Geleyns ‘on the right path’ as he targets third season in Euro RX3

Geleyns placed seventh overall as a rookie in the FIA European Rallycross Championship’s second-tier last year, having stepped up to the fiercely-contested series following a formative career competing in autocross on dirt tracks in Antigua, where he has lived since 2019. This year, he has done rather better.

In round two at Höljes in Sweden – the dual-surface discipline’s legendary ‘Magic Weekend’ – the talented teenager reached the rostrum for the very first time as he conquered a treacherous track surface to scoop the runner-up spoils. 

He repeated the result at Finland’s KymiRing – where he came within a whisker of winning, flashing past the chequered flag barely six tenths-of-a-second adrift of champion-elect João Ribeiro and posting fastest lap for good measure – and then again in last month’s Istanbul Park finale, pulling off a spectacular overtake while spinning through a full 360 degrees along the way!

Despite narrowly failing to advance to the final in Portugal and Hungary – winding up fourth at the semi-final stage on both occasions – Geleyns’ trio of second-place finishes proved sufficient to secure the 19-year-old third in the championship standings, marking a significant improvement upon 12 months earlier.

“It was a pretty good season overall,” acknowledged the Belgium-born star, who proudly carries the Antiguan flag and colours on his Volland Racing Audi A1. “Lousada wasn’t the weekend we had been aiming for, but we kept pushing until the end and there were definitely positives to take and things to learn from it. 

“Höljes was tough with the tricky weather conditions, but we fought hard and I was really happy to achieve my first podium in Euro RX3, while Nyirád was a challenging event; we struggled early on and a few mistakes in the semi-final cost us time, which meant we just missed out on the final.

“Neither day started off as planned in Finland, but we found the pace in the end, won our semi-final and finished second in the final, and although Türkiye wasn’t the most straightforward of weekends, we gave it everything throughout.

“I clipped the tyre wall and broke the driveshaft in the semi-final, but my mechanics worked extremely hard to get my Audi repaired in time for the final, for which I’m incredibly grateful. After a tough start, we then made it to the podium again and set fastest lap – even with a damaged car that wasn’t easy to drive (following the contact that prompted the aforementioned spin).

“All of that sets a great tone for next year, when the plan is to stay in Euro RX3. Over the off-season, I’ll keep working on my racing lines, on staying calmer in the car and on avoiding charging in headfirst without thinking.

“I’m really focused on becoming more precise and more clear-headed. At the start of the year, I struggled to stay composed when stuck behind another driver. Now, I’ve learned to wait, to observe and to capitalise upon mistakes instead of forcing the issue. That’s real progress. I feel like I’m on the right path, and for 2026, the goal is clear – I want to fight for the top step of the podium and the European title.”