O’DONOVANS MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR
For the first time in almost six years, former title winner Ollie O’Donovan claimed victory in a round of the British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy as he headed a 1-2 result with son and reigning champion Patrick in the season-opener.
A strong entry in the Supercars field embarked on the first encounter of the season but one of the newcomers expected to upset the established order, rally and race driver Ian Barrett, made it no further than the start of his first heat race. His ex-Johan Kristoffersson title-winning Volkswagen Polo expired with an engine problem that was unable to be fixed at the circuit.
Fastest time in the opening session went to series returnee Oliver Bennett, the BMW Mini racer storming through race. Then, joined by the fellow fastest runners from heat one for the last race of the second session, Bennett lost out in the Turn 1 scrum and spun, which dropped him down the order. His day would get worse still as a water pump failure in the paddock meant he was two minutes late to the pre-grid for his semi-final and was out altogether.
In the first of the semi-finals, O’Donovan Sr led from his teammate and son on the opening lap. Patrick O’Donovan jokered on lap two and returned to the main route behind Irishman John
McCluskey. Ollie O’Donovan took the compulsory extra-route on lap three and maintained the advantage.
Patrick O’Donovan passed McCluskey to finish second as electric Mini racer Steve Harris held off Gary Donoghue for the last final-qualifying position.
Semi-final two went the way of a resurgent Julian Godfrey. The six-time champion showed a significant upturn in pace over his maiden campaign with the LD Motorsport-run Citroen DS3 in 2023 to come out on top of a battle with McCluskey’s team-mate Michael Leonard, the latter suffering a puncture in the closing stages while leading.
Tristan Ovenden recovered from a dramatic opening-corner to fight back to make it through into the final.
In the main event, polesitter Godfrey jumped the start before he was then overtaken by Patrick O’Donovan in the opening corner. Behind, Ollie O’Donovan was overtaken by
Steve Hill in Turn 1 before
O’Donovan Sr repassed Hill in the air over the circuit’s jump.
Leonard then also passed Hill into the Devil’s Elbow while O’Donovan Sr could find no way by Godfrey at the North Bend Hairpin despite his efforts.
Leonard applied pressure to the rear of O’Donovan Sr’s unique Proton Iriz RX, while ahead Patrick O’Donovan took his joker and returned to the lead on lap four, followed by Godfrey who had taken the first of his two joker laps (he was forced to take a second as a penalty for his over-eager getaway).
Leader Patrick O’Donovan then slowed on the next tour and his father Ollie passed his son down the hill and drove straight into the joker lap but came out of the extra route third, behind Leonard who had continued on the standard lap.
In the opening corner of the next and final tour, Ollie O’Donovan passed Leonard on the inside, then cleared his son’s ailing Ford Fiesta up the hill to take the lead. O’Donovan Jr held onto second as Leonard jokered in the final corner and dropped to fourth on the road behind Godfrey.
There was a sting in the tail as Leonard was later disqualified for his judicial camera not working when requested by the race officials, promoting Hill to fourth.
Results
Organiser: LHMC When: March 30 Where: Lydden Hill Starters: 63.
1 Ollie O’Donovan (Proton Iriz) 4m39.389s; 2 Patrick O’Donovan (Ford Fiesta) +0.233s; 3 Julian Godfrey (Citroen DS3); 4 Steve Hill (Mitsubishi Evo); 5 Tristan Ovenden (Citroen DS3); 6 John McCluskey (Ford Fiesta). Supernational: Jason Bleasdale (Vauxhall VX220). Junior: Tyler Mcalpin (Suzuki Swift). Swift Sport: Will Ovenden (Suzuki Swift). BMW Mini: Wesley Wickens (BMW Mini). ALL4 Mini: Max Langmaid (BMW Mini). Super Retro: John Cross (Lancia Stratos). Retro Rallycross: Terry Moore (Austin Mini). RX150: Stephen Jones (RX150).
Cross Car: Max Weatherly (LifeLive TN5).