This was the weekend when we already knew that we wouldn’t have much of a chance. During the second weekend at the Red Bull Ring, we got a taste of how much of a performance disadvantage we are at, but Slovakiaring has even more straights, and we expected to be at the very last place. In the end, it didn’t turn out that way.
From the outside, it’s not visible how difficult it is to even keep up with the field. Every car has at least 100-150 horsepower more. We have started to nip at the GT4 cars, as they are heavier, giving us a chance against them with the Lotus. But the GTX category peers, the Porsche Cup cars, and, of course, the top-tier GT3 technologies are in another universe. Still, there are moments when I feel that just a little more is needed, and I can catch them.
But what is that little bit?
The car currently has 370 horsepower. Everyone else is well above 500. Engine development is underway and even a pessimistic estimate suggests it will result in 440 HP, possibly even more. This would be a tremendously significant improvement. It will happen; the question is when.
The other—and currently bigger—problem we have is that we kill the tires in no time. And tires are the most expensive part of this sport. A set costs 1700 euro and it’s really bad if they’re done after just one qualifying session. We tried to get through the weekends with one set, while, of course, the others put on new tires for every qualifying session and every race. Well, yes, with little money, you get little football.
The problem lies in the limited adjustability of the suspension, and the team is working on this with full force. I am looking forward to this development even more than the engine power. Currently, we can’t give enough camber on the rear axle, so the tires rub on their outer edges in the corners. If the corners are fast, like at Slovakiaring, we essentially destroy the tires in just a few laps.
So currently, we are at a point where we have significantly increased the car’s speed with weight reduction, stronger suspension, and more efficient cooling. However, with the increased speed, we are facing new problems. Of course, GFS Racing will solve these, but it takes time and an enormous amount of money.
But the championship is already underway, and we need to see that we still have a chance to fight for the GTX championship title.
And now let’s move on to the third weekend.
In the free practice sessions, we were satisfied with the 2:10 lap times. The tires were still from the first weekend and had gone through several races, qualifying sessions, and practices. For the first qualifying session, we put on new tires, and that’s where the interesting part began. Although we placed our order with the tire supplier, they brought a completely different compound. Fortunately, the car performed well on these as well. In the first qualifying session, I ran a 2:08 lap, which secured us the 13th place overall and the third position in the GTX category.
In the first race, the start went well. I managed to pull away from those I had better pace than, and I drove almost alone to the finish. I was flagged in 12th place overall, maintaining 3rd place in the GTX category. I even received the trophy on the podium.
However, in the official results, I was no longer in third place; I was relegated to fourth. We didn’t understand it at all. Eventually, we found out that one of the GT3 cars had been disqualified from the race because the car was not compliant with the technical regulations. However, they filed a request stating that if their car wasn’t GT3-compliant, they should be allowed to compete in the GTX category, where the rules are more open. And they granted it. This was probably the first time in motorsport history that a car passed scrutineering, started as a GT3, but finished at the top of another category.
What kept us from crying into our pillows was that this way, they also took points away from our KTM rival. For us, it essentially didn’t matter. It’s just against every sports regulation. But the interesting twists didn’t end there.
On Saturday, it looked like it was going to rain on Sunday. So, we went back to the tire supplier since we had ordered rain tires. We were completely stunned when we found out they had gone home. On Saturday afternoon. We were at a loss for words. If it rained, we would have to go home too. But fortunately, it didn’t rain on Sunday.
We didn’t have high expectations for the second qualifying session, as the ‘new’ tires were far from new. The rears had given up the ghost on Saturday. In the second qualifying session, I only managed a 2:10 lap time, two seconds slower.
The start of the race went well again, and I overtook everyone I could. I finally finished in 14th place overall, 5th in the GTX category. Yes, 5th, because a new KTM appeared, making us five in the category. Fortunately, we noticed that it didn’t finish the race according to the rules. It pitted one lap before the end and didn’t go into parc fermé. We reported this to the technical committee, and they disqualified the car from the race, so we moved up one position. My main rival again didn’t score too many points, so we are only one and a half points behind in the championship.
Apart from the very strange rule interpretations, our not strong enough pace, and the tire issues, it wasn’t a bad weekend. We scored points, met many Hungarian fans, and had two error-free races.
What’s next?
If you’ve been following my career for a while, you can probably guess that we’re not in a great position again. Yes, it’s the money.
Many enthusiastic donors and supporting companies stand behind me, but once again, we have run out. Currently, we don’t see how we can continue, as the budget is incomplete. We are working on finding new sponsors. If we succeed, we’ll keep going. If not… let’s not even think about that.
Thank you to everyone who made it possible for me to race again!
Standings after three races in the championship:
