Ollie O’Donovan is looking to continue his successful run this weekend as he takes part in the penultimate round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship which takes place on the Barcelona Grand Prix circuit in Spain.
The London based Irishman managed to qualify his Tony Bardy Motorsport built Ford Fiesta Supercar through to the heat stages in Norway and then from the Semi-Finals into the Final, where he finished third on the podium, in the process becoming the first Irishman to do so.
O’Donovan then followed this performance up by taking the win in the penultimate round of the British Rallycross Championship at Lydden Hill on Bank Holiday Monday in very challenging conditions, just managing to hold off Kevin Procter and Andy Scott to take the win whilst suffering with a puncture.
This weekend in Spain is where O’Donovan is looking to try and continue that successful run with the Fiesta now that the team understands the car better and a new track offers the chance of a level playing field against the EuroRX and WorldRX regulars.
“The car is working well and we are on top of the set-up now. The good thing about this weekend is that the track is new to everybody, which will make it a level playing field. I’ve been on the back foot at every track we have been to so far this year because most of the guys in the European Championship have at least some experience of them. That will make things slightly more equal for us in that respect. I’m feeling confident and really looking forward to it,” said the 2007 MSA British Rallycross Champion, who is aiming to get into the semi-finals.
“We’re going to try for the semi-finals and then of course try to get into the final. But, we’re setting out first goal on a place in the semis. That isn’t easy in itself because the boys are all so quick, but I think it’s achievable. Then from there, we’ll work in getting into the final like we did in Norway. We’ve done it once so it is possible to do it again, but it’s never easy.”
Team RX Racing driver O’Donovan currently lies in eighth place in the EuroRX Drivers Championship, three points behind French rallycross driver Fabien Pailler.
