Former Motorsport Ireland International Racing Driver of the Year Jonathan Fildes will take on a leading role in the SEAT Supercup Ireland when he makes his debut in the exciting high profile championship at Mondello Park this Sunday (June 12th). The multiple motor racing champion, who has successfully plied his skills behind the wheel working as a precision driver in movies such as the latest James Bond adventure, Spectre, will join defending team champions Murray Motorsport for Rounds 5 & 6 of the SEAT Leon Supercopa based championship. Having tested one of the 301Bhp SEAT Sport built cars last November and being highly impressed by its performance, the Dunshaughlin driver will get to race in the SEAT Ireland backed championship as he takes over the driving duties of this year’s most successful car. Joining title favourites Erik Holstein and Rob Butler at the Dublin based team, Fildes will race the same car in which reigning champion Niall Murray dominated the season opener with two wins and former SEAT Eurocup title contender Eoin Murray took to victory at the most recent outing last month in Bishopscourt.
A driver with previous SEAT one make racing experience having competed in the UK in the 2006 SEAT Cupra Championship which supported the British Touring Car Championship, Fildes is relishing the opportunity of joining what is set to be the SEAT Supercup Ireland’s biggest grid to date. Fastest of 11-drivers who took part in a championship evaluation test at the end of last year’s inaugural season, Fildes then referred to the Supercopa as ‘a proper touring car’. Commenting ahead of his much anticipated race debut, he said, ‘I’m looking forward to it. I really liked the car when I tested it and I’m excited about racing it against some very capable drivers’. His first time to race as a Murray Motorsport driver he added, ‘It’s going to be a little strange as I used to race against Eoin and now he’s going to be telling me what to do’, referring to team principal Eoin Murray, against whom he has raced in the past.
Rounds 5 & 6 of the SEAT Supercup Ireland is the first of two outings the championship will enjoy on the 3.5km international circuit at Mondello Park with Sunday’s action being presented by Enniscorthy SEAT. Claiming his first win of the season at Round 3 in Bishopscourt, Rod McGovern comes into the event as the championship leader after 4 of the 12 races that make up the calendar. The Medical Banks backed driver holds a 2-points advantage over Holstein, the later still chasing his first SEAT win. With Fildes’ arrival adding further competition to the championship’s high profile driver line-up, it will also create increased motivation for his team-mates Holstein and Butler to boost their title aspirations with a first win of their respective campaigns. With qualifying Sunday morning, Race 1 is scheduled to take place at 12:10 with Race 2, the concluding race to the first half of the season, set to go off the line at 15:35 with both races being streamed live on Mondello TV.
