PR: Ollie O’Donovan switches to Peugeot 208 WRX for Belgian and Portuguese Euro RX rounds

British Rallycross Championship title-contender and former champion Ollie O’Donovan will switch from a Proton Iriz RX to a Peugeot 208 WRX for the remaining rounds of the 2024 FIA European Rallycross Championship in Belgium and Portugal.

O’Donovan has joined son Patrick in a two-car Euro RX effort this year and twice qualified for the semi-finals in Sweden and Hungary, while Patrick O’Donovan has claimed back-to-back wins and leads the standings, driving Team RX Racing’s own Peugeot 208 WRX. However, following minor technical issues with the unique Iriz RX at a test session in Montalegre, Portugal after the Hungarian round in Nyirad, O’Donovan Snr will switch equipment to form a two-car 208 WRX effort for the remaining rounds of the campaign in Belgium and Portugal.

The car O’Donovan will drive is the machine used to finish as runner-up in the Euro RX series last year by Janis Baumanis, the Latvian making the car available for the events, although it will be run by Sam Clennell Motorsport and Team RX Racing. O’Donovan has history with the Peugeot brand, he claimed his 2007 British Rallycross Championship title in a Peugeot 306 Supercar, a machine he has reacquired in recent years.

Mettet in Belgium is also significant to Team RX Racing and O’Donovan, the London-based Irishman having made a maiden appearance in the team’s successful Ford Fiesta at the circuit in 2015.

The Mettet round in Belgium this weekend will be broadcast on the RallyTV app.

Ollie O’Donovan, Team RX Racing Team Principal;

“With the events so condensed into a short period at the moment, the issues we had in testing with the Proton mean we had to come up with a Plan B to finish the season. The team knows the 208 WRX well, and while Patrick’s car is actually quite different to Janis’ in some ways, they are very similar in others. It will be very interesting for me to drive a top car in Euro RX, I’ve never even sat in Patrick’s car properly. There certainly won’t be time to test properly before the weekend but I can’t wait to find out what this car is like compared to my other recent experiences. Thanks to Janis for coming to a good arrangement, and to everyone in our team for making such a big effort recently – it is very much appreciated.”