Norbert Michelisz is looking forward to racing at his home circuit this weekend when the second round of the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) takes place at the Hungaroring.
Michelisz arrives at his home round in a confident mood, as the Hyundai i30 N TCR proved to be the car to beat in the opening round three weeks ago in Morocco, even though the Hungarian was the only driver of the South Korean machinery not to stand on the podium.
“I’m very excited to race in front of my fans this weekend on the Hungaroring,” said the 33-year-old. “The i30 N TCR proved to be a very competitive car in the hands of BRC Racing Team in Marrakech.
“Although the Hungaroring is a very different type of circuit to where we started the season, we want to show the same level of performance this weekend.”
Unlike rival Rob Huff, Michelisz is still expecting overtaking to be difficult at the 14-turn circuit, despite the changes to less-aerodynamic dependent TCR touring cars.
“It is an incredibly demanding circuit, where overtaking is tricky, so I’ll try to do my very best in both qualifying sessions to start from as far ahead as possible”.
Michelisz’s BRC Racing team-mate Gabriele Tarquini is also hoping that the local hero can put in a strong performance in front of the enthusiastic Hungarian fans.
“We’re approaching the next race knowing we have a very competitive Hyundai i30 N TCR, and I hope Norbi, on his home weekend, can put on a good show for the crowd,” added Tarquini.
“This will be the first time I drive the i30 N TCR at the track, but it’s a circuit I like and I hope to be competitive right from the first free practice.”