Geleyns targeting ‘top step of the podium’ in third season of Euro RX3

Surprise, in the sense that Geleyns debuted in the dual-surface discipline only two years ago – with, in his own words, ‘not a lot of experience’ in his locker, having hitherto participated solely in dirt track racing on the Caribbean island of Antigua that he calls home. When he made his competitive bow at Höljes in Sweden in 2024, he did not even have a licence to drive on the road.

Fast forward to last season’s ‘Magic Weekend’, and the talented teenager conquered supremely challenging conditions in Värmland to reach the rostrum for the first time in Euro RX3 in just his sixth appearance on the international scene. 

At Finland’s KymiRing seven weeks later, Geleyns very nearly won, flashing past the chequered flag barely six tenths-of-a-second behind eventual champion and fellow Audi ace, João Ribeiro. He capped his sophomore season in the series with another trip to the podium in Istanbul, securing the Volland Racing star a top three spot in the overall standings – a four-place improvement upon 12 months earlier. 

After confirming that he will return to the grid for a third consecutive campaign in 2026, Geleyns is aiming to continue his career development as he assiduously follows his long-term path towards the summit of the sport. 

“I’m proud of what we achieved last year and I owe a huge thanks to the team, the mechanics and everyone who supported me through every challenge along the way,” commented the Belgium-born racer, who will turn 20 this summer. “I joined Euro RX3 two years ago with not a lot of experience, but thanks to the support of Volland Racing, I’ve made huge progress, learnt to stay calm in tough situations and learnt to not put too much pressure on myself. 

“I’ve been back in Antigua over the off-season, enjoying the beach a little bit and doing plenty of training to make sure I’m ready and in peak shape for 2026. I’m fully focused on performing to the best of my ability and avoiding making too many mistakes.

“We know [Rytis] Gurklys is quick from last year, and I think [Markus] Røsrud will also be a tough competitor, so it’s going to be a big fight and I don’t like to set goals as such, but after three second-place finishes in 2025, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking to reach that top step of the podium!” 

Rolf Volland is the man credited with ‘discovering’ Geleyns and taking a punt on his potential, following a meeting between the pair at Mettet in 2023. The 13-time German Rallycross Champion – team owner of the multiple Euro RX title-winning outfit that bears his name – believes there is much more still to extract.

“Usually, drivers come from a karting background, but Nico came from pretty much nowhere,” Volland mused. “He hadn’t done very much at all, and was effectively starting from zero. It was a big step for him to join the European Championship, but he has improved in every area as a driver and has grown a lot as a person, too. 

“He made great progress from 2024 to 2025 – with just one real prior season under his belt, I genuinely didn’t anticipate him being so good or developing so fast. From the middle of last year, in particular, he exceeded my expectations – and probably also his own! That was seriously impressive.

“I believe it will be a very competitive and challenging campaign ahead in Euro RX3, but that will only help to bring Nico on even more. He has learnt so much so far, and continued progression is clearly the principal goal.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on him. We’ve given him the time to focus on his driving and enjoy what he is doing – at the end of the day, the more you enjoy what you are doing, the better you will be at it and he will improve further this year, I have no doubt.

“If that allows him to fight for the title, fantastic. Maybe it’s still a bit too early for that, but he can certainly win races and based upon his progression so far, you can never say never – he surprised me a lot last year, after all. Maybe he will surprise me again...”