Old Irish Motorsport Pictures (merged)

Motormouth · 11 Feb 2007, 15:22 (Ref:1838676)

Con Connolly has posted some pics on his site from Irish Motor racing back as far as the '70s!!!!
http://www.conconnolly.com/gallery.p..._from=&ucat=2&

More to come, apparently!!!!

Alan Raine · 11 Feb 2007, 17:15 (Ref:1838754)

It's worth looking at just to see Formula Fords on the streets. Excellent

davyboy · 11 Feb 2007, 17:28 (Ref:1838764)

I'm gonna cry... man this brings back so many memories. Fabulous stuff. Can't wait for the next installment. Big up for Con !

**chunterer** · 11 Feb 2007, 17:34 (Ref:1838768)

Certainly some interesting footage!

From Ayrton Senna in FF2000, to local prodsaloon Capris, Opels and other regional series, to Derek Daly doing demo's in the March 811. Nice range of shots for all tates!

Upside Down Bug · 11 Feb 2007, 17:36 (Ref:1838770)

Where are the street races taking place? Looks seriously hairy!!!!

Andrew Kitson · 11 Feb 2007, 19:03 (Ref:1838834)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Upside Down Bug

Where are the street races taking place? Looks seriously hairy!!!!

Dundalk possibly?
I have some coverage of FF2000 & FF1600 at Dundalk on tape, recorded from 'Screensport' years ago. My old pal the late Fionn Murray included. As you say, very hairy stuff as was Phoenix Park with a single strawbale by each lamp post. Big FF grids back then and the great thing was every one of them would come over here for the Festival. It made getting anywhere near the Kentagon bar to be served a serious mission!

Motormouth · 11 Feb 2007, 21:11 (Ref:1838883)

The ones you are talking are about with the Production Saloons and FF1600are from Ballyjamesduff in Cavan. Street races were held there twice in the mid/late eighties.
The second lot, almost half way down the page, with the FF2000, FF1600 and Fiat 128 lifting a wheel, are taken at the Dun Laoighaire street races.
And yes, that is Dermot Carnegie in the autotest Mini Special pics!!!

***MagnetON*** · 11 Feb 2007, 17:52 (Ref:1838780)

Wow, a fantastic look at how it was "back in the day" and now I'm starting to believe the people who said there was such a thing as decent sized Irish grids!

davyboy · 11 Feb 2007, 18:02 (Ref:1838789)

Circuit motorsport in Ireland today is just a shadow of what it used to be. The difference is incomparable.

Rob29 · 12 Feb 2007, 09:34 (Ref:1839133)

Wow! I have been looking for some decent photos of those street races since they took place.What we need now is captions.
For starters perhaps some locals can say whether P.N.Greene the chemist is in Ballyjamesduff or Dun Laogahaire?

TWRv12 · 12 Feb 2007, 11:44 (Ref:1839230)

Brillant collection. Might be a good idea to spead them out onto a few pages (dial up killer:-)).

from the other side:-)

Gabriel

Motormouth · 12 Feb 2007, 18:45 (Ref:1839605)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob29

Wow! I have been looking for some decent photos of those street races since they took place.What we need now is captions.
For starters perhaps some locals can say whether P.N.Greene the chemist is in Ballyjamesduff or Dun Laogahaire?

Ballyjamesduff!!!

davyboy · 12 Feb 2007, 19:15 (Ref:1839632)

Leo, do you know who the two guys with the Tony Wall [now that's a name in hi-fi that takes me back] Sony Imps are ?

Motormouth · 13 Feb 2007, 18:34 (Ref:1840589)

Quote:

Originally Posted by davyboy

Leo, do you know who the two guys with the Tony Wall [now that's a name in hi-fi that takes me back] Sony Imps are ?

That's Liam Rabbitt, still racing until recently, although a little more portly now, like us all!!! I don't think the second car ever took to the track, (although I may be wrong,) so I'm not sure who the second hopeful is with his lid on the roof!!!

davyboy · 14 Feb 2007, 08:00 (Ref:1840976)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Motormouth

That's Liam Rabbitt, still racing until recently, although a little more portly now, like us all!!! I don't think the second car ever took to the track, (although I may be wrong,) so I'm not sure who the second hopeful is with his lid on the roof!!!

