PR: Patrick O’Donovan extends points lead with double victory in Mondello Park

Reigning Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy Champion Patrick O’Donovan extended his advantage at the head of the 2024 standings with back-to-back victories at Mondello Park (May 25-26), but the results sheets didn’t tell the complete picture.

In a packed Supercar entry, as 5 Nations BRX joined the Irish Rallycross Championship at the Naas circuit in Ireland, O’Donovan overcame start line troubles on day one having switched to his Peugeot 208 WRX Supercar for the event, and had to battle his way through traffic to get to the front of the order, en route to a second win in three rounds. With Irish Championship drivers also in the mix but not eligible for points, it was 5 Nations BRX regular John McCluskey (Ford Fiesta) who delivered a strong performance to finish second of the registered runners, ahead of Ollie O’Donovan (Proton Iriz) and Ian Barrett (Volkswagen Polo), the latter making his first proper rallycross start having retired early in the opening round of the season at Lydden Hill with engine troubles.

In round four on Sunday, accident damage in Q2 not only harmed O’Donovan’s qualifying position, but also broke the power steering system on his Peugeot, meaning a battle inside the car for the rest of the event for the 20-year-old. But, when the drivers ahead of him ran wide in the opening corner of the final, O’Donovan moved into the lead from fifth on the grid, then defended from Irish Championship registered drivers to secure the overall win, and top 5 Nations BRX points. Ollie O’Donovan finished second while Michael Leonard (Ford Fiesta) took third, his Murray Motorsport team mate McCluskey having retired during the day with engine issues. Previous Mondello Park victor Tristan Ovenden (Citroen DS3) was fourth, while Steve Hill (Mitsubishi Evo) was classified fifth, but retired from the final with broken suspension following contact.