In the afternoon, the battle began for the 32 car Historic European Rally Championship (EB) field.

After the first three stages, Érdi, Varga, and Wirtmann took the lead.

Varga received a 10-second penalty for a chicane destruction, but it didn’t jeopardize his second place. Although Érdi’s team secured the top spot, their mechanics had work to do, and the first round was not uneventful. In the overall standings, Érdi, Zippo, Varga, Wirtmann, and Reitsperger finished in the top five positions.

In the second round, Érdi’s team faced the same stub-axle issue as in the first round. They completed four out of six stages despite this challenge, maintaining their lead. Additionally, the Italian team of Zippo also faced mechanical problems. 

Junior Érdi commented: ‘This is a technical sport, and you have to handle these old cars carefully. We’re leading the race, and there’s no need to sugarcoat it. We’re proud to be ahead in the EB by one minute!’

Zippo added: ‘It seems we have issues with either the steering column or the suspension, which took a lot of time to address. We performed well until the sixth stage, nearly catching up to Érdi, but lost over a minute in the final stage. Hopefully, we can fix it and give it another shot tomorrow.’

The ‘Cigányék’ team held the third position, while Wirtmann’s team brought the Ford to fourth place overall.

In the ORB category, which started one and a quarter hours after the EHRC, a serious battle unfolded for the top three spots among Német Gábor, Turán Frici, Velenczei Ádi, and Csomós Mixi. Velenczei and Német had identical times in Trefortpuszta, while Velenczei narrowly edged out Német Gábor by three tenths of a second in Pécsvárad, where Mixi set the fastest time.

Klausz Kristóf damaged the front of the Skoda due to excessive momentum, causing a spin.

Rangá’s team went off the road, spending a long time in the grass, and losing seconds. Klausz’s team had an adventure on the second stage, requiring radiator repairs during the service.

By the time the second round began, darkness had fallen. Some drivers improved their times compared to the first round, despite the challenging night stages. Interestingly, some even tackled the second round without additional lights.

Német’s team adjusted their car, which positively affected its performance, and darkness posed no problem for them. They finished the day’s service in third place. However, Frici wasn’t satisfied with his performance, struggling to find the rhythm and facing multiple issues, resulting in fourth place.

Overall, Velenczei’s team had a good day, leading after three stages, but Mixi’s team overtook them. Their goal for tomorrow is to secure the second position. Klausz faced challenges, including sliding into a ditch on the second stage and brake issues in the second round. They aim to achieve the pace they expect on Saturday. Csomós Mixi’s team will start from the lead, despite still familiarizing themselves with the car. Their strong results came in the second round, including a stage win.

Unfortunately, Rangá’s team didn’t have the day they hoped for, even though things felt right. Peti struggled with visibility in the dark, so there’s room for improvement tomorrow.

At the end of the first day, the Mitropa Cup leaders are Hadik, Klausz, and Bodolai.

In the Peugeot Cup, Czékmány Norbert performed the best, followed by Határ Attila and Viszló Csaba, who teamed up with new navigator Maricsek Miki for the Mecsek Rally.

On Saturday, the EHRC will leave the service park at 8 a.m. to tackle the designated first stage between Golgota and Hetvehely