Club today, with the first race at 12.45pm.

Scrutiny will be at 10.30am.

Asmission is €5 with children under 12 free.

There is a chipper van and toilets on site.

Pic from Club's Facebook page.