The 2021 British Rallycross Championship title was won by Derek Tohill. Alongside the Supercar class were 11 support categories each with a different champion.
Here are each of the 12 champions in their own words from the 5 questions each were asked after securing their respective titles. The questions were:
- How does it feel to be crowned champion?
- What was the best moment of the year?
- What was the worst moment of the year?
- Did you have any big off track drama? Either at a round or outside of an event.
- What are your plans for 2022?
Supercar: Derek Tohill – Ford Fiesta
On being champion – I have not had much of a chance to reflect as yet. Plus there has been no prize giving as yet. But I did just receive my invite to MSUK’s Night of Champions at Pall Mall beside Buckingham Palace in London, that felt special.
Best moment – Scoring 89 out of 90 points in the last 3 rounds which included Knockhill which was new to me and the team. Winning from the back row of the grid in Lydden at the opening weekend of the year. It’s hard to beat the feeling of coming from the back to the front, committing in the first corner, getting your joker strategy just right, banging in fast laps in free air and taking the win, you gotta love it.
Worst moment – How long have you got [laughs]? I’d rather not waste my energy going over the worst.
Off track dramas – The truck breaking down on the way to the final 2 rounds at Lydden, our ECU going missing in the post for 3 months, gearbox issues in RD.1 after a full rebuild, no home round at Mondello in the Summer due to Covid-19, booking all our flights for Spa and then it didn’t go ahead, Brexit related admin, Covid related stresses with travel, judicial enquiry, trying to run 2 seperate National Championships, blowing up 2 microwaves in Pembrey, no accommodation available in Wales, some of the lads getting a taxi from Stansted to Lydden, getting naked for an RX charity calendar, listening to the lads in the back of my car the whole way from Holyhead to Lydden as we couldn’t fly due to Covid, no celebration beers as yet, Hal Ridge eating all our biscuits, constantly running for flights, the list is just endless!
2022 – Finish some RX projects, watch this space [wink].
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Super National: Jason Bleasdale – Vauxhall VX220
On being champion – It’s unbelievable really. Especially having 2 championships this season with the BTRDA and now the 5 Nations British Championship. It’s unbelievable really.
Best moment – It’s obviously been battling with Paige and Slawomir all year. That’s the best moment for me, obviously taking the win at the end.
Worst moment – Me overheating issues in round 2 here at Lydden Hill which cost me a good 5 or 6 championship points. That was probably the worst moment.
Off track dramas – No, me and Slawomir have been called to the stewards a couple times this season but it’s just racing and to be expected but other than that it’s been pretty good. Like last night [Saturday after night racing] me and Slawomir we were in the bar and having a good few pints together chatting, joking around. It’s all good fun.
2022 – For 2022 we got a new build. We just did a quick test run a couple weeks ago and it all seemed okay. So next season 2022, we’ll be jumping into that new car. And brother Darren will be stepping into this car that just won the championship this year.
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Super 1600: Craig Lomax – Citroen C1
On being champion – Well it’s always nice to be champion again. Obviously hard work pays off. It’s a brand new car for this year. We’ve come out, we’ve proved we’ve got the pace. We’ve not had the pace fully, constantly on the track but we’ve had not a lot of technical problems. So we’ve finished a lot of races and obviously points make prizes and that’s what’s got us to the end of 2021 champion.
Best moment – Back in May getting on the start line with car. Obviously it’s taken me over 12 months to build the car. Not just myself, there’s a lot of people behind there that’s built that car with me. So yeah, just getting the car to the startline at the beginning of the year was one of the main ones.
Worst moment – There’s been plenty of worst moments, ups and downs. At first round here we had a brand new car and it went away looking like a banger car basically. A lot of damage which didn’t really need to be caused but it got caused. But it’s just one of them there things. It’s racing.
