Mon 25 Sep 2023

Hungarian champion plans ERC attack with 2024 in mind

Ferenc Vincze reckons capturing the Hungarian title on the previous event means he’ll have nothing to lose when his country hosts the FIA European Rally Championship season decider next week.

Vincze put the national crown beyond doubt with second place on WHB Győr Rally, which took place from 8 - 10 September. It was the 32-year-old’s second national title following on from his previous championship success in 2019.

He hopes a strong result on Rally Hungary will serve as a launchpad for an expanded ERC campaign in 2024.

“It was important to win the Hungarian championship on the previous event so I can attack on Rally Hungary,” Vincze said. “We led the standings from the second rally and did everything for the title. Sometimes we were really cautious and slow because of that, we just didn’t want to do any mistakes. Now the job is finished, so it’s time to push.”

Vincze took part on the inaugural Rally Hungary 2019, but after winning stages and leading the event, tyre damage and technical issues dropped him out of contention before he retired.

His challenge the following year ended almost before it began when his Škoda Fabia was struck by an engine fault, which led to his exit on the first stage. However, he finished third behind Mads Østberg and Miklós Csomós on the Hungarian championship event based in the same Zemplén region as Rally Hungary last season, a result that earned him the runner-up spot in the domestic standings in 2022.

For the fourth edition of Rally Hungary, which is based out of the city of Nyíregyháza from 6 - 8 October, Vincze has clear plan.

“Obviously we don’t want to make anything stupid, but we will take some little risks and see what the times will be,” he said. “We’re not targeting any really big things, but we want to compare ourselves to the top ERC stars and see what we can do. We will attack, then see what happens.”

Of his hopes of making more regular ERC appearances in the future, Vincze said: “Of course we would like to tackle some ERC rounds in 2024, but right now we don't know if we could do that or what will happen next year. We don’t have a big budget, but we are working hard to achieve our goals. This year’s Rally Hungary could be a really important step.”

Nandor Percze will co-drive Vincze in a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo previously driven by Jan Kopecký, the winner of the FIA European Rally Championship in 2023.