Ireland’s leading rallycross team PFCRX and double FIA European Rallycross Champion Derek Tohill concluded the Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship at Croft Circuit in England with a victory, but were frustrated in their attempt to win the overall title. Hoping to add the British crown to his two European trophies and three Irish titles, Derek missed out by just two points, finishing behind five-time British RX Champion Julian Godfrey. 

Both drivers had three wins each heading into a double header at Croft, but technical problems set Derek back in Saturday’s heats and practice. The hard work of the team got him back on track but while running second in the race, the Olsbergs MSE-built, C-Sport run Ford Fiesta suffered a broken windscreen washer pipe and poor visibility forced him to drop back.

A third place finish with Godfrey winning, meant only victory would be enough to secure the title in the final race on Sunday. On a circuit new to him, Derek led the race from start to finish to take his fourth win from eight British RX starts in 2019. However, even victory was not enough as Godfrey held on for second to claim the championship.

Derek said after the race, “It was just a shame there wasn’t another car between myself and Julian. But look, it was very close and I have to hand it to him, he didn’t make many mistakes, so congratulations to him on the championship.” He added, “The guys at C-Sport and PFCRX have worked so hard all year. They never stopped and never gave up. I owe a lot to them, just like I do to all of our brilliant sponsors and of course my family. Competing at this level with this kind of car takes a massive effort, and I’m only able to do that with the amazing support of the people around me.”