Liam Doran

Liam Doran aka British Bomb is a rallycross driver and LD Motorsports team owner from England, and a son of Pat Doran, British rallycross legend and an owner of the Lydden Hill Race Circuit.

Liam currently competes in the FIA World Rallycross Championship in which he made a debut in the inaugural season in 2014. Earlier in a career, he was the European Rallycross Championship regular from 2009 to 2013, finishing as the vice-champion in 2012.

Liam Doran - the British Bomb

Growing up in the shadow of Lydden Hill

As a son of four-time British rallycross champion Pat Doran, Liam grew up at Lydden Hill, the birthplace of rallycross. He started to race at the age 14, developing a career through various categories of the British rallycross competitions.

In 2008, Pat Doran became an owner of Lydden Hill. A year later, Liam initiated his international career, making a debut in the European Rallycross Championship with Ford Fiesta ST. He participated in six ERX rounds, not scoring wins or podiums. In the same year, Liam finished second in the British Rallycross Championship.

Two wins in the 2010 European Rallycross Championship

For the 2010 ERX season, Doran joined Kenneth Hansen's team to drive a Citroen C4. After two podiums in France and GB, Doran scored his maiden victory in the sixth round in Finland.

One more win came in the penultimate round in Poland and he finished third in the championship standings, behind Sverre Isachsen and Kenneth Hansen.

Liam Doran - X Games gold medalist in 2011

X Games gold medalist in 2011

Good results brought him a sponsorship from Monster Energy in 2011. He continued to drive Citroen C4 Supercar in the European Rallycross Championship for his own team, scoring two podiums and finishing seventh in the final standings.

In 2011, Doran also went to the US to participate in two rounds of the Global Rallycross Championship, winning one race in Los Angeles as a part of the X Games XVII. He beat two-time WRC champ Marcus Gronholm.

Liam Doran finished second in the 2012 European Rallycross Championship

European rallycross vice-champion in 2012

In 2012, with continued support from Monster Energy and driving a Citroen DS3 Supercar, Doran scored three podiums and then won in the final round of the European Rallycross Championship, ending the season in the second place. He lost a title to Timur Timerzyanov.

In the same year, he participated in four rounds of the Global Rallycross Championship and returned to X Games in Los Angeles, finishing fifth in the X Games Rallycross event.

2013 - two Euro RX wins and three X Games medals

Renaming his team to JD Motorsports, Doran continued to race with Citroen DS3 Supercar in the European Rallycross Championship, scoring two wins in Portugal and Norway. He finished fifth in the championship.

In the Global Rallycross Championship, he won one X Games race in Germany (Munich), driving a Mini Countryman JCW. The next day, he was second in the second race in Munich. A month later, Doran won one more X Games medal, finishing third in Gymkhana Grid event at X Games XIX in Los Angeles.

Liam Doran next to his #33 Monster Energy Citroen DS3

Representing Monster Energy in the inaugural World RX season

In 2014, Liam Doran entered the inaugural FIA World Rallycross Championship with Monster Energy World RX team, driving the #33 Citroen DS3 Supercar.  In the first six rounds, his best result was the fifth place in Sweden.

After that, he was suspended for five rounds because of an accident during the Lydden Hill event. He was accused of a bad behavior against track marshalls when his father's Ford RS200 caught fire during demonstration run. Liam returned to World RX season's finale in Argentina. In the US, he participated in just one round of the Global Rallycross Championship, finishing fourth at X Games in Austin.

Liam Doran in 2015

Joining forces with Petter Solberg in 2015

For the 2015 World RX season, Doran joined forces with reigning world champion Petter Solberg, forming SDRX team and running two Citroen DS3 Supercars. Doran raced in all rounds except Germany where his car failed scrutineering.

Solberg won one more championship title while Doran failed to reach the final but scored points at seven events. He finished 16th in the final standings and SDRX finished third among eight teams.

Liam Doran was forced to sit out of racing for 12 months

One more suspension for bad boy of rallycross

For the 2016 World RX season, Doran signed for JRM Racing to drive the #33 Mini Countryman RX. His best result was the fifth place in German's round at Hockenheimring.

Doran's last World RX event was the sixth round in Sweden in July. After that, his contract was terminated and he received 12-month ban because of drunken altercation at Norway's rallycross event at Gatebil. It forced him to stay out of racing for the rest of the season and then in 2017.

Mini Countryman RX was one of Liam Doran's cars

World RX return in 2018, full season in 2019

Liam returned to the World Rallycross Championship in 2018, joining GC Kompetition to drive a Megane RS RX in three events. His best result was the eighth place in France.

For the 2019 World RX season, he announced full-time return as one of two drivers for the Monster Energy RX Cartel team, together with Andreas Bakkerud. They will drive Audi S1 quattro.

Photos: liamdoran.com, fiaworldrallycross.com,