Irish drivers in international motorsport

[Ej10]

I have never seen so many irish drivers involved in international motorsport.

We have formula ireland champion John ohara in asian f3(who just took pole in his first race may i add.

We have Michael Devany in German f3 doing us prod also

Michael keohane is like a madman(no change there then) trying to get a champ car ride and in formula nissan,

Just a few questions

What about Damien faulkner who was battling with dfan wheldon for runnerup in indylights in 2000 and last years formula ireland champion robbie coleman who in a poor team did a grat job last year

[racingdad]

Eion Murray (UK Clios in 2003) is running in the Euro Alfa 147 Cup alongside the ETCC

[Kicking-back]

Ralph Firman's half Irish too

[Mathias]

Depending on how you define "irish" there's shed loads more too. Like Adam C is always defined as "GBR" but all his fans carry the tricolour of St Patrick! I say "more power to the elbow of the emerald isle" - I still say Eddie Irvine was robbed of a F1 world championship in 2000 - Ferrari couldn;t bear to see him beat MS to the crown. Scuse, me, but I may be the worse for wear.

[Mr Jinxx]

Alex Lloyd is part Irish too. And isn't Ireland another of those little flotillas located somewhere off the coast of the Isle of Man??

<ducks>

[Russfeld]

Actually, Minardi cost Irvine the title

[superMINI]

This reminds me of a joke...

Name four F1 drivers with a Scottish town in their name:

Stirling Moss
Eddie Irvine
Johnny Dumfries

and


Ayr-Town Centre...

*gets coat

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by Russfeld
Actually, Minardi cost Irvine the title

How?

Luca Badoer's faulty gearbox allowing Mika into the points at the Nurburgring?

Or something else?

[Russfeld]

Exactly. I forget how it came up, but I was speaking to some friends who write for an F1 pub about how ive never felt championships were won or lost on single events. Unlike other sports where you have playoffs and cups and what not, the first lap at Melbourne matters to the title as much as the last lap at Suzuka.

However, we looked at some lap charts from the European GP of 99. If Badoer makes it to the finish, Mika goes into Suzuka with at least one less point. The Suzuka finishing order was Mika, Michael, Irvine. There was no reason to Michael letting Irvine into 2nd because he'd have tied on points with Mika, but the Suzuka win gives Hakkinen the tie breaker. However, Badoer finishing Lux means Schumacher lets Irvine through into 2nd, handing him the WC. Would have given us an absolute yes or an absolute no on whether Ferrari really wanted to help Irvine.

And the what-ifs from having Irvine win the WC, then go to Jag the following year, and the knock on effect to even the most recent race, would have been fairly interesting

[blackfalcon]

The World championship was lost to Irvine in France. He caught Schumacher in the race, and pulled up alongside him as if to say I have you here. He then dropped in behind Schumacher and followed him home. I think they were 4th and 5th. His contract at the time wouldn't allow him to pass Schumacher, who broke his leg in the following race. This elevated Fast Eddie into the chance of the title.
I believe that Ferrari didn't want Eddie win and the missing wheel at the pitstop in the closing stages of the season was no mistake

[Russfeld]

His contract says he must follow team orders. They gave the team order to stay behind Michael in that case. Michael also has a clause in his contract that he must obey team orders, as we saw several times during 2002 once he had clinched the championship.

The intentional wheel mistake is the accusation of idiots. Salo had surprised them with his pitstop so the entire sequence got screwed up. People act like thats the only time Ferrari or any other team have had an embarassingly amateur stop.

[Mathias]

It's all rather suspicious though, isn't it? Ferrari's team orders that Eddie can't overtake Michael even though Eddie had a chance of winning the WC. A missing wheel (smacks of sabotage and cover-up, however rude you are about it Russ). The "Minardi" gear-box issue - er - Luca Badoer? Er, Ferrari test-driver? Lots and lots of nice Ferrari-controlled variables in the end preventing Eddie from winning the WC and therefore avoiding all that embarrassing questioning about whether MS really deserved all the additional cash he was getting over his team-mate who was just as capable of winning the WC on a level playing field. That would have been a PR disaster for Ferrari.

Just a few facts: Eddie was only 6 points behind MS after 7 races before the British GP - probably closer than any of MS's teammates ever managed. He closed the gap to zero at Silverstone after MS's retirement. On average over the season, Eddie scored 4.625 points per race entered to MS's 4.4 - and for 8 of those races MS benefited from team orders.

I'm ranting, but we could have had an Ulsterman world champion but for Ferrari's obsession with that Schumacher bloke. Bah and pah.

Anyway, enough of that boring old rope F1...,

[EuroF3]

hows the really good drivers watch has come out of irland.
apart from Eddie.

[Ej10]

Well all irelands f1 drivers came out of the north as there was money there but not in the republic. But irish drivers are able to find the money now to compete and hopefully in the next few years we will see an irish driver at least testa f1 car.

[Mathias]

I reckon it's about time that Guinness put sponsorship into F1. Black and cream looked rather fine on the "Trust" Minibardis last season.

Get "Mad Mick" Keohane behind the wheel of a Guinness Jordan Ford...,

[Mathias]

Incidentally, is Ronayne O'Mahony from Nort or Sout o' the border?

[bella]

south.

[EuroF3]

were is adam carroll,steven kane from.

[noweels]

Ernesto Viso is a lepracorn ..Does that count?

[Mathias]

noweels - *chortle*

eurof3 - carroll and kane are both described as "Ulstermen" and representing "GB", but I'm always confused by Adam Carroll's little fan club who wave a tricolor flag - perhaps he's a staunch republican, I don't know!

Incidentally, said Adam Carroll flag is inscribed thus "Adam Carroll is No. One", which always makes me laugh.

[noweels]

dictionary definition chortle = titter.
good word Mathias

[Ej10]

The name Caroll sounds more irish irish than unionist irish but he runs under GBR. I hope he does see himself as irish so i can add yet anotrher name to my list.

[Ej10]

Going by the colur of his helmet(red and blue) i have a sneeky feeling he sees himself more british than irish.

[bella]

doubt that really means much!

[Andrew Kitson]

It is good to see the Irish boys doing well in International racing. Remember the late 70s/early 80s when the likes of Eddie Jordan, Bernard Devaney ( Michael's father) Derek Daly, Michael Roe, Kenny Acheson, Trevor Templeton were on the way up trying to follow John Watson into F1?
Only Kenny and Derek made it to race in GPs and Indycar though.
EJ we all know about, Bernard got to F2 and Mick Roe won the US Can-Am series. Trevor finished his career in F3 I believe. Any I've missed?