An official pre-season test and media day opened the books on the 2024 Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy season on Thursday, March 28 at Lydden Hill, ahead of the opening double-header of the campaign at the Kent circuit this weekend.

In the headline Supercar category, 19-year-old Patrick O’Donovan will embark on the defence of his back-to-back titles this weekend, but will face stiff opposition from a stacked Supercar field. O’Donovan reverts to his 2022 championship-winning Ford Fiesta while his 2023 Peugeot 208 WRX continues to undergo a winter rebuild.

Double 2022 5 Nations BRX Lydden Hill event-winner Oliver Bennett returns to the fray with his unique BMW Mini Supercar, keen to add to his victory tally, while 2007 champion Ollie O’Donovan finished second in the standings last season and is aiming to go one better in 2024 with his Proton Iriz RX. Fellow former title-winner, six-time champion Julian Godfrey is aiming for a record-breaking seventh crown with his Citroen DS3, having spent time revising the car over the winter, while event-winner Tristan Ovenden – also racing a DS3 – is targeting more regular visits to the top step of the podium in his fifth Supercar campaign.

Irish trio John McCluskey, Gary Donoghue and Michael Leonard will all race Olsbergs MSE-built Ford Fiestas in their 5 Nations BRX campaigns, all three having joined the Supercar field at Pembrey Circuit last season in addition to their Irish Rallycross Championship campaigns – McCluskey having previously raced a Peugeot 306 and Citroen Xsara in the British Championship before a hiatus from the sport.

Another Irishman, Ian Barrett, with substantial experience in rallying and circuit racing has acquired a Johan Kristoffersson title-winning Volkswagen Polo for his switch to rallycross and makes his debut this weekend, while Mike Sellar has switched from his Citroen DS3, which has been sold to RX150 Rallycross graduate Nick Priddy, to another Volkswagen Polo. Priddy will miss this weekend while awaiting parts for his DS3, but will feature later in the season.

Colin Anson has switched from his Ford KA to an event-winning Mitsubishi Mirage, while Steve Hill continues to campaign his Mitsubishi Evo X and Dominic Flitney climbs back aboard his Volvo C30 that has undergone significant revisions over the winter. Former Supercar regular Steve Harris also returns with his all-electric Mini, taking over from son Jake, who raced the car last year.

The headline two-wheel-drive category, Supernational, features returning names and new faces for 2024, with former champion Jason Bleasdale making a return, while the Junior championship will again be a close-fought affair with the stars of the future racing identical Suzuki Swift 1300cc machines – 2023 champion Tyler McAlpin starting as favourite to defend his crown, but will face stiff competition in the class.

2023 Junior RX title-contender Will Ovenden has stepped up to the similarly-competitive senior Swift Sport category for this season, taking on experienced names like Chris Cake in the class, while ALL4 Mini Champion Max Langmaid is also back to defend his crown. A new champion will be crowned in the BMW Mini class this year, in the absence of the reigning champion.

New for 2024, the FIA Cross Car category joins the RX150 class in bringing single-seater off-road racing to 5 Nations BRX, both types of cars having tested at Lydden Hill on Thursday, while the Retro Rallycross Championship’s two classes embrace cars from throughout rallycross history, up until the end of 1991, with a bumper entry.

The full entry list can be found below, while tickets for the event can be sourced here:

Saturday tickets: https://bit.ly/3Hrfw39

Monday tickets: https://bit.ly/47JyoVR

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