O’Donovan set for Nitrocross finale in Las Vegas

British Rallycross champion Patrick O’Donovan will join the Nitrocross field for the final round of the season in Las Vegas next week. The Briton, who finished third in the 2023 European Rallycross championship, will race for XITE Energy Racing alongside team boss Oliver Bennett, following in the footsteps of Kris Meeke and Tanner Foust who competed in XITE’s second entry earlier this season.

“I’m really excited to take on the new challenge in Vegas,” O’Donovan told RACER. “Of course it’s an amazing backdrop and scene to be making my Nitrocross debut in the Group E category.

O’Donovan is no stranger to electric motorsport having made his World Rallycross debut at least year's finale in Hong Kong, where he took a third-place finish. He's also been serving as a reserve driver in Extreme E since the middle of last season, but his outing in Nitrocross’ 1000hp FC1-X will be the most powerful car he’s raced to date.

“I think it’s certainly going to be a challenge,” he said. “There’s some top-level drivers out there -- a few drivers that I’ve had the privilege of racing against in the past -- and it’s certainly a challenge I look forward to taking on.

“To be honest, my expectations are completely unknown, I don’t have any expectation exactly, of where I will be pace-wise or what the weekend will look like. But I think for me, if I can get out on the first day and get to grips with how powerful these cars can be and the driving style required in order to maximise the potential of the car, I’d be really happy.

“All in all, I’m really excited to be taking on Vegas. It’s going to be a challenge in all aspects -- not just learning a new track but learning a new car and being in a completely different series -- but a challenge I’m looking forward to taking on with XITE Racing and my new teammate Oliver Bennett.”

In Vegas, Bennett will be returning to the Nitrocross fold for the first time since August’s trip to Utah after being sidelined by back injury.

“As a team we are all excited to go racing in Vegas, and it’s great to have Patrick joining us in our second car,” he said. “Kris Meeke and Tanner Foust have done a good job for the team, and I’m sure Patrick will do the same looking at his performances already in Europe.

“The track in Vegas will be all-new to everyone, so it’s a level playing field in that respect, it’s just about him getting up to speed in the FC1-X. This is going to be an amazing show-stopping event!”