Three-Way Action at Killarney
Saturday 25th May sees the fourth round of the 2019 Drag Racing series as well as the Short Circuit championship for lightweight motorcycles and racing cars at Killarney International Raceway. There will also be a sound-off competition under International Auto Sound Challenge Association rules – and one ticket gets you in for all three.
There are classes for Street cars, modified cars – including the spectacular supercharged and nitrous-boosted V8 monsters – superbikes and screaming Pro Street motorcycles, capable of shredding the quarter mile (402 metres) in less than nine seconds from a standing start.
Grudge matches are the order of the day, producing hair-raising launches and spectacularly close racing, but at the end of the day the winner of each class is decided on his or her fastest time of the day, rather than who they were racing against at the time.
An American-style Christmas tree signals the start and a full timing system records your elapsed time, your speed at the end of the strip and even how long it takes you to get off the line after the lights go green – which can be a little embarrassing if you’re not ready for just how fast everything happens!
At the same time there will be a sound-off competition in the New Pits, to see (or hear!) whose car stereo is the loudest, measured by a Termlab Magnum meter that records not only the sound pressure (decibels) generated by the car’s speakers, but also the true power output of the system, and even the voltage of the battery powering it.
The Short Circuit series features races for 150cc motorcycles (with separate classes for riders under and over 18 years of age), Super Singles (180cc two-stroke and 260cc four-stroke motorcycles), motards (insanely quick off-road motorcycles), Class X (lightweight Powersport machines such as KTM RC390s, Kawasaki 300 Ninjas and Yamaha R3s), as well as 125cc gearbox karts and Formula M cars – miniature F1 replicas powered by motorcycle engines.
These quickfire contests are run on the ‘Half Main’ circuit, which includes G-Energy Corner, the infamous ‘kink’, Rose Sweep, a purpose-built link from the Kfm Straight to the exit of Kfm Corner and a tight, treacherous infield section in a demanding one-kilometre circuit ideally suited to small, nimble racing cars and motorcycles.
Each race is run over 10 laps; the competitors lap in less than a minute, so there will be a new race starting about every 15 minutes – and the best part is, you can sit on any of the stands and see almost the entire circuit.
The newly revamped Trackside Pub and Grill at the Clubhouse will be open from
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