Patrick O’Donovan
will get his big break in the FIA World Rallycross Championship in the Hong
Kong season finale next month (11-12 November), as Hansen World RX Team expands
to a three-car assault for the eagerly-anticipated double-header.
Since making his bow
on the international stage in the FIA RX2e Championship in 2021 – going on to
tally a brace of victories the following year – O’Donovan has increasingly
established himself as one of the sport’s brightest rising stars.
The highly-rated teenager scorched to British Championship
honours in his maiden campaign at Supercar level in 2022 – making history as
the youngest driver ever to do so – and he remains firmly in contention to
clinch a second consecutive crown in the domestic series following a superb
showing at Dreux in France last weekend.
He simultaneously contested his first full
season in the FIA European Rallycross Championship’s top tier Euro RX1 this
year. Piloting a #YellowSquad-supported Peugeot 208 WRX, he triumphed at Höljes
and claimed further podium finishes at Nyirád and the Estering en route
to third in the overall standings, confidently and consistently taking the
fight to rivals with considerably more experience.
Now, O’Donovan is preparing for arguably the
biggest challenge in his burgeoning career to-date, as he gets set to take on
the crème de la crème at the absolute pinnacle of the sport for the very
first time.
“It will be a childhood dream come true for me
to make my World RX debut, and even better to be doing so in a car that I know,”
enthused the 19-year-old. “I’m extremely excited to see how my pace fares
against some of the best rallycross drivers in the world, and to be working so
closely with the Hansen Motorsport team. It’s also super-cool to be part of the
first-ever World Rallycross inner-city event, especially in a venue like Hong
Kong. I can’t wait!”
O’Donovan – who will
partner regular drivers Timmy and Kevin Hansen in the
three-car Hansen World RX Team line-up – has no shortage of prior running in
the QEV Technologies-developed, electric ZEROID X1 that all competitors will race
in the event from his two-season stint in RX2e. Team Principal Kenneth Hansen
believes the Briton can be a contender from the outset.
“This is the first-time a #YellowSquad driver
has stepped up to the World Championship, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for
Patrick to be side-by-side with Timmy and Kevin in exactly the same vehicle,”
the Swede remarked. “It will be interesting for us to run three cars in the top
category in Hong Kong, and we’re really looking forward to that.
“It’s a new circuit there, which means the
opportunities are equal in terms of track knowledge, and I think we can benefit
more from running three cars than just two. It will be great to work with a
talented, motivated young driver like Patrick, with whom we have already formed
a relationship this year.”