Cork Autograss: Thrills ‘n’ spills for all ages

A motorsport club that started in West Cork in the early 90s, and has grown from a handful of members to almost 80 today, will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year

BY AISLING TANNER

AUTOGRASS, the motorsport which takes place on an oval track using a natural soil surface, originally started as West Cork Hot Rod in 1993 in Grancore, Shannonvale in Mick Campbell’s pit, where Keohane Readymix is now based. Mick Campbell, of Campbell Tyre Centre, originally owned the gravel pit.

Sharon O’Mahony from Clonakilty, one of the founding members of the club, says that Waterford man Liam Prendergast first introduced the sport to Ireland.

When the Cork Hot Rod enthusiasts decided to diversify into Autograss, local members went looking for a venue in 1998 and approached John O’Callaghan in Castletown Kenneigh, a local publican and farmer, in search of grounds for a new track.

After some discussion, the Cork Autograss racing club was formed with the new venue secured. Founding members included Breda O’Donovan Kevin O’Donovan, Jer O’Donovan, Martin and Pat Warren, Mark Collins, Pat O’Driscoll and Michael and Sharon O’Mahony. They started racing in 1999.

Ciarán Tanner with his car at the club's track

‘We have gone from strength to strength since then, with drivers from the age of 10 upwards.  There’s really no age limit,’ Sharon O’Mahony told The Southern Star.

With so many young drivers, safety is paramount. Autograss drivers must wear protective gear which includes helmets, goggles, gloves, a neck brace and arm restraints, which link into the harness or a window mesh, to ensure that when an accident occurs, arms are kept inside the car.

Lea Wynn, from Bantry, who races in the ladies class 7, started her racing career in 2019 but has been involved in the sport since she was a child. Lea said she got involved in Autograss because her dad always raced, and so she would always be with him at the track. 

Her dad continuously encouraged her to try racing and let her use his car – the car she herself now races.

Lea has fond memories of watching her dad racing at the national events in England, but her own personal achievements include coming third in the All-Ireland series ladies class 2-7 last year and competing at the British Autograss series, this year and last year.

Liam Eyre with his car.

‘I hope Autograss develops to become a sport that people are more aware of, and hopefully this will attract more members,’ she said. 

Spectators say it’s a hugely exciting sport and you don’t have to compete to be involved and make friends. There are lots of ‘backroom’ helpers, from help at the gate collecting entry fees and directing parking, to people who help with track maintenance, safety, sign-on and lap recording, scrutineers, start line assistants and lane holders, marshals and commentators.

The sport can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it – a car in the ‘beginner class’ (class 1) typically costs anything from €1,000 to €5,000. 

Gary Shannon from Castletown Kenneigh, who races in men’s Class 3, was prompted to get involved in Autograss because the track was near his home and he was curious to find out what it was all about. 

He started his Autograss career at 15, and continued until 19, when he then took a brief break from the sport, returning in 2013. He is still racing today. He says his biggest achievement to date was making the British Autograss Series final in 2019 in North Wales, but also winning the All-Irelands in 2018 and 2019 in the same car, a class 2 Nissan Micra.

‘We had 30-40 members when I first started, now we have approximately 80, and our club celebrates 25 years next year. The venue looks unrecognisable from when we first started, there have been lots of improvements over the years,’ he noted.

The Cork Autograss club is currently running a winter raffle, with the top prize being a class 1 autograss car. The draw will be held on Saturday January 27th.

For more see Cork Autograss on Facebook.

What is Autograss?

THERE are 11 classes in the sport with classes being categorised by the size of the engine in the car. The National Autograss Sports Association (NASA) is the sport’s governing body which sets the rules and regulations that apply to all drivers. 

Autograss takes place in Ireland and in the UK with the sport having originated in the UK in the 1960s.  

There are four autograss clubs in the south of Ireland – Cork Autograss, Mallow Autograss, West Waterford Autograss, and Carlow Autograss. There are also two clubs in Northern Ireland – Down Autograss and Causeway Autograss. 

The season starts in March and typically finishes around September. The season includes club race days, national qualifier days (which determines who gets to go to the men’s nationals in August in the UK). 

There is a separate, but similar, national event for ladies and juniors which takes place in September. 

The British Autograss Series (BAS) is a league format series which is held over five different events on five different tracks across the UK. 

In recent years more Irish drivers have decided to compete in the series and have reaped the rewards on many occasions. In Irish Autograss, there is the All-Ireland Autograss series, which is similar to the BAS, but is held over three events, on three different tracks. This year the tracks were in Down, West Waterford, and Mallow.