Since we couldn’t find and still haven’t found a financially strong partner or company to race with consistently, once again YOU helped me get to where my career was once shattered. Back in 2012, I was there in Monza with the FIA ETCC field, but due to technical issues, we couldn’t compete. 11 years later, I was back in Monza to settle the debt. This could have been a career-turning weekend, but it ended in drama.
First and foremost, I have to thank you again and again for your support, my family for going above and beyond by taking on extra jobs to help me. Of course, I also put in everything I can. I still haven’t won the lottery, but that’s how it goes 🙂
We couldn’t put together the complete annual budget, which would have come with significant discounts. Those who registered for the entire season would have received a much cheaper full season, a parts coupon from Alpine, and 6 free tires.
We’re sticking to how we did it last year, living from race to race. We made it to the first race of this year’s Clio Cup Europe Championship, in Monza. We didn’t know what chaos awaited us, with 51 participants, unpredictable weather, incomprehensible race management, and completely crazy opponents.
We finally got the number 333 that we requested last year. Hopefully, it will bring us luck. Well… one thing’s for sure, my car was the most beautiful, although they don’t give points for that.
The car was the same as last year, and we worked together with GM Sport again. Several drivetrain components were replaced, and it made a noticeable difference. Throughout the weekend, I didn’t have any major issues with the pace.
We made good progress during the Friday practice sessions. It was raining during the first practice, and we didn’t put on new rain tires. We used the rain tires from last year. It wasn’t really important, I just wanted to keep going. Out of the 51 participants, I achieved the 20th fastest time.
We had to make some adjustments to the setup because they didn’t hit the mark initially, but the car felt much better during the second practice. By that time, it had stopped raining, and I used my dry tires from last year, which had a whole weekend of usage on them. Despite that, I managed to secure the 11th position, keeping up with the pace of the front-runners even without the benefit of slipstream. It was promising.
On Friday, we also had the first qualifying session, which determined the starting grid for the second race on Sunday. It went well as I drove on my own, securing the 10th position. It was completely fine, and with a strong slipstream, I could have easily made it to the top 5.
On Saturday morning, we continued with the program, and that’s when everything went wrong. An agreement was made that I could join the leading championship driver and the reigning champion as part of a group. I couldn’t overtake them, but I could follow them in their slipstream. My task was to prevent anyone from getting behind them.
As it turned out, with 51 cars on the track and only a 20-minute qualifying session, this was nearly impossible. I was literally pushed off the track, and someone held me up in every corner. And then, to make matters worse, a full-course yellow flag was waved just when the local hero was leading. How ironic. Until the end of the session, the field was not allowed to go for quick laps, and I only had two „clean” laps.
But that wasn’t the strangest part. When the yellow flag was shown, the live timing, the countdown, and even the power went off. Everyone was completely blind, not knowing how much time was left in the session.
The end result was the 31st position, with a time over 2 seconds slower than in the practice sessions, all on worn-out tires. It was truly shocking.
In the first race, starting from the 31st position, it didn’t make much sense to take unnecessary risks. The main goal was to ensure the car remained intact for the second race and, if possible, to make my way up to the top 10 and score some points.
After the start, I was unsure which way to go and had to skip the chicane, which cost me some positions. Then came the first safety car, followed by the second, third, and eventually the fourth one. As a result, the race, which was supposed to be 25 minutes plus one lap, ended up being around 6-7 minutes.
During this time, I managed to make progress and eventually finished in 20th place. One driver ahead of me received a time penalty, so I officially finished in 19th place. It’s not bad. It wasn’t my initial goal, but at least I made the most overtakes. That’s something to take away from it.
I had a collision with another driver, who seemed to be struggling with vision problems and turned into me. The race officials contacted me regarding the incident, and my opponent was penalized. Unfortunately, my right front fender and headlamp were damaged. Although the damage wasn’t significant, according to the championship rules, only undamaged parts are allowed. I will have to cover the costs for replacing those parts. Thank you.
The Sunday’s second race, starting from the 10th position, was supposed to be your time to shine and compete for points or even a podium finish. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.
The start went well, and you managed to hold your position while being cautious about preserving the car. However, in the second lap, you were involved in two incidents at the first chicane, resulting in the loss of several places. As you reached the Ascari corner, Jacopo Guiseppe Cimenes misjudged the braking point, went off the track, and then forcefully returned onto the track, colliding with you and pushing you into the wall. As a result of this incident, Cimenes received a 4-grid penalty for the next race.
There are 4-5 individuals in the field who are known for causing chaos. Unfortunately, I encountered them. For them, it’s just a shrug of the shoulders, but for me, it meant the end of the season.
Many people have said that it’s just cosmetic damage. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. The front bumper, left front suspension, hood, mirror, fender, wheel, window, left door, and possibly the suspension have all been damaged. The headlights are shattered as well. The radiator is also damaged and cannot be repaired.
In the championship, only parts purchased from the organizer, equipped with a unique code, can be installed on the car. This is to prevent cheating. It means that repaired parts cannot be used, only those that have been inspected and approved. So, we will have to pay for everything, amounting to a minimum of 5,000-6,000 euros. This fundamentally changes our plans.
It is indeed a difficult situation. Starting this venture without a complete annual budget was a risk we took. Last year, we were fortunate enough to return the car to GM almost unscathed. We were hoping that with strong point finishes and the accompanying prize money in Monza, we could continue on. However, now we have a damaged car and have only managed to earn a few points. There is no prize money to cover the repair costs, and we don’t have much to offer potential sponsors. It’s a challenging situation, and it’s hard to demonstrate value to them.
We are considering giving up? That’s where we are. But somehow we can’t.
If you can, please support us. Not only to have more capital for the future, but also because every name on the car legitimizes the fact that it is important for the fans that we race. This is what can convince potential sponsors. So, if you can, please help too. It doesn’t matter how much. Even 1,000 HUF is just as important as 100,000 HUF.
Thank you for cheering us on throughout the weekend and for your support. It gives us strength!