Team RX Racing have announced they will be fielding two cars at round four and five of the MSA British Rallycross Championship, 22-23 July at Mondello Park in Ireland. Team owner as well as regular British and European Rallycross competitor, Ollie O’Donovan, will be flanked on this occasion by successful competitor, as well as renowned rallycross car builder, Tony Bardy, whose organisation also runs O’Donovan’s cars.
Bardy last appeared in the BRX last October, at both the final round of the Championship and the British Rallycross Grand Prix at Croft, and will soon be testing RX Racing’s Ford Focus Supercar.
“I think the last time I drove a Free Practice at Mondello was at an event in 2005, in Christopher Evans’ Opel Astra, Bardy remembers.
I’ve always enjoyed racing there myself and working for other people at Mondello, including John and Cecil Haffey, Clive Richardson, John Moloney, Christopher Evans, Helmut Holfeld, George Tracey, Derrick Job, Kevin Proctor, Andy Scott and of course Ollie. Last time we went there we ran Derek Tohill in the Focus too,”
“I’m getting old, and I don’t think even with practice on Friday that I will get up to speed by the end of the weekend (I never thought that day would ever come, but it has). It would be great to finish all the races that I start, then we will see what that brings.”
O’Donovan, meanwhile, is now second overall in BRX standings, just five points shy of leader Oliver Bennett: the Irishman has won the second round of the Championship at Lydden, and will compete in Ireland at the wheel of the Ford Fiesta he regularly drives in the FIA European Rallycross Championship, the same car he drove to second overall at the ERX season opener in Barcelona.
“It’s fantastic that we can use the Fiesta at Mondello, because the summer gap between events in the European Championship is pretty big. It’s also great that we can get Tony back in a Supercar. He works incredibly hard for us to be able to do as much racing as we do and it’s great for him to get a run out,” said O’Donovan.
“I think he’s a dark horse, he has a lot of experience, drove the car in October at Croft and will get a bit of testing in next Friday. Over the years I’ve worked with him, Tony has always talked about the good old days at Mondello. A large proportion of his customers have been Irish too, so I’m really looking forward to him driving there. He’s even bringing (wife) Trudy!”
O’Donovan’s goal for the Irish double header, which will use the circuit in both directions over the two days, is to score solid points in both rounds.
“We had a difficult event last time out at Pembrey, but we want to bounce back at Mondello,” he said.
“We need to score good points at every event if we are to fight for the title, which on pace alone I’m certain we can do.”
After Mondello’s double-header, the BRX returns on 28 August for round six at Lydden. On the following weekend, O’Donovan will take part in round four of the ERX Supercars series at Lohéac, France.
