Mondello Park in County Kildare is one of my favourite circuits on the BTCC calendar. Its twisty and bumpy nature makes it very exciting for both driver and spectator alike.
As you cross the start/finish line in 5th gear it's hard on the brakes and down to 1st gear for the tight hairpin at Honda. Accelerating up to 3rd gear for Stena Line, then it's a short blast down towards Turn Three, a double right hand corner, taken in 2nd gear.
Next it's back up towards the pits and into Holiday Inn Ireland. This is a long left-hand corner with a bumpy entry so it's important to have a stable car here. It's a short blast down Kennedy's Rise then out into the country and towards Lola. This is the most important corner on the circuit, as a good exit will ensure top speeds of up to 180km/h at the end of Daly's Drift. A downhill approach to 7a and 7b makes braking difficult into these very tight, 2nd gear corners, but this is where I expect the Team RAC MG to be very strong.
Getting back on full throttle early is important to pull the car back up the hill and into the Birrane's Bend. This is a third gear corner where it is important to attack the corner to get a fast lap time. A quick exit from here launches you towards MG, another tight 2nd gear hairpin corner. A clean exit from here is important, as it's a quick dash through a very fast 4th gear corner at Bikeworld. The circuit is quite rough here on the inside so it's important not to take too much kerb. Dunlop is the final corner on the circuit and also another great overtaking opportunity as the track widens on entry. Down to 1st gear again and its back onto full throttle for the start/finish line straight.
Article and photo courtesy of Team RAC
