Derek Tohill kicked off the first ever season of the new FIA World Rallycross Championship with an impressive points finish against some tough opposition in Portugal.

Driving an LD Motorsports prepared Citroen DS3 Supercar, Derek was completing against the cream of world Rallycross drivers in a field that not only included former World Rally Champion Petter Solberg, but also former F1 champion, Jacques Villeneuve. He performed well in the heats, taking a race victory and qualifying for the semi finals. 

A fifth place semi final finish was enough to place Derek eighth overall in the inaugural world rallycross event. He commented, "For me this was a real test. My main target was to make the semi finals, and to be in the mix with pre-season championship favourites such as Bakkerud, Nitiss and Hvaal was fantastic.” He added, "I can really build on this performance, and as a platform for the rest of the season we have plenty of laps, hard racing with top drivers and race data to pull on. Going to Lydden next, which is a circuit I love and have had plenty of success at is a boost. It's a very long season and it's all still to play for."

Following the Portuguese season opening round, the FIA World Rallycross Championship moves to  Lydden Hill in the UK on May 24th and 25th. Subsequent rounds in Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Turkey, follow before the finale in November in Argentina.