A 15 minute drive from the hotel, Mondello Park is Ireland’s only FIA licenced motor racing circuit.
Open since 1968, the opening of the circuit saw a historic change in car racing, from closed off country roads, moving to the dedicated circuit track, the first and only in Ireland.The racing circuit hosts corporate days as well as private driving experiences and track days, and they will have their family fun day happening this month.
Mondello Park has exciting plans for the year ahead, from the Drift Masters European Championship, the return LZ World Tour, the annual Historic Racing Festival, Mondello24, the Irish Rally X series to the ICCR there is plenty to look forward to!
The LZ World Tour returns in July following a sensational debut in 2022 which attracted the largest ever attendance at a Mondello Park event. Starring Automotive YouTuber, Adam LZ, and a host of international stars, the two-day celebration of motoring will feature insane Drift battles, guest appearances and a gathering of more than 500 of the Ireland’s best modified and performance cars.
The annual Mondello Park Historic Festival is the headline event of the 2023 Car Racing calendar. This years’ theme will be 100 years of Le Mans and some exciting cars from the famed 24-Hour race are being lined up to make guest appearances. Alongside the demonstration runs, the Kildare circuit will also be graced by the best of Historic Car Racing action from iconic cars from the last century, while off-track there will be a carnival, vintage fun fair, live bands, food village and sideshows which will provide and action-packed day of family entertainment.
The remaining Car Race calendar dates will be filled by the close and competitive Irish Championship Circuit Racing (ICCR) and Irish Rally X series’. Following two years under the guidance of Mondello Park, ICCR continues to go from strength to strength as it heads into its third season. The championship will continue with five Mondello Park weekends, while adding a first overseas trip, to Anglesey in Wales. The five Mondello Park events will all take place over two days, with different classes racing on each day. The calendar will run between April and October with two weekends on the National Track layout and three on the International Track. To finish out the season the Fiesta 6 Hour Endurance Race will once again run in early November.
The Irish Rally X Championship is set for a massive year with an entirely new race weekend format, an influx of brand-new Supercars and growing numbers in the supporting classes. The Championship has five weekends on the schedule, with each Mondello Park event consisting of two championship rounds on two different circuits. The season opener, in early March, was the first to use the new double-header format which delighted the drivers competing. The second event in June will see the return of the ever-popular British Rally X series, with the Irish competitors travelling in the opposite direction in August to race at Pembrey in Wales. The championship will be completed by two more Mondello Park weekends in November and December.
Adding a different challenge to the Mondello Park calendar will be the ‘Mondello 24’ returning for the third year in June. Mondello 24 is a unique cycle race which sees individuals and teams go head-to-head to complete the greatest number of laps around the Mondello Park International Track in 24 hours. This unique test of endurance gives cyclists the opportunity to race through the darkness and into the rising sun while pushing themselves to their absolute limits.
Three different Car Culture events will complete the calendar with the first of those being the return of European Drift Masters Championship in May which Mondello Park will host the opening round, bringing Ireland’s top International Drift stars home to compete against the best Europe has to offer.
September’s Retro Stock show will see Mondello Park taken over by owners and fans of Classic high-performance and competition cars with the track being filled by Retro cars being driven as they were designed to be. In October it will be the turn of Japanese Cars to take over the venue, as Jap-Fest returns for another year. This celebration of Japanese motoring has been Ireland’s biggest for more than a decade and this years’ show will once again feature a gathering of hundreds of Japanese machines alongside Irish Championship Drifting action.
Information on the full calendar of Mondello Park events is available on www.mondellopark.ie, where tickets can also be purchased for all events. To keep up with the latest event news, follow Mondello Parks social media feeds @mondellopark
