Motorsport: Fernandez still in the mix after Estoril display

Th Spanish tee retained his lead of the series courtesy of second place behind race winner Australian Carter Thompson.

Sun, 12 Oct, 2025 - 17:47

Martin Walsh

Racing with the Cork-based Team #109 Retro Traffic KOVE team, Spanish teenager Benat Fernandez (17) is one of four riders left in contention for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship that will be decided this coming weekend after some terrific racing at the penultimate event in the Estoril, Portugal at the weekend.

On Sunday, Fernandez retained his lead of the series courtesy of second place behind race winner Australian Carter Thompson where a mere one-hundreth of a second separated the pair as they crossed the line. Fernandez takes a 10-point advantage over Thompson to Jerez (Spain) this coming weekend as Spaniard David Salvador and Italian Matteo Vannucci are also in the hunt for the Supersport 300 series that, next season, will be replaced by the new World Sportbike class. Team #109 was originally set up to honour the late Ballinhassig rider Sean Hurley, who lost his life in a road accident in 2011 and is supported by MMD Construction and Hotel Kinsale & Spa.

In Saturday's race Fernandez actually increased his lead in the championship to 15 points where he set the fastest lap but was denied second place in a dramatic dash to the finish line. As Italian Matteo Vannucci converted pole into what was his second win in as many weeks, Fernandez, who qualified on P5, had worked his way in to second with some great manoeuvres and was about to take the spot until Australian Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) and Dutch rider Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki), who both drafted behind Fernandez, edged him on the line and demoted him to fourth. Another Spaniard, Daniel Mogeda, who previously raced with Team 109, was seventh.

Yesterday, from pole and despite making a good getaway, Fernandez dropped back initially to protect his championship ambitions and midway through the race endured a scary moment with Mogeda and Antonio Torres (Team ProDina XCI,) who tried to play tail gunner for his teammate Salvador. Fernandez then worked his back and into third with five laps remaining. Thompson and Salvador, who had created a gap at the front were reeled in by the chasing pack that included Fernandez, who was in a good position with three laps remaining although he was pushed close to the kerb on one occasion. On the final straight and in yet another pulsating finish Thompson ducked out of the slipstream to take the chequered flag with Fernandez just 0.01s. behind. Mogeda was third.

Meanwhile, Strabane's Niall Devine (VW Polo GTi R5) and his Letterkenny co-driver Liam McIntyre took a start to finish victory in the Premier Car Parts Dogleap Rally, the penultimate round of the Brown and Brown Northern Ireland Gravel Rally Challenge. Devine finished the six stage event 12.2s ahead of the Ford Fiesta Rally2 of Omagh's Gareth Mimnagh with another Omagh driver Alan Smyth, also in a Ford Fiesta Rally2, a further 20.2s behind in third.

Belfast's Kyle White was the first major retirement when his Hyundai i20 Rally2 succumbed with turbo boost failure on the very first stage. Devine completed the stage 2.4s ahead of Smyth with Sion Mills driver Darragh Cairns just 0.8s behind in third. Banbridge driver Kenny McKinstry (Ford Fiesta Rally2) slid off into a ditch on the second stage and dropped to sixtieth position before eventually finishing 45th.

By the completion of the opening loop of three stages Devine, who posted the best times on all three stages, had built a lead of 5.7s over Cairns with Gareth Mimnagh, fourth after the opening two stages, slotting into third - 10.8s off the lead and 4.3s ahead of Smyth. The top six was completed by Drumquin's Stephen Dickson (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Claudy's Jordan Hone (Ford Fiesta R5). Hone was the pre-event leader of the NI Gravel Rally Challenge but his progress was stymied by a misfire. Although the matter was investigated at the service park in Ballykelly and he set off for the final loop, the car overheated en-route to SS4 and he opted to return in fear of a blown engine. Strabane's Martin Cairns beached his VW Polo GTi R5 on the third stage.

Meanwhile, Devine judged his pace to perfection and went on to take victory with Mimnagh, quickest through SS4, taking second on the final stage where Cairns, who was best on SS5, lost two places to finish fourth behind Smyth. Strabane's Paul Britton retired his Ford Fiesta from ninth place with a broken track control arm on the final stage.

FIM Supersport 300 World Championship (Estoril, Portugal): Race 1: 1. M. Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia WorldSSP300); 2. C. Thompson (MTM Kawasaki)+0.304s; 3. L. Veneman (MTM Kawasaki)+0.336s; 4. B. Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kove)+0.360s 5. D. Salvador (Team ProDina XCI)+0.517s; 6. A. Torres (Team ProDina XCI)+0.642s.

Race 2: 1. C. Thompson (MTM Kawasaki); 2. B. Fernandez (Team#109 Retro Traffc Kove)+0.010s; 3. D. Mogeda (Pons Motosport Italika Racing)+0.036s; 4. D. Salvador (Team Prodina XCI)+0.041s; 5. A. Torres (Team Prodina XCI)+0.111s; 6. M. Vannucci (PATA AG Motorsport Italia)+0.187s.

Premier Car Parts Dogleap Rally (Brown and Brown Northern Ireland Gravel Rally Challenge) Ballykelly, Co. Derry: N. Devine/L. McIntyre (VW Polo GTi R5) 28m. 53.0s; 2. G. Mimnagh/J Barry McCarney (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+12.2s; 3. A. Smyth/M. Brady (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+ 32.4s; 4. D. Cairns/M. Preston (VW Polo GTi R5)+1m. 16.9s; 5. S. Dickson/B. Teggart (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+1m. 20.3s; 6. I. Dickson/M. McGeehan (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+1m. 24.5s; 7. G. Sayers/G. Gilchrist (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+1m. 28.2s; 8. A. Dickson/A. Wyllie (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+2m. 03.5s; 9. C. McCrossan/D. Burns (Skoda Fabia Rally2)+2m. 03.9s; 10. A. McLaughlin/D. Curran (Ford Fiesta R5)+2m. 33.3s.

Brown and Brown Northern Ireland Gravel Rally Challenge (Provisional positions): S. Dickson 104 points; 2. A. Dickson 95pts; 3. J. Hone 88pts; 4. S. Stewart 84pts; 5. N. Devine 82pts; 6. D. Mackarel 77pts.