Champion Kearney "every bit as quick" as last year

The long winter break is finally over for the Airportcars.ie Formula Sheane drivers as they headed to Mondello Park for the first two rounds of the 2026 season. The sun was out along with new colour schemes and also a new female driver to the Formula Sheane circuit.

Carlow man Richard Kearney is the defending Champion, having won the 2025 title last October, he came into the weekend as the red hot favourite for the win, and the bookies’ odds were correct as he stole a march on the season, claiming a double victory to begin his defence.

“It was the perfect start as the fella says, you couldn’t ask for much more - poll position; two race wins; and a lap recorder - you couldn’t ask for a better start to be honest,” he told The Nationalist.

Qualifying saw Kearney take pole position by a massive 1.9 seconds from Garrett McKenna and Sean Kiernan. With showers floating around and causing some minor headaches for drivers and teams in the morning thankfully they stayed away come race time.

As the light went out for race one, Kearney took the lead from the off and lead the field into turn one.

His fellow Carlow man Mike Dermody had to start from the back of the grid after problems in qualifying, but his blood was up and drove superbly in the opening laps to cut through the field all the way to second place. He settled into a race long battle with Sean Kiernan, Garret McKenna and Tom Foley.

The rookie to the class, Roisin Sweeney, was showing no signs of first-day nerves and her previous Global Light racing experience was paying off as she was in touch with the group battle for second.

Giving that she had no testing prior to the weekend and her first taste of formula racing was in qualifying, it was a brilliant display.

Kearney did what he does best and put in quick lap after quick lap to build a lead that was never in trouble, winning the race and setting a new lap record with a 56.636-second lap.

Dermody had gotten as high as second place, but could not hold on to his early momentum and dropped back to fifth.

For race two it was again Kearney who led into turn one while Dermody again made a good start and was up to fifth early on. By half distance, once again barring mechanical trouble, Kearney had it in the bag.

Though not setting lap records this time he once again showed why he is the reigning champion and crossed the line eight seconds clear of the chasing pack

Dermody, who had moved into third place earlier on, held on for a place on the podium and a brilliant finish to the weekend from a Carlow point of view.

The next round will bring a different challenge to the drivers at the fast Bishopscourt Racing Circuit in county Down.

Kearney is a veteran of the sport, but says he is enjoying it as much as ever, with a new goal driving him on.

“Strangely enough, I’m at it this long now you’d think I’d be starting to get sick of it; but no, the drive, the ambition, the hunger is still there for the moment anyway.

“I’d like to win it back-to-back. It hasn’t been done that often. I think only one other person has done it back-to-back. So, that’d be another one to tick off the list for myself.”

The 2025 champion is once again working alongside his father, Dick Kearney, with no question of messing with a winning formula.

“It’s still me and my Da,” Richard said. “Nothing has changed that way, just that we’re every bit as quick as we were last year.”