The Buggy Ireland Championship hit the tracks for the first time with over 120 registered competitors all fielding crosskart buggies manufactured across Europe for Kevin Meenagh to become the inaugural champion.
The Casmat man had three podiums on the way with challenges throughout from the likes of runner-up Chris Irwin, Brendan McCartan and Martin Loughran – the latter split by a single-point.
Drivers came from right across the island of Ireland with a staggering show of support for the new series serving the demand for a sport already popular in other countries. Headed up by WillPromotion, the championship runs under a permit of authorisation and licenced competitors are given a set of timed runs with their worst time removed and the remaining totalled to find both the overall and division results.
Divisions are decided by engine size. D1 is for 1000cc, D2 has a lot of competition with 750cc and there is D3 to cater for 600cc contenders. “Running motorbike engines, the speed and performance makes for incredible smiles per pound,” explains Event Director, William Neill.
“You would have to have one serious car to compete with these crosskart buggies. Even if we were to put an R5 rally car up against a crosskart buggy, they would struggle to match the times. That says a lot for the fun that can be had at a fraction of the cost.”
Popular decisions made by the organisers included a control tyre – Goldspeed. The aim here was to cut the cost from using slick tyre and sticking with the options of one manufacturer. There is a Masters Trophy, sponsored by Yaccarcross Ireland, for the fastest 40+-year-old and an LDR Buggy Hire Pacesetter Trophy for the fastest single run time of the day. The TrailerTek Starters Award was presented at each round as a £150 voucher for one entry by random.
A division win at St Angelo Airport back in July for Thomas Wedlock was the Cavan driver’s best result of the season meaning more success for Casmat. Just four points back was Philip Armstrong with Dean McLaughlin third in the Division 3 Three One Solar Ltd supported category.
An overall event win at Bishopscourt boosted Chris Irwin in the points table to go on to top the Division 2 category by five points. MV Racing locked out the podium with Brendan McCartan and Martin Loughran.
Not only did Meenagh win overall but claimed the Division 1 title by a clear 38 points. The Labase Ireland sponsored category had two of their men follow with Neil Leslie and Stephen Reynolds split by just two points.
Newry’s Jeremy O’Brien won the Yacaross Ireland Masters Trophy. Such was the competition there was a tie on a win each for O’Brien, Jason Curran and Philip Borland but with the highest overall finish, in fourth overall at round two, the win went to O’Brien.
A prize night remains on November 23 at the Seagoe Hotel, Portadown, County Armagh where there will be awards presented, a DJ, some food and a chance to mingle away from the track. Each of the three division winners will also pick up a free dyno check with renowned Holeshot Racing owned by competitor Jarrod Frost.
Sponsors of the Buggy Ireland Championship are Karcher Ireland, Three One Solar, Goldspeed/Riddell ATVs, Casmat UK & Ireland, MV Racing, Yacarcross Ireland, NeillPics, Holeshot Racing, Labase Ireland, LDR Buggy Hire, Gordon Automotive and Trailertek.
The 2025 Buggy Ireland Championship calendar is being finalised on the build up to next year and details can be expected at www.buggyireland.com and social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
SEASON ROUND-UP…
KIRKISTOWN
The newest motorsport series to hit the country – Buggy Ireland Championship – started over Easter with the first motorbike engine-based crosskart buggy exclusive event on the island of Ireland to take place at Kirkistown Race Circuit.
Such was the high-level of competition from nine manufacturers, Casmat driver Mark McLernon won the time trial format by just 1.8 seconds from MV Racing’s Chris Irwin.
Not only did the Hillsborough man win but snapped up the additional LDR Buggy Hire Pacesetter Trophy for the fastest single run time of the day to boot while Jason Curran was titled with the Yacarcross Ireland Masters Trophy.
Back to the overall race and Omagh’s Kevin Meenagh rounded off the podium, 2.5 seconds back from Irwin but ahead of lead Labase Ireland Division 2 finisher Conor Shaw by 9.7 seconds. Pa Horan was fastest of the Speedcar entries and ahead of Cavan’s Jake Sullivan.
Labase Ireland also supported the trophies for Division 1 and with podium finishers forfeiting their class award it was dual entry Dermot McCullagh and Alan Cassells ahead of Neil Leslie with 2.5 seconds separating the trio.
A mere 0.8 seconds decided the Three One Solar Ltd Division 3 with Chrissy Hughes ahead of Thomas Wedlock in 16th and 17th overall respectively. Christopher McGurk was third.
BISHOPSCOURT
Chris Irwin and Martin Loughran made it an MV Racing one-two at Bishopscourt Airfield – round two of the Buggy Ireland Championship – with 4.9 seconds deciding the winner at the purpose built track.
Following a second-place finish at Kirkistown back in March, Irwin moved into the championship lead.
Casmat man Kevin Meenagh matched round one with another podium place, in third, 3.3 seconds from Loughran but place secured by 7.1 seconds and maximum Division 1 points.
Yacarcross Ireland Masters Trophy winner Jeremy O’Brien was fourth overall but only just – a mere 0.2 seconds ahead of lead Labase finisher Neil Leslie.
Lee Johnston joined the championship for the first time to finish sixth, 1.1 seconds ahead of fellow Speedcar entrant and Three One Solar Ltd Division 3 winner Philip Armstrong. Again close action was proven with Patrick McShane 0.4 seconds down the road.
Brendan McCartan moved up two places from Kirkistown to ninth, while Bailieborough’s Cormac McBreen said he was happy to “finally mix times with the big boys” at what was a “fast technical track”.
Not only did Irwin lift the overall win but the LDR Buggy Hire sponsored Pacesetter Trophy for fastest single run of the day.
ST ANGELO
Kevin Meenagh moved to the top of the Buggy Ireland Championship from Chris Irwin following the St Angelo Airport visit, with the Casmat man’s first maximum score of the season by 5.4 seconds.
County Meath’s Seanie Bellew debuted his new Speedcar to produce a strong start with not only second overall but fastest of the Labase Ireland sponsored Division 2 runners, 13 seconds ahead of MV Racing’s Paul Mooney.
There was more Casmat success with Thomas Wedlock heading the Three One Solar Ltd Division 3 in fourth with Paul Lennon’s first championship outing resulting in fifth and fastest of the Semog owners, 2.8 seconds back from Wedlock but 1.8 seconds up on Yacarcross Ireland-sponsored Master Trophy winner Philip Borland. Close action yet again placed Liam Shaw seventh, 2.1 seconds from matching Borland’s Kincar.
Cormac Phelan, from County Roscommon, was eighth, Johno Doogan ninth and Shane Molloy rounded out the top ten in a Labase.
Words and Photos: WILLIAM NEILL [Images must not be used in any way without prior written consent of the photographer]