Interesting, it looks a pretty professional operation for the day doesn't it. I wonder what happened to those imps.

Point-5 · 14 Feb 2007, 10:52 (Ref:1841101)

Quote:

Originally Posted by davyboy

Interesting, it looks a pretty professional operation for the day doesn't it. I wonder what happened to those imps.

I'm Liams nephew and while most of this was going on I was only a very young boy (about 4 or 5) I do remember the Imp and being allowed steer it around the paddock and going for a passenger seat spin around the Park in it, hanging onto the rollcage...I took over Liams race Uno about 99 and he hasn't really raced since.

The IMP came to a end on a hill-climb in the Dublin/Wicklow mountains, Liam lost it coming out of last corner and crossed the line backwards, recording his fastest time of the day....Unfortunately he couldn't steer it too well in reverse and ended up on top of a small stone wall, destroying it forever.

The second car, was basically a spare rolling chassis as far as I know, dunno who the second guy is... I've sent the photo to Liam, so he might remember.

Fantastic to see these photos, really wished I was racing then and not now!!

allenbrown · 12 Feb 2007, 20:02 (Ref:1839691)

Wow, what a site.

Can we help him caption them all?

Love this one, Viv Candy in Phil Bennett's F1 Shadow DN3! That's presumably when it was demoed at Mondello prior to Candy's attempt at the Irish Land Speed Record in August 1979.

Allen

col rooney · 12 Feb 2007, 20:45 (Ref:1839737)

i would say the motorama imp is the father when he drove jim barbers imp for a year or so while we were building the car i now race would love to see some of dave hall .there is also a few of basil daggs imp in the park and the blue escort cant think who that was but great to see some old pictures

fausto · 12 Feb 2007, 21:44 (Ref:1839791)

what car is this: http://www.conconnolly.com/cutenews/..._1/Scan495.jpg ?

I'm curious, many thanks to the one(s) that'll reply!

MONDELLO MAN · 12 Feb 2007, 21:46 (Ref:1839794)

MD GT , built to IRISH GT REGS MANY YEARS AGO , A PORSCHE 956 ON A BUDGET.

fausto · 12 Feb 2007, 23:51 (Ref:1839877)

Thank you again? Does MD is because of one Morgan Dempsey? If so I'm starting to recall I sometime saw it on Autosport reports of Irish circuit racing, some 20 years ago...

graeme · 13 Feb 2007, 08:47 (Ref:1840155)

Fantastic photos! Those street races look mad - I guess this is about the same time that we had just one armco and catch fencing lined street venue in England - compare and constrast to racing around fairly-unprepared village streets! And I thought Phoenix Park was amazing - it's fairly tame compared to those pictures. Put an event like that back on and I'll be there like a shot!

Podd37 · 13 Feb 2007, 17:27 (Ref:1840530)

Great pics! I was present at most of those events. Now I see why I've got no friends..........!! Col I think I remember that Escort being driven by Fintan Cunningham. Could be wrong though. I also think that one or two of the Minis 850's (I could be wrong here too) are lying in a field near Enfield! Thing I love about all the older saloon pics is the amount of body roll. No-one would dream of driving a Gp1 car that leaned like that nowadays. We'd run away from the thing. Good to see the 'Park is still as daft, even if it is a shorter version. We still use something like one straw bail and a skip to protect ourselves from those trees. Dunlaoighre only ran the once...dont know why but I would hazard a guess that it was too dangerous even for us. Just look at the Capri.
The pics really do show how much motorsport has lost its way here though. Look at the size of some of the crowds, the grids and the variety of cars.
Does anyone know the whereabouts of any of the production saloon cars from then?

Podd37 · 13 Feb 2007, 17:34 (Ref:1840534)

And who drove that Merc. 190?

**chunterer** · 13 Feb 2007, 18:38 (Ref:1840593)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Podd37

And who drove that Merc. 190?

Roger Eccles who ran one in the 1985/86 Uniroyal series in England took his over for a prodsaloon round or two I think? If it's silver/black it's probably the one?

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