Strong French RX result at Kerlabo concludes summer triple-header for Tohill and PFCRX

10-time Irish Rallycross Champion Derek Tohill and the PFCRX team completed a hat trick of huge summer rallycross events at Kerlabo in France [July 26] – only just missing out on a podium finish – ahead of the summer break.

The trio of events meant two French Rallycross Championship rounds sandwiched one of the biggest weekends of Tohill’s decorated career, the return of the FIA European Rallycross Championship to Mondello Park for the first time in 30 years.

The intense period began however, at Pont de Ruan, where entering the weekend in the thick of battle at the head of the points table, Tohill’s event began in difficult fashion in Q1, before fighting back in Q2 with a race victory and third overall time, the event held in searing heat.

A pair of further top times in the remaining qualifiers on Sunday meant a front-row grid position for the semi-finals, and having progressed to the final, the DA Racing-supported driver was in line to score a podium, only for the race to be red-flagged, the end result being a fifth-place finish.

Less than a week later, top-flight rallycross returned to Mondello Park for the PartsforCars Euro RX of Ireland, but unfortunately for double European Rallycross Champion Tohill, the event got underway in the worst way possible, with engine problems in the first free practice session.

With brilliant work from the PFCRX and DA Racing crews, the engine was changed in time for Q1, but on the fresh layout of the Mondello venue, in front of a packed crowd, the team was on the back foot thereafter the weekend just didn’t flow for the Irish-French concern. Tohill finished 11th overall. Meanwhile in the rear-wheel-drive Ford Fiesta with which Tohill claimed his two Euro RX crowns, Irish drift star James Deane drove to a debut podium finish in the Open 2WD category.

Kerlabo in France in front of a crowd of over 15,000 spectators last weekend showed much better promise, but a crash in front of Tohill in his Q3 race cost time, then the heavens opened for Q4, where despite a race win, the time wasn’t optimum. However, come the semi-finals, Tohill beat title rival and reigning French champion Davy Jeanney to secure a spot in the final, where from the back of the grid, Tohill drove to another near-podium result in fourth, gaining solid points for the championship.

The team now takes some time away from competition for the summer break, before returning for the biggest event of the year at Loheac in France at the end of August, where Tohill will again be challenging for British Rallycross Championship points alongside his French series ambitions.

Derek Tohill | Supercar | Peugeot 208 WRX | #GB1, #IRL1 & #77

“We really enjoyed the Rallycross of Kerlabo weekend very much. It is a fantastic track and always nice to drive in Brittany. We had never driven this circuit before in a Rallycross Supercar, but we enjoyed the flow and the ambiance.

We worked hard with the team to get the most from our package and to arrive with the fastest lap in the Semi-Final was very satisfying. It proved that our pace to knock Davy out of the Semi-Final was again not by chance.

We had a difficult first corner in the Final, and we were in eighth, but with some good tactics we managed to climb up the order and score good points.

We worked very well with the team all weekend, and we continue to learn the French rallycross tracks and to progress both car and driver. It was very pleasing to see the team take a second win this year in the French Championship with our teammate Olivier Spampinto, a big congrats to him, DA and all of the team’s partners.”

A big thank you to everyone who helps make all this happen, three big events in three weeks is tough for everyone. We now can enjoy a break before getting back to it at Loheac. Allez Vite et Merci!”

🏁 2026 Motorsport UK British RX Standings After Round 4 🏁