Off track dramas – After Lydden, we stripped the engine and sent the head back off to Ireland to an engine builder for him to do some more work for us. And it was a bit of a stressful time trying to get it back. I had to go to Ireland myself to go collect the head. And then we had to get it back home. We were too busy with work and I had to go to a good friend of mine, Murray Coulthard. Which is David Coulthard’s nephew. Went up to Murray and he built my engine back up for me. And he come to Scotland with me and transformed the car. Set the car up as best he can for me and it was a transformed car. From then on obviously it’s proved the pace this weekend.
2022 – Well the plans are if the car sells. Obviously there’s no Super 1600 in 5 Nations next year. If the car sells I’m gonna have a BMW Mini. Obvious reasons I can buy stuff off shelf, it’s not everything purpose made or bought from Citroen Motorsport. Try to keep costs down a little bit. Or if not, me and me son’s gonna go tarmac rallying in C1. Little giant killer I hope.
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Junior: Max Langmaid – Suzuki Swift
On being champion – It feels amazing. It’s quite surreal actually. We’ve put everything into this year. It’s just awesome to have some really good results. Obviously today didn’t go to plan but it came through in the end. Glad to see that we’re champions now.
Best moment – It was probably the first round at Lydden Hill. We really weren’t expecting those results and it came through. It was a brand new car this season. That was probably my favourite race of the year.
Worst moment – Definitely today in the final. We got some huge damage to my fault. Thankfully there was a restart and we got out there and we could win it. Not a highlight.
Off track dramas – It’s probably just the maintenance. We haven’t had loads of damage until today. Doing the maintenance, making sure the car’s perfect. It’s just very expensive to do this sport so we’re just looking for sponsors.
2022 – It’ll probably be Junior rallycross still but it’s all up to play for.
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Swift: Max Weatherley – Suzuki Swift
On being champion – Ahhh mate, it’s the best feeling in the world! No amount of words can explain how it feels. It’s been hard fought to keep doing this since 2018 and I couldn’t afford to do the 2020 year. All this effort, it’s so worth it for me. All the team have given it everything to get this, they’ve well earnt and deserved this result, car has been awesome on such a tiny budget! It’s great competition in swifts, it’s an amazing class the Peter Gwynn Motorsport family run.
Best momoment – Knockhill, putting on Pole, then winning both days, took the fight back for the championship. That was a great weekend!
Worst moment – The worst part of the year was Pembrey, it was like every part on JENS (the car) reached its expiry date all together. Dampers broke, brakes warped, binded and the system took in never ending amounts of air, the steering column came loose and the front strut had been bent at the previous BTRDA round and failed too braking 3 lower arms. Everything that could, went wrong.
2022 – I’d love to stay in the swift, family funding and sponsorship depending, I can’t afford to do anything else and really need some help or sponsorship to even do next year but this class is competitive and it’s amazing! I’d love to do this all again next year and I know we’ll get an amazing result if we turn up
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Retro: Simon Hart – Ford Escort
On being champion – Just so happy. It’s been a long season. My car’s not the fastest but it’s been reliable. Just drive as hard as I can.
Best moment – Best moment? It’s hard to say really. The last meeting at Knockhill was interesting. First race I saw Tony roll but he was alright really to be honest. Everyone’s safe and that’s the main thing to be honest.
Worst moment – I’ve had a pretty good season so I’ve not had any worst moment. Not winning in Knockhill that was close racing. When you have close racing and in the area of my championship there’s like 2 levels. The faster level of Retro and the slower level of Retro. And when there’s people in my bit, like today I was racing Paul [Smith]. That’s the best bit because I’m racing with someone rather than catching up with the people who are much faster than me. It’s a funny class. Super Retro is the brother class, the cars are running as fast as you can. But Retro is a strange class. It’s good fun, I enjoy it.
Off track dramas – There aren’t, for me, any really. My car’s been reliable, I don’t have big dramas. I don’t have any.
2022 – I’m developing another car. I got a Hilman Imp that I will hopefully bring out next year. So that’s been on the back burner for a couple of years, getting parts, getting ready to build it. I wanted something different. I think there’s a possibility of some more Escort’s coming out and the whole thing about Retro is you want something different that people wanna see. People like to see the Escot but if others come out that’s fine. The Imp mid-engined rear wheel drive. As driven by someone else in the championship in their time period. It’s a remake of someone who raced back in the day. 1600 as well so same class I’m in now.
