ERC
Hungarian champions heading for ERC
Gábor Német and Gergely Németh will go from becoming champions of Hungary to chasing FIA European Rally Championship success in 2026.
Driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, Német and Németh are preparing to tackle selected rounds of the ERC boosted by finishing fifth on their home round of the championship last season alongside claiming national title glory.
Német, 37, said: “After winning the championship title last year, we needed some time to think about where to go next, but all signs pointed to trying our hand at a new series this year, so we ultimately decided to compete in the ERC. More or less, things have now fallen into place as we’d hoped.
A new season means a tweaked livery for Hungarian heroes
© Gábor Német and Gergely Németh
“We know that competing in the European championship is a different challenge than competing at home. For us, these are completely new stages, an extremely strong field, and exciting rallies, so just getting through them is no easy task in itself. We’re not putting extra pressure on ourselves; we don’t have any specific numerical goals for this year—we simply want to race well and make the most of each weekend and of ourselves.”
Co-driver Németh said: “Obviously, it would be great to compete in as many rallies as possible, but we have to be realistic about our capabilities. Right now, it’s not feasible for us to be at every event. That said, our goal is to be there at the start of the season, and according to our plans, we’ll kick off the year at the European Championship opener in Spain.
“We’re gearing up full steam ahead, trying to prepare as best we can for the race in Spain, since the competition takes place on very tough stages. We’d also like to conduct a longer test before the race, since it’s been a while since we’ve been in a race car, so we want to cover as many kilometres as possible. As for the results, however, we don’t want to set unrealistic expectations for ourselves.”
Fifth place on home soil in 2025 was a strong result
© ERC
“We’re really excited about this year and about being at the starting line in Spain. We don’t know exactly what awaits us this year, but we’re motivated, the fire is burning in both of us, and it feels great to get back to racing like this.”
The 43rd Andalusia Rally - Sierra Morena - Córdoba World Heritage Site opens the 74th ERC season from 17 - 19 April.
