County Down racing driver Tony Greenan takes first ever Formula BOSS Ireland championship after just a few seasons of trying and I caught up with the 44-year-old Hilltown businessman to learn more.
“I started racing probably in the year 2000, and that was for the BF Super Sunday Series, which was run by Billy Finnegan, and that was at Nutts Corner and Bishopscourt, and that year I won the Championship, the standard Saloon Championship, in a Honda Civic.” Tony explains.
“From there, I took a big break, and I don’t think I done anything for about ten years and then I just started doing track days with Donal O’Neill and them guys at TrackSkills at Kirkistown Racing Circuit. I’d bought an E30 BMW with a Honda S2000 engine in it and I think I only ever raced that maybe just once and I took another break from racing.
“I was still doing track days in an Ariel Atom and then a Lotus Elise, but then I bought Gerard O’Connell’s Radical SR-8 and after a few track days I was asked by Barry rabbit to come and race with them in the Formula Boss championship.”
Tony’s times around the Co. Down circuit were impressive, and as BOSS stands for ‘Big Open Single Seater’, the Radical was perfectly suited and was most welcomed to the grid racing of the BOSS Ireland series.
“I was maybe getting podiums and stuff like that, but I just knew that the radical wouldn’t be as quick [as a single-seater] to win the Formula BOSS championship, so it wasn’t long before I bought a single-seater.”
Given the fact that Formula BOSS Ireland, supported this year by Dunshaughlin Motor Company, is very much an open category where anything goes, with some vehicles on the grid putting out mega power, Tony purchased a 2012 Formula 3 Dallara fitted with a Toyota based engine producing just 230ish horsepower.
“I was doing quite well in that car. I would have been quicker in the Formula 3 than the radical on all the tracks including Kirkistown, even though it was probably 20 miles per hour slower up the back straight of Kirkistown, the overall times was would have been still quicker than the radical SR-8.
“I did have some podiums in the Formula 3 Toyota, but I realised if I want to win the championship, I’ll probably need to get the next step up, which is a Mercedes Formula 3.”
Still a Dallara chassis, the 2015 car is equipped with a Mercedes based engine built by HWA and this package enabled Tony to win the BOSS series this year in a commanding way. It’s a car with pedigree, as being chassis #9 it transpires to have been used by Alex Albon during his early career, before his promotion to Formula 1 in 2019.
The cars second owner was CF Racing in Wales, and the car won the 2021 Formula 3 Cup in the UK with Stefano Leaney at the wheel. From here, the car made its way to Northern Ireland when Greenan done a deal with Hywel Lloyd, who himself is an established racing driver.
The rest, as they say, is history, as after a few events in the car towards the end of last year, Tony was climatised to it and was more than ready for the challenge of the 2023 Formula BOSS Ireland championship.
The Mercedes equipped car is still restricted, and produces something in the region of 250 horsepower, but with its 2017 aerodynamics package and sub 500 kg weight, this Dallara provides massive amounts of downforce resulting in high cornering speeds and an ability to brake much later than anyone would dare.
The 2023 Dunshaughlin Motor Company Formula BOSS Ireland season consisted of six rounds, with twelve races in total. All but two of them held at Mondello Park on the outskirts of Dublin, with two held at the County Down coastal circuit of Kirkistown.
Greenan’s championship hopes got off to a great start with second place on the opening three races of the season. The following three races saw Tony at the top of the rostrum, bolstering what was now a strong points haul.
Race seven saw Greenan finish in second overall, but he made up for it on the next three races with a win on each. Enough for the Hilltown driving ace to secure his first championship, even with two races remaining which he did not start and used them as drop scores.
“It was very tough to get the first race win.” stated Tony, “I was actually making a joke about it, all these second places, something that always happened that I’d come second. But once I got that win, the rest seemed to follow suit.
“There’s a lot of good cars and drivers in Formula BOSS but the highlight for me was winning the Malcolm Templeton Trophy race at Kirkistown.” It really was the race to watch as it saw a titanic battle ensue between Jonathan Fildes and Tony Greenan after a restart.
Eventually, Greenan had to do something different and on the sixth lap he made the most incredible move around the outside of Fisherman’s Bend to pass Fildes and begin building a gap, which he made sure he held until the flag dropped.
Since selling the hugely successful car to Tony, Hywel Lloyd has either been on hand at events, or at the end of the phone or remote computer, to analyse data and provide assistance on car and driver setup during events.
Winning the championship would not have come as easy for Tony, without Hywel’s help and guidance. As a thank you, and since Tony had sealed the Formula BOSS Ireland title with two races left on the calendar, Lloyd was given the chance to race the final two events.
Taking the win from both and breaking the lap record on the day, which was then beaten again by Sylvie Mullens, Hywel had a blast and with data logged to compare against Tony’s driving style, there is a lot to think about over the winter on where a few tens can be gained.
Alongside many sponsors thanks below, Tony is grateful to Kevin Dorrian and Craig Davidson for their help this year. The lads are always there to support, strap Tony in, and fuel the car up etc.
N & R Contracts, Alpha HPF, The Smart Bunker, HARPURE cleaning products, Uppercuts Barbershops Ireland, Greenview Glamping, Greenan Plumbing, Cooltech Refrigeration, Alpha Revive, Kool Cabins Co Down, T. Greenan Tyres and Dunshaughlin Motor Company.
