Gurklys inherits dramatic Mondello victory after Meunier penalty shakes up title fight

Lithuanian Rytis Gurklys claimed victory at the Euro RX of Ireland on Sunday (19 July), but only after a dramatic post-race penalty for title rival Julien Meunier transformed the outcome of one of the closest and most hard-fought Euro RX3 Finals of the 2026 FIA European Rallycross Championship season.

After appearing to finish second on the road behind Meunier following a captivating duel throughout the Final, Gurklys was ultimately promoted to victory when the Frenchman received a three-second penalty for exceeding track limits. Nicolas Geleyns inherited second place to complete another impressive weekend, while Meunier was classified third.

The result marks Gurklys' second consecutive victory and further strengthens the Lithuanian's position at the top of the championship, although Meunier's podium finish ensures the title fight remains very much alive heading into the second half of the season.

Gurklys arrived into Sunday already looking like the driver to beat after topping the overnight standings on Saturday, and he wasted little time underlining that advantage. In Qualifying 3, the championship leader once again got the better of Meunier off the line before producing another faultless drive to claim his third consecutive Qualifying victory of the weekend. While Geleyns once again impressed with another tactically astute drive to finish second ahead of Meunier, Gurklys completed a clean sweep of the opening three sessions to extend his advantage at the top of the intermediate rankings.

He completed the perfect Qualifying campaign in Q4. Despite Meunier recovering well from a difficult start to finish second, Gurklys once again controlled proceedings from the front, making it four Qualifying victories from four sessions to comfortably secure the highest Qualifying Ranking heading into the Semi-Finals.

The Lithuanian carried that momentum into Semi-Final 1, producing another superb launch to immediately establish control. Geleyns did everything he could to remain within striking distance and again demonstrated the consistency that has characterised his weekend, but Gurklys had another answer every time the Antiguan closed the gap, comfortably booking his place on the front row of the Final. Dylan Dufas completed the top three to secure the final transfer position.

Meunier, meanwhile, ensured the championship's two protagonists would once again line up alongside one another in the Final. The Frenchman made an excellent getaway in Semi-Final 2 to immediately take command, while Samuel Kovacs endured a disastrous launch before eventually retiring. Meunier controlled the race to the finish ahead of Libor Teješ and Tiago Ferreira, setting up a mouth-watering showdown with Gurklys for victory.

The Final delivered exactly the spectacle the title battle deserved. Meunier produced a sensational opening lap, sweeping around the outside of Gurklys through the opening corners to snatch the lead in one of the standout overtaking moves of the weekend. The pair ran side-by-side through the first sequence of corners as Geleyns remained firmly in contention just behind, while Ferreira's race came to an early end following heavy contact.

From there, Meunier and Gurklys quickly edged clear of the field in another enthralling head-to-head battle. The Frenchman maintained his advantage as differing joker strategies unfolded, while Gurklys delayed his joker until late in the race in an attempt to reclaim the lead. Although the Lithuanian emerged ahead of Geleyns following another close fight for second place, Meunier crossed the finish line first to seemingly reignite the championship battle.

However, the drama was not over. Following a post-race review, Meunier was handed a three-second penalty for leaving the circuit and exceeding track limits during the Final. The decision promoted Gurklys to victory, elevated Geleyns to second and dropped Meunier to third, dramatically altering both the race result and the championship picture.

For Geleyns, second place represented another reward for one of his strongest weekends of the season. The Belgian consistently challenged the leading pair throughout Qualifying and the Semi-Finals before again demonstrating impressive pace in the Final, ultimately inheriting his best result of the campaign.

Rytis Gurklys, NGRacing Team, said: “I feel like I've learnt a lot from the past couple of events. We've won all qualifying sessions so I'm obviously happy with my results there. Something happened in the final, though, and it was just not as good as the rest of my weekend. I'm now just looking forward to France and to seeing the fans there. I haven't been there but I'm really looking forward to racing there!”

With Gurklys extending his remarkable run of form and Meunier ensuring he remains firmly in contention despite the late penalty, the Euro RX3 championship battle remains one of the most compelling stories of the 2026 season. The Lithuanian now heads to the next round with an impressive 28-point advantage, setting the stage for what will be another undoubtedly close fight in Lohéac, France on 27 - 30 August 2026.

Click here to view the final classification from the Euro RX of Ireland.

Click here to view the provisional Euro RX3 championship standings.