Rising rallycross star Dan Rooke will cross the Irish Sea this weekend for the fourth and fifth rounds of the MSA British Rallycross Championship held at Mondello Park [June 27 – 28].

In only his first season in the sport, Devon racer Rooke currently leads the highly competitive SuperNational category by three points, and won on only his second ever appearance in the championship at round two, held at 'the home of rallycross' Lydden Hill.

Driving the Dan Rooke Racing 1600cc Citroen AX that the 18 year old previously used in autocross competition, Rooke is looking forward to taking on the regular British competitors and Irish drivers this weekend at Mondello Park.

“I think Mondello is going to be a great event, especially with having the Irish competitors in the mix as well. I've been watching in-car footage of Mondello to try and learn as much as I can. Having said that, you never get the same perspective of a track from a video, so it will be interesting to see what it's like when we arrive,” said Rooke, who is hoping to continue his current run of form this weekend.

“My season has been quite overwhelming so far. We never expected to be running with the top guys straight away, let alone have the early lead in the championship. It's definitely been an enjoyable first three rounds, I hope we can keep up the pace this weekend. My highlight so far is getting my first win at Lydden Hill. It was a great day for the team and myself; we hope there is more to come!”

Rooke thinks that changes to the car ahead of this weekend will improve performance in slow corners and is targeting a good haul of championship points. “We’ve been waiting on parts for a new close ratio gearbox and we have given the engine a freshen up. Hopefully it will help us out of the corners. The last event at Pembrey was a bit of a struggle; we didn't have enough power to keep up with the big engine cars coming out of the tight hairpin. A win this weekend would of course be great, but if a win doesn’t look possible for any reason, the focus will turn on gaining some solid points for the championship. With Mondello being a two day event, we need the car to still be at it’s best on Sunday too.”

RX Talent Search gives Rooke boost

In the lead up to the British round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship in May, the MSA (Motor Sports Association) held a Talent Search day at Lydden Hill for 12 drivers shortlisted from over 120 entries. Rooke was one of the selected 12 and after a day of media interviews and driving a World RX support category RX Lites car, Rooke made it through to the final four, but was just piped to the prize of a drive in the World RX of Turkey event later this year by former British Touring Car race winner, Tom Onslow-Cole. By far the driver with the least racing experience in the Talent Search, Rooke made an impression on Ford OlsbergsMSE team principle Andreas Eriksson amongst others, and thinks the experience will help his development in his quest to become a professional rallycross driver.

“I think the RX Talent Search day was a big help for my racing. It has made me want to take my rallycross career to the next level,” explained Rooke. “I got close to winning my dream at the shoot-out and set the second fastest lap of the day - ahead of some guys who have been racing at a very high level for years and years. It was a shame not to win the prize drive, but it’s made me more determined than ever to work hard to try and earn it another way.”

The MSA British Rallycross Championship is aired live on Livestream and broadcast following the event on British Eurosport. Find out full details on the MSA British Rallycross Championship website

See all news »