Interview with Gábor Német:
Unusually, the year started with a hard EC race, completing a total distance of 190 km required serious preparation. Since we haven't played on clay yet, securing points was our primary goal. We wanted to be among the top five in the Hungarian field. The race started well, we found a good rhythm and enjoyed it a lot, until a technical problem occurred on the first pit, which followed us throughout the first round. We lost a lot, but in the second round we tried to leave this disadvantage behind us, but unfortunately I made a mistake, which caused our brakes to go out, so we left a lot behind again, we were completely down on ourselves. On Sunday, we start a new day with the aim of getting ahead. Everything went well until the power stage, where the previous day's technical problem reappeared, which is why we only managed to get sixth place. Along with that, we gained very useful experiences in Murva, and apart from the problems, we really enjoyed it.
The next Diósgyőr was a home race for me, I was very excited before it, I wanted us not to be ashamed. With so much local support and friends, it was especially important to do well. The race has finally returned to Bükk, which I am very happy about, it is a great experience to go on these tracks! We knew that the weather would mess up the conditions, the track could not dry out in the forest due to the rain. Everyone chose a different rubber tactic, it was interesting to see who it worked for. Fortunately, we made the right decision, I can say for the entire competition that this greatly influenced our result.
It was a very big moment for me when I was able to win the first stage of my life in Mályinka! This brought us back into the competition, we got rid of our previous disadvantage compared to the Frici's, and we tried to stay within striking distance for Sunday. On Sunday, we were the first to start, which was very exciting and also an uplifting feeling. We wanted to go worthy of this and compete well. In the first round, we got a flat tire at Bükkszentkereszt, but we were still lucky to get down. And the last round was particularly exciting. The last stage in Mályinka tipped the race in a positive direction, and on the power stage we only had to concentrate on reaching the finish line. Mentally, it was not easy to deal with the fact that if everything works out, victory can come together for the first time in our lives.
I'll be honest, it all became dramatic and real when we got out of the car and were greeted by our family and friends. It's unbelievable that the first race victory was given to us!
Mecsek will not be easy, we expect a strong field. The tracks are of similar difficulty as in Bükk, so a serious task awaits us. I'm just starting to really tune into it, so far I haven't had much time, it took a week after Diósgyőr to process the victory at all. I don't know if the previous result will bring extra tension or if we will be more relaxed. We'll see, but for sure I like the Pécs courses, even though we had a bad competition last year. I hope everything goes well now!
Photo: Bence Pál