Hungarian heartbreak for O’Donovan after ‘miraculous’ repair effort

Patrick O’Donovan has reflected upon a ‘heartbreaking’ second round of the 2026 FIA European Rallycross Championship campaign at Nyirád in Hungary at the end of last month, during which he rode the rollercoaster of emotions but ultimately came away with little to show for his earnest efforts. 

Around a circuit at which he won in 2024 on his way to clinching the coveted Euro RX1 crown – and the scene of his maiden podium finish in the category the previous year – O’Donovan was predictably immediately on the pace. Taking the fight to multiple World Champion Johan Kristoffersson and Juha Rytkönen in Q1, the rising star posted the fifth-fastest time in the high-calibre, 30 strong field – the largest entry in almost a decade.

O’Donovan was similarly well in the mix in further battles of the big guns in Q2 and Q3 in the ‘Red Cauldron’, going sixth and seventh-quickest respectively and getting away with a glance against the barriers along the way – but in Q4, he would not be so lucky.

After sneaking up the inside of World RX event-winner Rytkönen into Turn Two shortly after the start, the multiple British Rallycross Champion attempted to cover off his rival’s early joker on lap three, but as he rejoined the main circuit, he swiped the inside wall, sending him spinning into the tyres and dropping him from fifth to tenth in the intermediate classification. 

Worse still, the tight turnaround between Q4 and the Quarter-Finals meant the Team RX Racing crew faced a race against the clock to get O’Donovan’s significantly damaged car back out again. Digging deep, they got the job done – and ever at his best when the chips are down, their 22-year-old driver rewarded them handsomely.

Splitting the KMS Volkswagens on his way to second place, O’Donovan comfortably booked a berth in the Semi-Finals, but that was where his up-and-down weekend would conclude. Endeavouring to beat Ole Christian Veiby out of the joker, contact between the pair spun the Peugeot 208 into the barriers once again – and this time, there would be no coming back.

“It was heartbreaking,” he rued. “I thought my event was over when I was sat inside the car after the crash in Q4. That one was completely on me – a bit of a rookie error, if I’m being honest. I had an unreal joker, and when you come out of it, on the right-hand side, there’s a lot of gravel. I was expecting a bit of wash so I put in the steering input, but of course, Juha [Rytkönen] was there.

“I knew there was going to be a gap on his left but there was a bit of vision loss with the crossover and when I got there, I gripped up so much more than I had anticipated on the asphalt. It was my own misjudgement and although I tried to turn out of it, a small touch just pulled me in and sparked a chain reaction. From that moment, I was simply a passenger.

“It was really frustrating, because the pace was clearly there. The car was quite badly damaged, but Sam Clennell and all the lads put in a real shift. They worked tirelessly in the short time they had to turn it around – it was like magic. 

“We were super-strong again in the Quarter-Final and I was able to punch in good lap times and pull a gap over OC [Veiby] while still conserving my tyres. I was crying with happiness when I came in after that race. I hadn’t experienced that feeling before – I was so full of emotion. 

“Then in the Semi-Final, I was on the back of Juha and in a really good position. I felt like he was holding me up slightly, so I responded to Veiby’s early joker and came out just ahead of OC. I gave him more than enough room on the inside – I couldn’t have gone any wider, because I was on the absolute limit of where the grip is before you hit the marbles – but I got tagged, which spun me round and did a serious amount of damage.

“That was such a bitter pill to swallow, after overcoming adversity and doing all the hard work. The boys did such a miraculous job to give me the car to be able to race as well as we did, and they deserved way better than what we ultimately took away from the weekend...”