It was carnage throughout the round 4 final in Wales but Patrick O’Donovan stayed out front to win. No less than 4 drivers were given penalties and while they didn’t change positions it has affected championship points.
At the start it was Patrick O’Donovan who lead from pole into turn 1. Directly behind him was his father Ollie while Julian Godfrey was partially alongside Patrick and next to and ahead of Ollie on the outside of turn 1. That became the inside but Ollie pushed Godfrey over the white line with the 6 time champ heading straight for the tyre bundle. Godfrey struck the stack which broke it into 2 sets of tyre. 1 set was hit wide and got caught under Ollie O’Donovan’s car. The other briefly went under Godfrey before being snagged under Tristan Ovenden’s Citroen DS3. The Kent driver had been looking to get the cutback on Godfrey and a fast starting Derek Tohill. Instead it was the reigning champion who faulted into second place with Godfrey hot on his heels. He had avoided getting slowed by the bundle after it harmlessly glanced off the front bumper.
Steve Hill avoided the mayhem and led fellow Mitsubishi driver Bradley Westgarth into third and fourth. Both Ovenden and Ollie were drastically slowed through the opening lap with the tyres stuck under their cars. O’Donovan was first to get back up to full pace after utilising the kerbs to remove the loose debris. Ovenden deposited his obstruction on the grass of the back straight much further back than the rest of the drivers.
Out front Patrick pulled a large lead with Tohill trying to hold off Godfrey. Hill was also in hot pursuit and jokered on lap 2 in a bid to move up the field. He came out a small margin behind Westgarth and wasn’t held up with the young driver taking his detour the following lap. As he emerged from the joker, Ollie O’Donovan was alongside having regained the lost time from the start. Westgarth held the inside line and held fourth place heading into lap 4.
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Godfrey responded on the next lap and came out just ahead of Hill. Caught out by the dust, Hill ran wide onto the gravel and half spun into the final corner. He dropped back from the battle after taking to the grass to rejoin.
With just 2 to go Tohill dived into the alternate route in a bid to hold onto second. Godfrey had been blinded by the dust and cut the previous corner before getting his bearings straight. As Tohill exited the joker he found Godfrey at speed on the apex. He carried much more speed from the joker lap and was unable to avoid a collision. The pair came together with Tohill’s front left corner collapsing while Godfrey’s rear right tyre immediately deflated due to damage to the rim and suspension. The GB1 slid onto the infield and stopped while Godfrey was able to continue. Further behind O’Donovan had passed an ailing Westgarth for fourth.
Hill closed on Godfrey over the final lap with the deflated right rear affecting the 2 left hand corners on the clockwise version of the track. He was on his tail heading into the final bends and Godfrey went wide on the gravel left hander. While this gave him the inside line it also put him on the much dustier part of the track. With limited grip he slid wide and Hill was able to claim second place in the final, his first podium since 2019.
Out front Patrick had built a commanding lead and dutifully won by 12 seconds. It gave him a clean sweep of the entire weekend having won every qualifying session, semi final and final. Hill was second ahead of Godfrey while Ollie O’Donovan recovered to fourth. Westgarth scored a new best result of fifth and Ovenden was last of the finishers in sixth. Tohill was the only retirement and gained only a handful of points.
The stewards saw most driver’s footage after the race. Tohill was given a verbal warning for his collision with Godfrey on lap 5. Ollie O’Donovan was also given a verbal warning due to his actions at the start. 2 driver’s were also hit with track limits penalties namely Westgarth and Godfrey. Both had avoided track limit penalties all day so did not receive any time penalties. This was despite many calling for a harsher penalty for Godfrey for cutting the track which some saw lead to the collision with Tohill in the first place. Godfrey blamed dust and stated he lost time lifting off to regain the track.
Tohill’s warning was the third of its kind this year which has resulted in a loss of championship points. No other driving has multiple warnings though Roger Thomas, Andy Grant and now Ollie O’Donovan all have 1.
Steve Hill “It feels good, hard earned.”
Patrick O’Donovan “There was definitely some stiff competition out there.
Semi-Final
Patrick made the best start and father Ollie went alongside to hold second place. Last starting Tohill was right behind the leader into turn 1 on the inside of Hill. Tohill then squeezed Ollie wide in a bid to take second. The pair came together with O’Donovan put a bit wide and on the inside for the next corner. Into turn 2 Tohill looked to turn in early while O’Donovan drifted towards the racing line to avoid hitting the tyre bundle on the apex. Both hit a second time and Tohill’s car front right wheel broke. With the suspension broken he could only limp a few hundred metres before stopping.
Ollie was able to maintain second behind his son and Hill was in third. The positions remained static even after varying joker strategies. Tohill was given a warning for the contact, his second of the season.
The other semi final was contact and drama free. Godfrey took the lead from pole with Ovenden staying second and Westgarth third and last.
Qualifying
Patrick O’Donovan topped qualifying for the second day in a row. After a great start in Q1 he was able to pull clear of the pack and set the pace. In Q2 it was more of the same. His only real challenger came from Godfrey who was second in both sessions.
The 6-time champ did have to pass third qualifier Hill in Q1. The Mitsubishi driver was running in second and responded to Godfrey’s joker the following lap. They came out alongside but off the racing line. With the gravel going without grading the entire weekend it meant the racing line was tarmac with the rest of the gravel swept alongside. Hill braked on the loose surface and slid into the tyre stack on the apex of the final corner. He ran wide and Godfrey cut back, avoiding the bundle. They ran side by side across the finish line but it was Godfrey who took second.
Ovenden went third quickest in Q2 to secure 4th overall. He won his heat after passing reigning champion when Tohill ran wide on lap 1 in the gravel.
Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
Ollie O’Donovan returned to his Ford Focus after issues with his Proton Iriz during round 3. Electrical gremlins weren’t able to be fixed in time for qualifying so the older car was put into service. He was fourth in Q1 but at the start of Q2 he was forced into rear wheel drive only. This put him last in the session and cost him some positions overall. Westgarth was sixth was the second day in a row thanks to multiple issues with Tohill.
In Q1 contact at turn 1 forced the GB1 out while a front drive shaft failed in Q2 sending him spinning. That contact came about after he tried to go around the outside of O’Donovan at turn 1. The Focus driver was ahead the entire time and Tohill backed out of the move late. He tried to maintain second over Ovenden but after light contact the front left corner was broken and he pulled off the track. He was leading the way in Q2 and was on course for a top 3 time before spinning out due to the mechanical issue.
Points
Patrick O’Donovan now leads the series on 78 by a slender margin. Tohill would have been level on points but thanks to his penalty he sits 5 behind the fellow Ford Fiesta driver. Godfrey is right behind on 72. Ovenden is next on 64 ahead of O’Donovan Snr on 61. Patrick now becomes the youngest ever driver to lead the series. Next up the series will visit Mondello Park at the beginning of June for a double header event alongside the Irish Rallycross championship.
Feature Image Credit: Overtake Motorsport
