Young Women in Motorsport at Event 2 of the MI National Kart Championship
The girls were out in force at the latest round of the Motorsport Ireland National Kart Championship, organised & promoted by Carrick on Suir Motorclub and held at Kartworld in Watergrasshill with an exceptional number of female drivers competing across the classes throughout the weekend.
This round was a brilliant example of the talent, determination and racecraft on show right across the paddock. From Bambinos to Seniors, the girls put in some fantastic performances in very mixed conditions, and this is just a small spotlight on their results and efforts over the weekend.
Tillotson T4 Bambino
Georgie Greer (111) got off to a brilliant start, setting the fastest lap of the novices in Heat 1 despite being one of the newer drivers in the class. She kept things tidy and consistent for the rest of the weekend and gained great experience.
IAME Cadet
Ayda O'Brien (610) was flying from the start, putting in several fastest laps over the weekend and getting stuck into some brilliant racing battles throughout.
Tillotson T4 Junior
Saoirse McMahon (321) showed excellent pace all weekend in her third year in T4 Junior, with a standout result of 6th place in a very wet final.
Doireann McMahon (316) had a tough weekend with the ever-changing weather making tyre choices difficult, but battled on well to finish 9th in the final. A special mention too for Sadbh McMahon, who was working all weekend “on the tools” supporting her brother and sister, alongside preparing herself for the next round of the National Loose Autocross Championship.
Emily Stafford (318) came away delighted with her weekend finishing 3rd in the Final, learning more with every race and enjoying both the racing and the great atmosphere around the paddock.
IAME X30 Junior
Sophie Campbell (790) headed straight to Watergrasshill after competing in the IAME Euro Series in Franciacorta. She showed serious pace in the dry conditions and, while the wet weather made things difficult, she still enjoyed a strong weekend overall.
Tillotson T4 Senior
Eabha McMahon (410) impressed in her first outing after stepping up from Juniors to Seniors, putting in top-10 performances across the weekend.
Tara Cunneely (425) put in some very competitive lap times despite the difficult conditions, finishing 10th in the final.
Isobel McDermott (412) recovered brilliantly from a difficult qualifying session to finish 12th in the final after a weekend full of tricky conditions and on-track drama.
Kayla O'Sullivan (414) showed determination all weekend, steadily working her way through the field to secure 17th place in Heat 2 despite the difficult conditions.
IAME X30 Senior
Eimear Carey (866) had a mixed bag of results with a strong result in the early Heat, a DNF in Heat 2, before recovering well to finish 11th in the final.
Makayla Harte (825) had a challenging weekend but took plenty of positives and experience from it ahead of the next round.
With big grids, difficult weather and close racing all weekend, the girls once again showed the strength of female talent coming through Irish karting at the moment.
The next round of the Tillotson T4 Championship will be on 24th May held in Kiltorcan, Co. Kilkenny and the next round of the IAME/Rotax Championships will be on 28th June in Whiteriver, Co. Louth.
Thanks to Shane Burke Photography for providing us with pictures of the action from the weekend!
If you have any good news stories and would like to be featured in an article, get it touch with the Women In Motorsport Ireland Commission with an email to miwomenscommission@gmail.com
