Reigning Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy Champion Patrick O’Donovan extended his advantage at the head of the 2024 standings with back-to-back victories at Mondello Park, but the results sheets didn’t tell the complete picture.

In a packed Supercar entry, as 5 Nations BRX joined the Irish Rallycross Championship at the Naas circuit, O’Donovan overcame start line troubles on day one having switched to his Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar for the event, and had to battle his way through traffic to get to the front of the order, en route to a second win in three rounds. With Irish Championship drivers also in the mix but not eligible for points, it was 5 Nations BRX regular John McCluskey (Ford Fiesta) who delivered a strong performance to finish second of the registered runners, ahead of Ollie O’Donovan (Proton Iriz) and Ian Barrett (Volkswagen Polo), the latter making his first proper rallycross start having retired early in the opening round of the season at Lydden Hill with engine troubles.

In round four on Sunday, accident damage in Q2 not only harmed O’Donovan’s qualifying position, but also broke the power steering system on his Peugeot, meaning a battle inside the car for the rest of the event for the 20-year-old. But, when the drivers ahead of him ran wide in the opening corner of the final, O’Donovan moved into the lead from fifth on the grid, then defended from Irish Championship registered drivers to secure the overall win, and top 5 Nations BRX points. Ollie O’Donovan finished second while Michael Leonard (Ford Fiesta) took third, his Murray Motorsport team mate McCluskey having retired during the day with engine issues. Previous Mondello Park victor Tristan Ovenden (Citroen DS3) was fourth, while Steve Hill (Mitsubishi Evo) was classified fifth, but retired from the final with broken suspension following contact.

Motorsport UK Supernational Rallycross Championship

Former Motorsport UK Supernational Rallycross Champion and reigning Irish Rallycross Modified title-winner Jason Bleasdale returned to the scene of his 2023 Irish crown with his Vauxhall VX220 and claimed a pair of wins in the two-wheel-drive category. Having led the round three final on Saturday and fended off a late challenge from brother Darren Bleasdale, Jason Bleasdale then led from the front on Sunday to claim back-to-back wins, while Darren had a spin mid race and had to climb his way back through the field. Andrew Hawkes (BMW Mini) twice took third place points of the 5 Nations BRX runners, while brother Martin endured technical issues with his recently acquired VX220.

Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship

Reigning Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Champion Tyler Mcalpin claimed a brace of wins at Mondello Park in the single-make Suzuki Swift Junior division, but it was far from a forgone conclusion. Cayden Harris delivered a career-best performance so far in round three on Saturday, leading the final in the opening stages having been at the front all day. Chased by Mcalpin and Tighe Wratten, Harris would eventually finish third behind winner Mcalpin and second-placed Benjamin Bartlett, as Wratten was disqualified for using ineligible brake pads. On Sunday, in wet conditions, Mcalpin led from the front in the final to secure victory, while Bartlett, Harris and Wratten battled over the remaining podium places, Wratten ultimately classified second ahead of Bartlett in third.

BMW MINI Rallycross Championship

Abbie McGuinness claimed victory in the BMW Mini Rallycross Championship in round three on Saturday with a strong performance from pole position to win ahead of Wesley Wickens and Leigh-Anne Sedgwick, the top three finishing the race in the positions they started. In round four on Sunday, McGuinness again took an early lead, with Stephen Bleasdale also in the mix. Wickens and Sedgwick continued their battle from round three and in a nose-to-tail final, it was Wickens who ultimately came out on top with a last lap overtake on McGuinness to take the win. Sedgwick was again third.

RX150 Rallycross Championship / Cross Car Rallycross Championship

In the second-ever weekend for the amalgamated RX150 Rallycross Championship and Cross Car Rallycross Championship it was former Swift Sport Rallycross Champion Max Weatherly who was twice victorious racing his LifeLive TN11 Cross Car, but was chased throughout both rounds by Supercar winner Patrick O’Donovan, double driving for the weekend. O’Donovan twice finished second on the road but scooped top RX150 honours. Will Butler and Ethan Rose both claimed a second and third place finish respectively across the two rounds in the Cross Car division, while Stephen Jones was third and then second in the RX150 class, former champion Ben Hardy finishing second on Saturday and returnee George Tracey completing the RX150 podium on Sunday.

Swift Sport Rallycross Championship

Will Ovenden continued his winning form from the opening weekend of the campaign at Lydden Hill to secure round three victory in the single-make Swift Sport Rallycross Championship ahead of Chris Cake, but the former Junior RX title-contender succumbed to technical issues in round four on Sunday and it was experienced rallycross racer Cake who claimed the win, Ovenden classified in second.

Retro Rallycross Championship

Four-time British Rallycross Champion Pat Doran made a brilliant launch in the round three final of the Super Retro Rallycross Championship, his second weekend of competition with the rear-wheel-drive Ford Escort, but lost out with a moment in turn one, allowing the battle for victory to play out between Charlie French (Ford Escort) and David Crockett (Vauxhall Chevette), French leading the way until a mistake on the final lap handed victory to Crockett. Doran recovered to be third. In round four on Sunday French again led early on, followed by Doran and Stuart Emery (Volvo 242), Doran making a spectacular move for the lead at the start of lap two to take an advantage he wouldn’t relinquish to secure a maiden Retro Rallycross win. French and Emery completed the podium.

In the Retro Rallycross category for up to 1600cc machines, returning Toyota MR2 driver Tony Lynch, the reigning champion, claimed back-to-back wins in his first start of the season, while Dan Swayland (Ford Escort) claimed a second and third place finish, fellow Ford Escort racer Simon Hart scoring the opposing results to Swayland across the two days. Rob Buckmaster (Ford Fiesta) leads the championship.

See all news »