Patrick O’Donovan to join father Ollie in Hungary

Patrick O’Donovan will join his father Ollie in the 2022 FIA European Rallycross Championship curtain-raiser at Nyirád next month (21-22 May), as he bids to build upon a dream Supercar debut on home soil recently.

O’Donovan contested a full season in the FIA RX2e Championship last year, reaching the rostrum in the inaugural event in Barcelona and going on to finish fourth in the standings, tied on points for third place with Pablo Suárez but missing out on countback.

The Motorsport UK Young Driver of the Year – the reigning RX150 Champion on the domestic scene – subsequently starred in the British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy at Lydden Hill, stunning observers by scooping the runner-up spoils in his very first Supercar appearance.

Buoyed by that success, O’Donovan will now take on the cream of the Euro RX1 crop in Hungary, behind the wheel of the same Ford Fiesta that his father raced to third place in Catalunya five years ago. The 2007 British Rallycross Champion will similarly be on the grid at Nyirád, as he gives Team RX Racing’s Proton Iriz RX its maiden international start.

In taking to the track in the same event, the O’Donovans will follow in the wheeltracks of Andy and Marc Scott, (who teamed up at Albatec Racing in World RX in Turkey in 2014), Jean-Luc and Fabien Pailler (who both drove in Euro RX in France in 2013) and Henning Solberg and stepson Pontus Tidemand (who both scored points in World RX and Euro RX in 2014). The full Nyirád entry lists will be published tomorrow (28 April).

“It’s been a crazy couple of weeks with turning 18-years-old, my Supercar debut, first Supercar podium and now an entry into the event in Hungary,” reflected Patrick. “It has come together very late, just before the entry deadline as we are still not 100 per cent sure what my plans are for the rest of the international season, so this is amazing.

“I’m very excited to go to a new track and see what we can do. I have experience from RX2e last year, and my inner competitive nature is going to be hunting for the best result possible. It will be special to race a Supercar in Euro RX1 alongside my father.”

“I’m very much looking forward to returning to the European Rallycross Championship, and to do that together with Patrick in the first round will be a lot of fun,” echoed Ollie. “Patrick showed very good pace at Lydden recently, and while we know the level will be very high in Euro RX1 this year, I think the complete lack of pressure on him can only help him to get the best result he can.

“He has no championship points to worry about and he’s still so early in his learning – Hungary will only be his fifth race in a Supercar – so he can just go out there and enjoy the weekend.

“As for me, we have completed one race weekend with the Iriz RX and we have work to do with it, so realistically it will be another weekend of data collection and learning, while also working to get the best result we can. I’ve never been to Nyirád but I’ve heard it’s a fantastic circuit, so we can’t wait to get there.”