James Roberts
CROSS CAR
Behind the wheel
Former British Rally Champion Osian Price and multiple British Rallycross Champion Patrick O’ Donovan have each had a taste of one of these machines in competition – and both came to the same conclusion: there are few cars that handle like a Cross Car and few that give quite such a thrill behind the wheel.
“ It is really, really fun,” smiles O’ Donovan.“ I have had a lot of experience in Rallycross. I have driven a lot of cars, right up to a works-level Peugeot 208, and while driving a Supercar is the most amazing thing ever, I definitely think the closest thing you can get to it in Rallycross has to be the Cross Car.
“ It is possibly the rawest experience inside a car because there’ s no power steering, so you feel everything through the wheels. There is no delay, nothing is numbed down and because of how lightweight and high-powered they are, you are constantly on the edge. It is about as connected as you can be; the closest thing to a kart on an‘ adult’ scale.”
Price says the Cross Car handles“ very much like a Rally2 car” – which is why he has personally bought one for his Rally driver coaching work – and he adds:“ It does not rock around. It moves around and pitches and dives like a Rally2, so you can drive as sideways as you want – they are relatively forgiving – but you can also drive them nice and clean.
“ The first event I did in a Cross Car was in Italy and there were about 80 of them on a 4km forest mountain stage! I then drove one in a trial event in Anglesey, a single venue Rally. I also did the first round of the Motorsport UK Cross Car Championship in the Rallycross format last year in Blyton and I won that event.
“ There is nothing quite like it, and to get the best out of the car on a Rally course, you have to drive it properly. A normal Rally car can mask a lot of your driving technique because the weight balance is a bit more even, whereas this is more about moving weight, so it’ s a good driver challenge and really rewarding when you get it right.”
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Revolution- January 2026
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