Write a commentWarrenpoint native JB Farrell will make his single-seater motor racing debut next Saturday 30 March in the Irish Formula Vee Championship at Kirkistown on the Ards Peninsula.
Farrell will be hoping to make a flying start to the 11-round championship which also takes in events at Bishopscourt and the home of Irish motorsport, Mondello Park. There is also a trip across the water to Anglesey in Wales to look forward to in June, pitting him against his counterparts in the UK series.
Reaching this point is the fulfilment of a lifetime ambition for the 27-year-old, who has signed with brand new team Cicoda Racing for the 2019 season. It is a moment he admits he often believed would never happen.
“Motorsport is an expensive business to get into, and the costs were massively prohibitive over the years,” says Farrell. “My parents always equally supported me, my sister and brother in our ambitions growing up, but we never had the money for motor racing to ever be a consideration. However I’ve always loved sport, so found athletics and football were great outlets that I could pursue instead.”
Indeed, life in the fast lane quickly became home to JB, as he enjoyed a successful youth career as a 100-metre sprinter, competing at national level and winning provincial and all-Ireland medals. However, as he explains, it was never quite enough to satisfy his appetite for speed.
“Motor racing has always been my number one interest – mostly Formula 1 but anything with wheels and an engine fascinated me for as long as I can remember. I was a huge Michael Schumacher fan growing up and always craved the chance to do what he did, so I’m grateful to be able to race now and see how far I can progress.”
That chance came about through both hard work and an encounter with Dublin man Ron Healy in early 2018. As a lifelong F1 fan and someone who has always been interested in the behind-the-scenes workings of every type of business, Healy had always wanted to manage his own racing team but, like JB, had never found the right opportunity. After discovering their shared interest a deal was quickly agreed which both parties believe will bear fruit very soon.
“Ron is very detail-oriented and throws himself into everything he does 100%, so he has made sure that Cicoda Racing will be run in the right way”, according to Farrell. “There have been many months of research, planning and preparation to give us the best possible chance of making an impact in Formula Vee straight away, and I’m confident that we will be on the pace from early in the season. The car has been running well in pre-season testing and the balance feels very good, so I think we should be competitive.”
In Healy’s view, Cicoda Racing is already a success. “My interests are usually in the things most people don’t see,” says Ron. “When I watch sport, I’m usually looking off-the-ball at the tactics and formation. With Formula 1, I’m usually thinking ahead to pit-stop strategy. This analytical approach impacts on my professional life, as it allows me to bring much wider and very different perspectives or solutions to the problems my clients encounter.” He adds, “I see Cicoda Racing as another opportunity to widen my experience of how things are done in different environments, and have a lot of fun while doing it.”
So what will constitute success for Farrell in his debut season?
“As a new driver with a new team coming onto the grid, it’s difficult to make predictions,” admits JB. “The car has been built from scratch, but we partnered with SM Racing, an experienced manufacturer in Kildare, to make sure it was done right, and I think the foundations are there to score points regularly throughout the year. There is also a separate drivers’ championship for new entrants like myself, and the target has to be to fight for that.”
It promises to be the beginning of an exciting journey for Farrell and his new Cicoda Racing team in 2019, and one which they hope will eventually lead to the top step of the podium. After a long winter of hard work and preparation, the time for action starts now.
Sponsorship packages for driver or car are available for the 2019 season. For more details, contact JB Farrell on 07840 240239 or racing@cicoda.ie