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Super Retro: Barry Stewart – Porsche 911
On being champion – Relieved. It’s been a really hard season. Lots of travelling but yeah, really great racing. Girlfriend’s been phenomenal. We’ve holidayed in Scotland and Wales. We’ve seen castles and coasts but we waved at ‘em. But yeah, for the racing side, great, great bunch of guys to race with. Really good fun, all fair. We rub panels but shake hands, get on with it next race. It’s great to be in a format like that.
Best moment – About now when we’re packing up and going home for the season. I just think the comradery with everybody. We’re all friendly, raid each other’s bits if we need them for parts and spares. And everybody helps everybody else out. I think the whole team thing of retro is just the best thing for it. There’s no malice between anybody. Everybody’s out, at the end of the day we spend an awful lot of money to win what amounts to a reasonably small trophy. So we do it because we like doing it. It’s all it can be. Completely mad but that’s beside the point.
Worst moment – 7 or 8 hour drive, thought we might get there. Just trying to fit the hours in to do the car prep to get it going. Nothing’s really been bad. Haven’t had any major catastrophes hence why we’ve done well in the championship. There’s a few issue with the old girl now but we’ll sort them out over the winter and come and have a play next year.
Off track drama – Generally just time. Work has been exceptionally busy. I own my own business, there’s only me. Boss [girlfriend] does the paperwork but hands on stuff. But work comes first. I won’t work on the car during working hours cos that’s what pays for the racing.
2022 – Who knows. I wanna have a sleep first. Have a sleep, pull it apart. See what’s wrong with it. See where we gotta do with it and what budget we got to play with next year. Certainly like to be down here depending on what we needs a midlands based certain. We want Croft back is where we need to go. I’m not knocking Pembrey and Knockhill great people, great circuits but it’s a long haul. It’s good that we do double headers cos it cuts our travel cost down but it’s hard work weekends. It suddenly becomes a 4 or 5 day weekend.
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Retro 4WD: Andy Grant – Ford Focus
On being champion – Pleased as punch. Over the moon (laughs).
Best moment – All of it. It’s been good racing with Steve and the rest of them. But beating Steve in his RS200. It’s a pretty potent car but my old Focus still got the speed. The driver ain’t too bad sometimes. Apart from fucking up.
Worst moment – There hasn’t been a worst moment really. (reminded by a mechanic) Oh, jumped starts. You’re eager to go you know? But like in the Corsa (Super National category) just now, why did I do that? I didn’t go very far but the last time I jump started here I did go a fair way. But then I just wound up at the back of the grid so it didn’t matter. It does matter but anyway, that’s just racing.
Off track dramas – Well now we’ve come in now and the car gets serviced and everything is talked and we found a near side front wheel stud is ready to break off. So we’re just putting another hub on it and everything else to go back out. The stud was still there but it weren’t doing nothing. That could have been bad especially near side front.
2022 – Depends what the doctor says. I’ve gotta go for a full medical to keep my license to drive that thing [Ford Focus]. That will determine a lot of things. I’m bloody 60 now. I don’t intend to retire from this sport. I’ll keep going as long as I can. If I’m out next year it will be nice to go for a more modern supercar but we’ll see. It will all depend if I pass my medical. But I still fucking chuck the loud fucker around full of beans and a workaholic and I can still drive that fast can’t I.
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
BMW Mini: Steve Brown – BMW Mini Cooper R53
On being champion – Winning the championship is a brilliant feeling, it’s a shame we won it the way we did with the season being cut short BUT over the moon not just for myself but all the team.
Best moment – My best moment has to be the double wins at Pembrey, they were my first Final wins in the Minis and will be one I won’t forget.
Worst moment – I don’t really have a worst moment from this year, I think it’s been a very competitive year for sure.
