Tony Lynch made his RX150 debut at the Lydden Hill final
NewsHaving successfully secured the Retro Rallycross Championship title with two rounds remaining, Tony Lynch swapped his Landsail-branded Toyota MR2 for an RX150 buggy in the final round at Lydden Hill.
Having switched classes to join the RX Racing team, Tony was on the back foot from the outset, having not had the chance to drive the buggy before the weekend. But after a solid run through free practice, he was drawn on pole for the opening heat of the weekend.
Considering it was the first time behind the wheel of such a machine for Lynch, he managed to qualify fifth out of seven drivers for the final. After a couple of mistakes in the initial rounds, his pace had improved throughout the heats as he acclimatised to his new machine, so Tony was hopeful of a solid finish heading into the final. However, an unfortunate technical issue on the second lap saw him forced to retire from the race.
He said:
“Of course, it was a disappointing way to end the weekend, but I had an absolute blast in the RX150! I didn’t really know what to expect from the buggy, given it was like nothing I’ve raced in the past, and it was so much fun.
“It was like jumping in a big off-road go-kart, and I don’t think it could have felt any different to the Toyota. Given I’d not even sat in one before the weekend, I think I was doing a good job of getting up to speed going into the final, and it was just unfortunate that we weren’t able to get a finish.
“I’d love the chance to have another go in the future, but for now, the focus turns to putting things in place for next season so we can look to build on the success we have enjoyed as a team in 2023.”