Tohill completes rallycross double

TERENURE man Derek Tohill completed a superb double on Sunday when he added the Irish Rallycross Championship crown to the British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy title he had already claimed this season.

The former European Rallycross champion dominated at Mondello Park, driving the PFCRX team’s OlsbergsMSE-built, C-Sport-run Ford Fiesta Supercar (nicknamed Molly) to the fastest time in each of the qualifying races, before leading his nearest title-rival throughout the Supercar final and the Super Final to claim his fifth Irish RX crown, despite challenging wet and slippery conditions.

The Irish RX finale brought an end to a gruelling 2021 season, in which Tohill and the PFCRX team won events outright in England, Scotland and Ireland en route  to a historic double, in turn, emulating some of the great rallycross drivers in history who have claimed the biggest prize on both sides of the Irish sea in the same calendar year.

To add to a day of jubilation for the Dubliner and his team, fellow PFCRX driver Peter McGarry claimed another podium finish in the Irish RX Modified category with his Volvo C30, and secured third in the overall championship standings.

Delighted with his latest achievement, Tohill said “To finish first, first you have to finish. That was our plan at Mondello, just to prepare for the event and then to bring ‘Molly’ home.

“It’s a dream come through to do the double and win both the British and Irish Rallycross Championships, all within a week or so. It’s not something I had thought would ever happen.

“I feel very privileged to be in a position to even just try and achieve this and to do it is amazing. It feels very special to be the first person to win the Noel Greene Memorial Supercar Trophy. I’m sure he was watching over us all today.

“We missed not having Tommy Graham and others at the event, but the C-Sport & PFCRX crew did a great job this season.

“Congratulations to Declan Kelly on finishing second in the championship. He kept me honest to the end.

“Plus a big congratulations to my team mate Peter McGarry who finished third in the Irish championship in a day that tested our parts and people in extreme conditions.

“I have a lot of sponsors, friends, family and technical partners to thank for their support this year” he added.