Off track dramas – The team don’t do drama. The team are always ready for each round in advance and on the event I try and keep it as clean as possible to give them as little work as possible. I think Knockhill we did some suspension damage but the team had a spare to throw on.
2022 – 2022 I plan on heading back to the rallying. This is what I know and where my heart is and my passion. Next year will be a quiet one though and just do a few events as and when possible. I can leave the RX happy to be a champion and my name will be forever on the trophy.
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
All4 Mini: Martin Hawkes – Mini Countryman
On being champion – Great to win this in the first year as it’s been a while since I last won the R53 championship
Best moment – Chasing down the Escort Cosworth of Derek Jobb at Pembrey [in BTRDA] and passing him in a car with half the horsepower
Worst moment – First round at Lydden finding that the rear suspension was trying to destroy itself as we got the travel wrong. All sorted now but we could not push the cars on the loose
Off track drama – Night before mapping the cars I tested mine in my village and blew a transfer box. Was a late night getting it fixed
2022 – Back out for the 5 Nations BRX and also the BTRDA Clubman 4×4 class as we should have 6 cars out racing and current installing bigger turbo’s so we can up the power to 300 BHP so should make the cars a lot quicker plus with new panels getting made we should lose 150 kg out. As well as trying to get more drivers interested in the class as the cars are around £20k and hopefully will be pushing some good times next year
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Rx150: Patrick O’Donovan – RX150 Buggy
On being champion – Ah, it’s alright (laughs). No, it’s amazing. Best feeling I’ve ever had. I don’t really have many words. It’s just really amazing. I don’t know what to say past that. It wasn’t an easy day. We had a few highs and lows. Yeah we had bits of tangerling in Q4 and had a little bit of a scary moment. Thought I wasn’t gonna be top qualifier because that’s what I needed for points. But I still managed to get it over the line second so went into the final. I had an 8 point lead meaning all I had to do was roll it off the start. Managed to go out there and win. It’s surreal. It’s one of my favourite tracks of the year. I really like it, the speed’s amazing. And you can do some fat sends into Paddock Bend too. So really happy.
Best moment – Now? Probably the feeling after crossing the line. I don’t know how to describe it. After coming so close to the title in 2019 in the Junior championship to finally get it this year is amazing. Best feeling I’ve ever had.
Worst moment – Worst moment of this year would probably be last event in Knockhill. I got a little bit of a spray in the gravel section. Went over into the final corner, was only looking out of my nets on the sides to see where I was going because the wipers weren’t working properly. Collected a cone and did a few pre-empted donuts to say on turn 1. I just tried to brake and it spun me around. Wasn’t fun being a lap down but it is what it is.
Off track dramas – Probably yesterday [Saturday]. We were having a little bit of an issue when our race was going to be out there. They called us and then they sent us away and then they called us again but I needed fuel. So I was up at the fueling and I just got out before the race started again. That was the biggest drama. I was up there like please just let me through on the queue. I was really happy.
2022 – To put it quite frankly that’s a bit of a question mark. We’re going to try and use the success we’ve had today and maybe if we can rope in a few more sponsors try and broaden the horizon for next year. And we’ll just see what we can do. I’ll be really happy to be racing anything. I just love the competitiveness.
Bonus Question. Almost 10 years ago exactly to the day your father, Ollie O’Donovan, won the RX150 title. What does it mean to win the same title 10 years later? – And wow I actually didn’t know that, in that case it’s even more special to bring the title back home 10 years apart has an element of symmetry, makes it one more thing I can appreciate about the title and the dedication that went into this year
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Electro: Dan Welch – Fiat 500e
On being champion – Little Surreal to be Champion but will take it however it comes – certainly one for the CV to be the 1st Uk all electric Rallycross Championship winner.
Off track dramas – Too many on track disasters to mention! Probably racing with a broken coccyx has to be up there for the pain threshold!!
2022 – 2021 has been pretty quiet Motor Racing wise. Looking to get back racing something proper next year. Would happily get in a Supercar if the opportunity presents itself.
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Feature Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
