European Rally Championship will start the season with a gravel race near Veszprém on 12-14 April – the promoter of the event is HUMDA Hungarian Mobility Development Agency, a member of the Széchenyi University Group. Europe’s bests are eagerly preparing for the Rally Hungary, to be held at a new venue, and the Hungarian pairs are as determined and committed as always. Now the fans can be happy, too, as early bird ticket sale started today.
The Rally Hungary was a season-closing event in the ERC calendar and now it will be the first event of the season, moreover, at a new venue near Veszprém. The good thing about being a season closer is that European Champion could be crowned at the race, but being a season opener is also good, because the first race always attracts the biggest field, as everyone still believes that they can win the trophy at the end, and therefore doesn’t want to miss a race.
According to the rumours that the top of the ERC will be here, from defending champion Hayden Paddon to last year’s Rally Hungary winner Mads Østberg, or the up-and-coming French talent Mathieu Franceschi, to name but a few of the big ones.
Tickets for the event are on sale now, with discounted early bird tickets available until 18 March: all-in pass for 11,000 HUF, rally pass for 7,000 HUF and ticket for the Super Special stage for 6,000 HUF. Rally pass junior is free for children up to 12 years old.
Tickets are available on motorsportmania.shop website.
Meanwhile, the official Rally Hungary poster has been unveiled, featuring the permanent Hungarian member of the ERC field, Mixi Csomós, and two other great Hungarian rally drivers, Róbert Bútor and Péter Ranga. We have asked them how they are getting ready for the event.
Róbert Bútor: “For me, Veszprém Rally has always been the most favoured and the most defining of the Hungarian races, and now the moment has come to be part of the European Championship series. It raises its profile and prestige. The stages have always been world championship level, and now the international field will also be able to experience it. Of course, it will also require the weather to be in its favour, because Veszprém race is the best on dry stages, when the drivers have the most fantastic experience. As for the spectators, this race will be special for them because, although the ERC field was great on asphalt in Nyíregyháza, I think the fans will see an even more spectacular fight on gravel. As for me, I decided to compete in Rally2 because these are my favourite stages and I want to fight for the best possible position. I don’t know exactly what we are capable of in the ERC field, but I’m very curious to see how much we have aged, how much our pace has dropped, and we’ll do our best to get a good result. We are getting ready for an effortless ride and for enjoying ourselves.”
Mixi Csomós: “Being a season opener of the European Rally Championship will generate much more interest than the being the season-closing race, as the championship will have been decided in several categories by then. There will certainly be more competitors in Rally Hungary, which will hopefully attract more spectators to the side of the stages – and it should be mentioned here that seeing the ERC field on gravel will be a fantastic experience. The Veszprém event is not as much a home race for me as the Zemplén one was, I’ve competed here only two or three times, so there will be new parts for me, but that makes me even special and I am looking forward to it even more. In this time of the year, we can only prepare physically and mentally, but from mid-March we will start the tests: preferably two or three-day ones, so that we could be ready for April. Our season will obviously depend on the means, but the plan is to compete, in addition to the European Championships, in a few national championship races and further one or two races abroad. We are planning to complete ten or twelve races this year, which may seem a lot for the first sight, but we will try. But it is clear that the European Championship is the priority. We want to start well on home soil, because that would set the tone for the whole year.”
Péter Ranga: “It’s fantastic that the European Championship field has been competing in Hungary for years – this will be the fifth time – it must be recognised. Now we will be able to compete against the best of the continent on gravel, which is going to be very spectacular, so I hope that there will be a lot of people along the stages, because it is very inspiring for all the competitors. It has been a long time coming that the race in Veszprém would be part of a major international series, and I am sure that the stars of the European championship will love it, not to mention that the Balaton region is also very attractive from a tourist point of view. We are also very much in preparation, the car is undergoing a complete revision, getting a new livery, but the line-up is unchanged. We have won three times on these stages, and our goal is to be among the best in the Hungarian classification. What’s the secret to doing well here? I don’t know. As for me, I’ve always preferred gravel races, they suit my style better than asphalt rallies, and I hope this trend will continue this year.”
