It was the perfect end to a near-perfect year for Eric O’Sullivan in Rosegreen. With the title already in the bag, the determined Dubliner powered his way to his fifth victory from six rounds of the 2007 Prodrift Irish Series, a season that will now forever be associated with his dominance.
But this was probably the toughest victory for O’Sullivan yet: an unusually troubled qualifying session saw him spin twice and damage his Corolla’s front-left suspension against Rosegreen’s kerbs. Emergency repairs were carried out in the pits, but ‘Flat Eric’ was still driving with one hand tied behind his back for most of the day, with only limited steering lock to work with and a set of replacement 15� wheels that were rubbing against the car’s arches. Another driver who won’t be forgetting qualifying in a hurry is Michael Sheehan: the semi-pro competitor mounted the wall during one of his runs and came perilously close to flipping his car over before crashing back down on four wheels, shaken but no doubt relieved it hadn’t been worse. One of the biggest fields this season saw over 40 cars try for a place in the Top 16 and with the judge’s minds made up after careful consideration, it was time to go twin battling.
O’Sullivan kicked things off with a victory over Alan Lenihan, the latter driving well to close a gap in their first run, but a scrappy drive second time around saw the series champion go through. Billy O’Callaghan had made the Top 16 for the first time since changing his BMW 3-series for a Nissan 180SX, facing off against 17-year-old semi-pro driver Danny O’Mahony, who emerged the victor after two runs. Glen Maher gave championship runner-up Johnny Power a run for his money in the next battle, The Waterford driver making a slight mistake in the last turn first time around, but a more serious error from Maher in their second run was enough to end his progress for the day.
Nigel Colfer has improved greatly this year, starting off the season in the semi-pro class but now a fixture of Sunday’s pro competition. He continued his good form with a victory over fellow Nissan 180SX pilot Stephen Shine after two 7-3 scores forced a rematch. There was a major upset in the next battle as crowd favourite Fergal McGovern in his Opel Manta overwhelmed Damien Mulvey’s mighty RB26-powered Silvia. Mulvey was struggling with gearbox problems and was passed through turn one by McGovern, a move which drew roars of approval from the Rosegreen crowd. Mulvey pushed very hard in the second encounter, but could do nothing to come back from a 10-0 deficit.
Jonathan Murphy then sneaked past the ever-consistent Mike Deane with two 6-4 scores, while Dean Kearney had a slightly easier time of things in his match-up with semi-pro driver Anthony Bargett. Next up was ’06 champion and Round 5 runner-up Darren McNamara. Driving a borrowed 4-door Skyline, he took on Christy Carpenter who was also in an unfamiliar car, having swapped his RB26-powered S14A Silvia for a striking gold-coloured example of the older S13 chassis. It turned out to be a very close match-up, with McNamara just shading it after two sets of runs.
Danny O’Mahony then faced what was surely the biggest challenge of his drifting career to date: Eric O’Sullivan’s in his championship-winning Corolla. After a spin in their first run, O’Mahoney drove well to keep O’Sullivan at bay second time around, but the champion’s progression was assured. Nigel Colfer had a solo run around the track and automatic passage to the semi-finals next, as for the second time this season Johnny Power’s charge was brought to a halt by mechanical failure. Spots of rain appeared for the encounter between Fergal McGovern and Jonathan Murphy, with Murphy proving too strong for his opponent and progressing to the semi-finals after two runs. Darren McNamara and Dean Kearney then had a dramatic pair of battles, with McNamara spinning and damaging his borrowed car in the first run. There was also contact between the two at the final bend in the second battle. With pieces falling off McNamara’s car left, right and centre, it was Waterford man Kearney who took the victory.
Nigel Colfer put in a creditable performance against Eric O’Sullivan in the first semi-final, with O’Sullivan’s slightly superior angle in their first run securing him a place in the final by just one point. Darkness was beginning to fall when Dean Kearney and Jonathan Murphy squared up for the next semi. Murphy led the first run, but it was clear all was not well for him as he struggled along on a set of used rally tyres. He just about managed to keep it together though, forcing Kearney into a spin and taking a 10-0 advantage into their second run. This proved to be a welcome cushion for Murphy as he dropped well back in the second run, his tyres becoming increasingly more delicate with every corner.
The crowd were definitely in the mood for an upset as O’Sullivan and Murphy lined up for the final. But Murphy’s aforementioned tyre problems would prove to be an insurmountable problem. He tried rectifying the situation by reducing the pressures slightly in an effort to find more grip, but his lack of traction was sorely evident as O’Sullivan harried him all the way around the track in their first run. Things were getting dire for Murphy by the second battle, and O’Sullivan was able to power past just before the transition. To add insult to injury, Murphy’s left rear tire then cried enough, bursting as he rounded the final corner and throwing him in to a spin. It was all over – there would be no upset and O’Sullivan would take his fifth and final win of the season.
As darkness fell over the Tipperary circuit, spectators, staff and drivers made their way home, all too aware that this could yet prove to be the final drift event ever held at Tipperary Raceway. Everyone involved with the sport will be hoping that the pending High Court case goes in favour of the circuit and 2008 will once again see drift cars being pushed to the limit around the much-loved ‘Rosebowl’.
More photos here.
RESULTS
Top 16
Eric O’Sullivan (Toyota Corolla AE86) beat Alan Lenihan (Nissan Silvia S13)
Danny O’Mahony (Nissan Silvia S13) beat Billy O’Callaghan (Nissan 180SX)
Johnny Power (Nissan 180SX) beat Glen Maher (Toyota Corolla AE86)
Nigel Colfer (Nissan 180SX) beat Stephen Shine (Nissan 180SX)
Fergal McGovern (Opel Manta) beat Damien Mulvey (Nissan Silvia S13)
Jonathan Murphy (Nissan Silvia S14A) beat Mike Deane (Nissan Silvia S13)
Dean Kearney (Nissan Silvia S13) beat Anthony Bargett (Nissan Skyline R32)
Darren McNamara (Nissan Skyline R32) beat Christy Carpenter (Nissan Silvia S13)
Top 8
O’Sullivan beat O’Mahoney
Colfer beat Power *
Murphy beat McGovern
McNamara beat Kearney
Final 4
O’Sullivan beat Colfer
Murphy beat Kearney
Final
O’Sullivan beat Murphy
* Winner went through by default after mechanical problems for the other driver.