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Former champion O’Donovan returns to Euro RX1
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Patrick O’Donovan has become the second former champion to throw his hat into the ring for Euro RX1 honours in 2026, after announcing his return to the series for the first time since clinching the coveted crown.
Beloved by fans for his uncompromising, ‘maximum attack’ driving style, O’Donovan is unquestionably one of the sport’s most talented and successful young guns, counting three consecutive British Rallycross Championship titles to his name as well as the 2024 Euro RX1 trophy.
Over the course of a commanding campaign that year, three victories from four rounds deservedly secured the Brit the end-of-season spoils in the FIA European Rallycross Championship’s top tier – and all before he had celebrated his 21st birthday.
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O’Donovan further enhanced his burgeoning career CV by reaching the rostrum on his FIA World Rallycross Championship debut in Hong Kong in 2023. He contested three more events at the highest level last year, while additionally participating in the inaugural FIA Extreme H World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The Team RX Racing ace is now set to rejoin the fray in Euro RX1 after committing to a full programme at the European pinnacle of the dual-surface discipline, where he will go up against the likes of fellow title-winner Andreas Bakkerud as well as rising stars Damian Litwinowicz and Andor Trepák, with many more big names still to be announced.
He will head into battle behind the wheel of a Peugeot 208 WRX operated by Sam Clennell Motorsport and supported by engine specialist, ORECA. With the curtain-raising outing in Latvia less than two months away, he is gearing up to go doorhandle-to-doorhandle with his high-calibre rivals once again.
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“I’m really excited to be competing in Euro RX1 in 2026,” enthused O’Donovan, the youngest driver ever to lift the laurels on the UK’s domestic rallycross scene. “We’ve put in a massive effort to get here, from within Team RX Racing where Sam [Clennell] continues to work tirelessly to get the car rebuilt and prepared, to ORECA continuously developing the engine to ensure performance and reliability are at their peak. To go into a season having such hard-working people like that around you is something really special.
“In 2024, I completed a childhood dream of winning the European title. Last year, I stepped up to the World Championship and although it was very difficult to compete against the electric cars, I learned so much and feel like it really helped me to develop both in my driving and my mental approach.
“Euro RX1 in 2026 is shaping up to be a very strong entry, and while it’s definitely not going to be easy, I’m looking forward to competing without having that pressure to win a first title and to use all the experience we have gained as a team to execute to our full potential every time we take on the competition.”
Following the season-opener at Rīga’s historic Biķernieku trase on 9-10 May, Euro RX competitors will subsequently lock horns at Nyirád in Hungary (30-31 May), Höljes in Sweden (4-5 July), Mondello Park in Ireland (18-19 July), Lohéac in France (29-30 August) and finally Lousada in Portugal, where champions will be crowned on 12-13 September.
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