Zengő Motorsport’s Dániel Nagy is targeting breaking into Q2 in qualifying for his home round of the World Touring Car Championship in Hungary this weekend, despite carrying 80 kg of ballast in the older-specification Honda Civic.
Off the back of scoring a career-best result of tenth in the Opening Race in Italy last time out, Nagy has set himself the target of going even better in Budapest, with getting through to the top 12 in qualifying being the aim.
That goal comes despite the 19-year-old Hungarian being the only Civic racer on the grid not to be carrying the latest updates, with team-mate Aurélien Panis having more up-to-date components on the sister Zengő car.
“Our target is Q2,” said Nagy. “In Morocco we had some positive results, and in Monza too… so we hope we will be there. My team-mate, Aurélien has the 2017 updates and I drove that car at Nagy Futam last week.”
Nagy expressed some frustration that he also has to run with 80 kg of compensation weight this weekend, based on the pace of the more up-to-date factory Hondas.
“Even though I race with the old car I will race with the full 80 kilograms, this is according to the rules. There was no opportunity to improve on this, even if we wrote letters to the FIA. Unfortunately, we did not manage to achieve this.”
Having missed out on racing in the 2016 event due to the late delivery of an engine, Nagy admits that he is excited to race in front of his home fans.
“I am very excited because last year I was watching Ferenc Ficza here and I stood somewhere next to the reporters, and now I am sitting here, so it’s a really good feeling.
“In the past few years I was here as a fan so this time it is something really different, a different situation. Now I will be one of the Hungarian drivers who the Hungarian fans are cheering for – it is unbelievable.”