In front of a sell-out crowd at the annual fireworks rallycross weekend, Irishman Derek Tohill claimed a second career Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy title at Lydden Hill [November 8-9].

Entering the weekend at the head of the Supercar championship standings, Tohill made the best start in the round 10 final on Saturday evening from the front row of the grid, held under floodlights after nightfall with almost 9000 people in attendance. The Peugeot 208 driver led from the front in the opening stages, under pressure from reigning champion Patrick O’Donovan (Peugeot 208). But, on the second lap, O’Donovan made a bid for the lead at the hairpin, contact between the pair resulting in damaged suspension for O’Donovan’s car, putting him out.

After the joker laps played out, 5 Nations BRX debutant Andrea Duboug (Peugeot 208) moved ahead of his DA Racing team mate Tohill to claim a maiden win, while second was enough for Tohill to secure the 2025 crown with a round to go. Another debutant, Team RX Racing engineer Sam Clennell (Proton Iriz), climbed from seventh on the grid in the final after a turbulent qualifying to claim a debut podium in style. Julian Godfrey (Citroen DS3), Dutchman Tom van den Heuvel (Volkswagen Polo) and Michael Sellar (Volkswagen Polo) completed the top six.

Godfrey, O’Donovan and Dubourg all set fastest qualifying heat times during the season finale on Sunday, but it was Tohill who started on pole position for the final, the now double champion overtaking team mate Dubourg around the outside into the second turn at the start of the race.

Running third, triple champion O’Donovan applied substantial pressure and by taking his joker route a lap earlier than those ahead, delivered the fastest lap of the race when he needed it most to move into the lead when the DA Racing duo took their alternative extra route. O’Donovan crossed the finish line to win but the celebrations were short-lived, a post-race track marker penalty demoting him to third, promoting Tohill and Dubourg to first and second.

Godfrey, Van den Heuvel and Sellar completed the top six for the second day in a row, Godfrey recovering from a huge first corner incident in Q2 that caused his Citroen DS3 to require substantial repair to even make it to the grid for the final, the six-time champion claiming third in the Drivers’ standings behind Tohill and O’Donovan.

Team RX Racing meanwhile claimed the Teams’ Championship crown for the third year in a row, drivers Patrick and Ollie O’Donovan having done enough through the campaign to beat JGE Team Goody Rallycross in the standings.

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