Reigning European Rallycross Champion Patrick O’Donovan will make his first-ever RallyX appearance this weekend at the very circuit where he clinched the 2024 continental crown: Montalegre, in Portugal.
A three-time British Rallycross Champion, O’Donovan will line up in an FC2 car for the opening round of the 2025 RallyX season, held at the legendary Montalegre circuit, perched high in Portugal’s Vila Real region.
While he was behind the wheel of his familiar Team RX Racing Peugeot 208 WRX during last season’s Euro RX finale, this time he’ll be stepping into a completely new machine for what will be his second competitive outing of 2025.
Earlier this year, O’Donovan kicked off his season in style with back-to-back victories in the Irish Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park, driving a Proton Iriz RX. This weekend, however, he’ll be taking on a highly competitive field of drivers from both sides of the Atlantic in an FC2 car owned by Team Färén.
The FC2 is a single-spec, tubular-frame prototype featuring four-wheel drive and performance levels comparable to traditional rallycross Supercars. It competes alongside Supercars and other AWD machines in the fiercely contested Open 4WD category within the RallyX series.
A private test session is scheduled for today (Thursday, March 27) at the Montalegre Circuit, ahead of Free Practice on Friday evening and two full days of racing on Saturday and Sunday.
“I have amazing memories of Montalegre from last year — not just on track, where we secured the European title, but also the celebrations afterwards, explains Patrick.
“That said, it’s back to business this weekend, thanks to this last-minute opportunity that’s come my way. I haven’t even sat in the FC2 yet, and I’ve never driven anything quite like a Supercar with a rear-mounted engine, so there’s definitely a steep learning curve ahead — especially with such a fast field. But we made a big step forward here last year in terms of pace compared to 2023, so I’m hopeful we can get up to speed quickly. It’s also really important for me to be racing in Europe this season — we’ve brought new partners on board for 2025, and this is a great way to kick off the programme together. I can’t wait to get going.”