Jamaican rallycross star Fraser McConnell experienced a challenging start to the new RallyX Euro League season at the Montalegre Race Track in Portugal. In his first meet of the year, McConnell was involved in a collision just moments after the start of the Open 4WD category race, which led to heavy damage to his car and a punctured tyre on the rear left-wheel.

The incident occurred as the race cars approached the first corner, when José Oliveira, driving in the outside lane, collided with McConnell, who was on the inside line. The impact left McConnell with significant damage to his vehicle but, despite the setback, the resilient Jamaican managed to finish the race, securing a third-place finish.

The race was won by Elias Svensson, with Nathan Ottink finishing in second place. As for Oliveira, who was responsible for the accident, his race ended prematurely as his car was unable to finish, resulting in a Did Not Finish (DNF).

This event marked the beginning of an exciting 2025 RallyX Euro League season, featuring 136 drivers from 16 countries, competing across five categories: Open 4-Wheel Drive, Super Car Lites, Cross Car, Cross Car Junior, and Open 2-Wheel Drive. The championship will span 13 stages in seven countries.

After the weekend’s opening rounds in Portugal, the competition moves to the Netherlands for Rounds 3 & 4 in April, before heading to Latvia (May 9–10). The season will conclude with the highly anticipated 13th and final round in Germany in August.