Former rally champion and rallycross event-winner Steve Hill will race Team RX Racing’s Proton Iriz RX in the Portuguese round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship next month in Montalegre (June 3 – 4).
 
Hill, who acts as Team Manager for the Ollie O’Donovan-owned squad in Euro RX events, will take the place of O’Donovan, who will miss the Portuguese round to contest Rally Barbados this summer.
 
A former event-winner in the British Rallycross Championship 5 Nations Trophy, Hill will swap his usual Mitsubishi Evo X for the Iriz RX to make his first Euro RX outing in over a 10-years in Portugal.
 
The Thame-based driver raced in his home rounds of Euro RX at Lydden Hill following the series’ return to the venue in 2009 after a 10-year hiatus, and achieved a best result of 11th in his most recent international start in April 2012.
 
Now over a decade on, Hill will join reigning British Rallycross Champion and Euro RX round one podium-finisher Patrick O’Donovan in the Team RX Racing line-up at Montalegre, to contest Euro RX round two – his first start in an FIA World Rallycross Championship weekend.
 
In the hands of team-owner O’Donovan, the Iriz RX showed strong pace in the opening rounds of 5 Nations BRX at Lydden Hill on Easter Weekend and in the Euro RX opener in Hungary, but the car was slowed by high intake temperatures effecting engine performance.
 
The team has since returned to the UK to implement changes ahead of a quartet of events in quick session in Portugal (Montalegre), Norway (Hell), Sweden (Holjes) and the UK (Lydden Hil).

 
Steve Hill, Proton Iriz RX, #4:
 

“To race at Montalegre, one of the most iconic tracks in the rallycross world and in a current spec Supercar is a fantastic opportunity for me. Thanks to the team for setting the wheels in motion and to Ollie for letting me use his car – hopefully I can repay them by giving some feedback on this developing car and keep it in one piece for Ollie to race at the next round in Norway. It will be interesting for me to step into something different to my own Supercar, and to drive on what looks like such a rewarding circuit up there in the mountains. I realise that I will be lining up against the best rallycross drivers in Europe and I’m under no illusion about results, but I’m going there to race and not just make up the numbers.”

Ollie O’Donovan, Team RX Racing Team Principal:

“It makes a lot of sense for Steve to race the Iriz RX in Montalegre. He’s a good friend and a good driver, so when the team proposed the idea, it was a simple answer for both of us. I’m disappointed to miss the event, but I can’t be on both sides of the Atlantic at once and this year Rally Barbados is one of my highlight events. I can’t say I was delighted with how the opening round of Euro RX went for me in Hungary, but we understand what the issues are, and we’re working to solve them for Steve’s first race in the car. Hopefully there will be time for Steve to have a quick shakedown before the truck leaves to head south. It will be good for us to collect more data from the car with a different driver, I’m looking forward to seeing how Steve gets on and most importantly, I hope he enjoys the weekend.”