M1RA Motorsport’s Dániel Nagy vows to “fight back” after a miserable weekend at Spa-Francorchamps in which he was hindered by mechanical woes and contact, resulting in zero points from either race.
The Hungarian racer struggled with mechanical problems throughout practice and qualifying, with the team not finding the solution to intermittent issues in the opening race, in which he came home 17th.
With the problems solved for the second encounter, Nagy told TouringCars.Net he had high hopes for a strong result in the reverse-grid contest before contact on the opening lap with Olli Kangas at Les Combes put him out of contention.
“It was a tough weekend, it was expected but it was clear that if you were one of the fastest Hyundais then you may reach the top ten, so that was our goal for this race weekend,” said Nagy.
“We did everything we could to achieve that. We were struggling with mechanical issues during the whole weekend so it was a struggle right from the beginning.
“It’s a very big shame because the guys worked all day long after race one. We figured it out and then we found some problems, and they fixed my car. Then we hoped for a lot in the second race and it was only a few corners for me.
“I got a massive hit in Les Combes after the right hander, I couldn’t do anything. I was just a passenger and I was hoping to escape that.”
Nagy appeared to be nudged on the entry to the left-hander at Les Combes, forcing him to take to the grass. When he rejoined the circuit, Kangas’ Volkswagen tagged the back of his Hyundai and pitched him into the barrier.
Despite the disappointment, Nagy accepted the race directors decision that the opening lap collision was a racing incident.
“I think I collided with Olli Kangas, we met already with the race director but they said no further action, it was from their point of view a racing incident,” he said.
“It happens. Of course everybody wants to improve their positions and if you have a tough, close field like that, things like that can happen.
“I think it’s also just a part of motorsport.”
With Nagy currently sat in 13th in the TCR Europe standings, he hopes to bounce back at the Red Bull Ring, a circuit he has fond memories of after completing his first TCR test there in 2015.
“I really like the Red Bull Ring, this was the race track where I had my first test in the TCR category, because I was racing there in 2015 with a CUPRA I remember.
“This was really my first experience. In FP1 it was the first time for me when I was driving a TCR car, then I finished third in qualifying so I have good memories.
“I have also been there in the Hungary Suzuki Cup, so I have been there when I was much younger. I really like the track, the atmosphere and it’s also close to Hungary. But we have some work to do.”