Tohill claims maiden Supercar victory at Mondello Park

Irish rallycross driver Derek Tohill claimed his first ever Supercar victory at Mondello Park, Ireland yesterday (November 1) while making his debut in an Olsbergs MSE built Ford Fiesta Supercar.

Tohill won both the Supercar final and Superfinal in the penultimate round of the Irish Rallycross Championship at Mondello Park and now lies third overall in the championship standings, having already scored points in the series this season in his Fiesta TouringCar. The double FIA European Rallycross TouringCar Champion was unbeaten throughout the heats and led home Thomas O’Rafferty (Ford Fiesta) and Noel Greene (Mitsubishi Evo) in the Supercar final by over ten seconds, before beating O’Rafferty and Willie Coyne (Vauxhall Corsa) in the Superfinal to take maximum points from the event.

Along with scoring points towards the Irish title, the final two rounds of the IRX are being used as preparation for the PFCRX team ahead of a full campaign in the FIA European Rallycross Championship in 2016. The freshly rebuilt Fiesta ran faultlessly throughout the day, allowing former World Rallycross driver Tohill to get to grips with the new car. The final round of the Irish Rallycross Championship also takes place at Mondello Park on November 22, where Tohill will again be in action.

In the last few days, the calendar for the 2016 FIA European Rallycross Championship has been revealed. Taking place at five rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, Euro RX will begin at Mettet in Belgium (May 14-15), before heading to Hell in Norway (June 28-29), Holjes in Sweden (July 2-3), Barcelona in Spain (17-18 September) and concluding at a brand new event at Riga in Latvia (October 1-2). The full calendar is listed below.

Derek Tohill | Driver | Ford Fiesta #11

“What a day. In the four heats we took four fastest times, then won both of the finals. The car ran like clockwork, we had no issues at all and it’s wonderful to drive. It’s really special to win my first event in Supercar at home at Mondello.

“We had a busy night on Saturday getting everything ready, but that was made much easier by the support of Ross from Mountune and the Olsbergs MSE team for their guidance. This is a really great car.

“Thanks to all of the PFCRX guys for their hard work, but especially Gordy for driving the truck back from Sweden after our test at Strangnas on Monday in time for us to make the final preparations on Saturday. We’re working really well as a team, as I knew we would, and this kind of result makes me even more excited for the European Championship next year.

“The Euro RX line up of events for next year is fantastic. The highlight for us will definitely be Sweden. Holjes is the holy grail of rallycross, and we’ve been fortunate enough to taste victory there before in TouringCar. We’re also excited about the new event in Latvia, that looks like it will be very special next October.”

Mondello Park IRX Results | November 1st

Super final
1 Derek Tohill – Ford Fiesta
2 Thomas O’Rafferty – Ford Fiesta
3 Willie Coyne – Vauxhall Corsa

Supercar final
1 Derek Tohill – Ford Fiesta
2 Thomas O’Rafferty – Ford Fiesta
3 Noel Greene – Mitsubishi Evo

Irish Rallycross Championship points (after round 6/7)
1 Willie Coyne 68
2 Patrick Ryan 67
3 Derek Tohill 57
4 Jeffery Dolan 55
5 Thomas O’Rafferty 54
6 Pearse Brown 50

FIA World Rallycross Championship 2016
(* European Rallycross Championship)

1. PORTUGAL, MONTALEGRE – 16/17 APRIL
2. GERMANY, HOCKENHEIM – 7/8 MAY
3. BELGIUM, METTET – 14/15 MAY *
4. UK, LYDDEN HILL – 28/29 MAY
5. NORWAY, HELL – 11/12 JUNE *
6. SWEDEN, HOLJES – 2/3 JULY *
7. CANADA, TROIS-RIVIERES – 6/7 AUGUST
8. FRANCE, LOHEAC – 3/4 SEPTEMBER
9. SPAIN, BARCELONA – 17/18 SEPTEMBER *
10. LATVIA, RIGA – 1/2 OCTOBER *
11. GERMANY, ESTERING – 15/16 OCTOBER
12. ARGENTINA, ROSARIO – 26/27 NOVEMBER

Images from Sarah Byrne