Team RX Racing driver Ollie O’Donovan just missed out on a podium finish at the sixth round of the MSA British Rallycross Championship in association with the Shannon Group at Pembrey in Wales.

In the latest event with the team’s Tony Bardy Motorsport built and prepared Ford Fiesta, 2007 British Rallycross Champion O’Donovan qualified for the front row of the all important A final and ran in third on the first lap, only to pick up a left rear puncture on the second lap after hitting a hole, effectively ending his challenge.

O’Donovan got his head down and drove hard despite the puncture. On the sixth and final lap, the Yokohama-backed driver chased the Ford Focus of Andy Grant for fourth place, which became third when O’Donovan’s Team RX Racing team-mate Steve Hill was robbed of a richly deserved podium with transmission problems. O’Donovan was promoted to fourth as a result, under two seconds shy of a podium finish.

“It wasn’t a great weekend for us. We had two punctures during the day and we’ve had a problem with the engine, so Tony [Bardy] will sort that before the next event. We were probably down 100 horsepower. We tried very hard to hold on to third place in the final but trying to do five laps round Pembrey with a puncture is hairy stuff, but I still managed to make 98 mph down the straight on three tyres. I’m disappointed for Steve [Hill], he deserves some luck. I think we’re going to have to lock Julian [Godfrey] away to stop him wining all the time,” said the London-based Irishman, who remains third overall in the British series.

The team continued to develop the new for 2015 Fiesta at Pembrey and are looking to make progress at the next event in Norway. “We’ve taken more steps forward with learning about the Fiesta at Pembrey so onwards and upwards. The next event is in the European Championship at Hell. I’ve never been there before but I’m looking forward to it and our new engine should freshen things up for us in the next events.”

Pembrey Result Round Six – Sunday 19 July

1 Julian Godfrey – Ford Fiesta (#1)

2 Andy Scott – Peugeot 208 (#26)

3 Andy Grant – Ford Focus (#3)

4 Ollie O’Donovan – Ford Fiesta (#2)

5 Steve Hill – Mitsubishi Evo (#5)

6 Steve Mundy – Ford Focus (#52)

MSA British Rallycross Championship Standings:

1 – Julian Godfrey 202

2 – Andy Scott 189

3 – Ollie O’Donovan 169

4 – Andy Grant 168

5 – Kevin Procter 160

6 – Steve Hill 124

7 – Steve Mundy 96

8 – Mad Mark 87

9 – Steve Harris 76

10 – Pat Doran 52

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