Citroen WRC refugee Craig Breen tempted by rallycross after test

Breen drove double European Rallycross champion Derek Tohill's PFCRX-run Ford Fiesta Supercar at the launch of the Irish Rallycross Championship.

"I just did a handful of laps but it was definitely something different," Breen told Autosport.

"I didn't do enough to get completely into how exactly everything works, but the power is like something I've never driven before.

"The car felt nice, I could do everything I wanted with it.

"I'd never been to a rallycross race before, I'd never seen a rallycross car up close before, so it was a first time."

Breen attended the IRX launch just days after winning the Galway International Rally, an Irish Tarmac championship round that he was contesting having lost his WRC seat when Citroen slimmed down to two cars for 2019.

While his focus remains on returning to the WRC, he said he has opportunities to compete in rallycross.

"I do have some options to do something in rallycross this year, but it wouldn't be my number one priority," Breen said.

"Obviously I want to go back rallying again, that's my first love. But definitely I'd like to try [rallycross].

"I enjoyed driving a Supercar and I'd like to have a race in one. If it works out, it would be great."

The 29-year old two-time WRC podium finisher has not revealed where he could race but said he would not go into an RX event without proper testing first.

"It doesn't make sense, especially if I don't have any experience in a car like that, to just land on a race weekend," Breen said.

"Because of the limited amount of time in the car you get in a race weekend it would take neigh on the whole time to get my head around it. Definitely if I do it I want to do it properly."

Breen also sampled Tohill's Euro RX title-winning rear-wheel drive Fiesta at the IRX launch.

"It was great to have Craig drive both our Supercar and TouringCar and it would be great to give him more time in the Supercar as time and schedules permit," said Tohill.

"If he wanted to achieve in this arena it would he would be an exciting prospect.

"Some more seat time and he could adjust the car to suit his driving style. The test was only for fun so nobody was chasing times - that's another day's work."

Breen's fellow 2018 works Citroen WRC driver Mads Ostberg, who is driving a Citroen C3 R5 in WRC2 Pro this season, also tested a World RX Supercar before Christmas and is eyeing outings with the new ES Motorsport team, while Hyundai WRC exile Hayden Paddon has signed up to race in the new GRC Europe series this year.