Reigning champion Derek Tohill dominated the opening weekend of the 2026 Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy at Lydden Hill with a clean sweep performance [April 5-6].

The Peugeot 208 WRX driver set the fastest time in each of the double-header’s qualifying races, then led from the front in both finals to secure a pair of wins, and take the championship lead.

Starting the new campaign with a bang on Easter Sunday, six-time champion Julian Godfrey (Citroen DS3) set great pace in pursuit of Tohill, twice second fastest in the heats to take second on the grid for the final, from where he fended off the attentions of John McCluskey, the Irishman making a UK debut for the Honda Civic Coupe Supercar, the pair finishing second and third on the podium.

After a year away, Steve Hill (Mitsubishi Evo) finished fourth, ahead of Matt Cake (Citroen DS3) on his Supercar debut and Tristan Ovenden, who having switched to a Volkswagen Polo for 2026 but was slowed in the final by a misfire.

On Easter Monday, it was again Tohill who led throughout the day, but behind the winner and fellow Irishman McCluskey, it was Ovenden, who had reverted back to his Citroen DS3 following issues with the Polo, who made it to third and claim a home podium.

Having started on the front row, Godfrey collected Hill into the joker lap section on the second tour, Godfrey spinning into the gravel but recovering, while Hill’s right-rear suspension was left crippled. While Godfrey finished fourth ahead of newcomer Tomas Ramanauskas, Hill dragged his car to the end to be sixth.

Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship

Returning drivers William Hands and Tommy Brown took a win each in the opening two rounds of the Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship, while both ran into difficulties in the final they did not win.

Hands made a brilliant start in the round one final to lead from the front, and fended off early pressure from Brown. However, following Brown’s lap two joker, he returned to the main route in traffic and was unfortunate to have contact with George Edenborough when the newcomer spun. That left Hands pressure-free to drive to a maiden win, while newcomer Ethan Miles finished second ahead of Edenborough. In round two, Brown took a clean sweep of heats and final victories, while Miles was again second and Hands completed the top three.

Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship

Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship leader heading into the Lydden weekend, Bradley Turner (LifeLine TN11) extended his margin at the head of the standings with round two victory on Sunday, but the highly-competitive category wasn’t without its drama.

Junior rallycross graduate Teddie Macpherson (LifeLive TN11) led the first attempt at the final, which was red flagged, and when the race it was re-run, it was Turner who made the best start to lead from the front. Behind, James Constantine (LifeLive TN11), Macpherson and Benjamin Bartlett (Speedcar Wonder R) were by 0.3 at the finish line, Bartlett just missing out on the podium in fourth.

On Monday, James Black (Mygale XC04) qualified on pole and stormed to victory, while Turner continued his strong run with second and maintain his series lead. Bartlett completed the podium. An incident between Macpherson and class debutant Cayden Harris (LifeLive TN11) put both out of contention. Stephen Jones twice took top honours in the RX150 Rallycross category.

In the new-for-2026 Motorsport UK Cross Car Junior Championship, Ethan Hooker (LifeLive TN5) took a brace of victories, while team mate Harry Flitney (LifeLive TN5) and Phoebe Cake (LifeLive TN11) took a second and third each across the two rounds.

Retro Rallycross Championship

A trio of Ford Escorts claimed victories in the Retro Rallycross classes at Lydden Hill.

In the Super Retro division, long-time Supercar racer Andy Grant (Ford Escort) made the best start in the round one final and led from the front. He managed relentless pressure from four-time British Rallycross Champion Pat Doran throughout the encounter to claim a maiden victory in the category, ahead of Doran and Volvo 242 racer Stuart Emery, the latter benefitting from an updated engine for the 2026 season.

In the round two final, Doran made the best of the starts in the run to turn one and never looked back to take the win. Behind, Nigel Davey (Triumph TR7) initially ran second ahead of Lee Wood (Ford Escort), but the pair were both overtaken on the inside by Dan Swayland (Ford Escort) at the hairpin on the third tour, only for the class newcomer to run wide. On the next lap, Davey and Grant came together and departed the circuit off each side of the jump, leaving Wood and Swayland to secure the remaining podium places.

In the category for up to 1600cc machines, it was Jon Wood (Ford Escort) who dominated. A clean sweep in round one was followed by another commanding performance in round two to get his year off to the best possible start, while in both rounds it was Ian Biagi (BMC Mini) and Peter Christmas (Toyota Corolla) who completed the rostrum.

Swift Sport Rallycross Championship

Returning former champion Max Weatherly claimed victory in the opening round of the single-make Swift Sport Rallycross Championship, ahead of Lydden Hill village resident Ben Williams and another local driver, Philip Seath. While there was drama aplenty during the second round, and Weatherly was hampered by a technical issue, it was Williams who drove to the front of the order and claimed a dream maiden victory, at home. Seath also bettered his position from the previous day to finish second, while Daryl Chaffey completed the podium. Williams leads the championship.

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