M1RA has confirmed that Hungarian racer Dániel Nagy will join the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) grid as the first wildcard entry in the team’s home event at the Hungaroring in Budapest.
20-year-old Nagy has already been confirmed for the TCR Europe Series in 2018, and now the young former WTCC racer will also get a chance to race in the WTCR on home soil in a Hyundai i30 N TCR.
“It is a unique opportunity to race in these circumstances and to have the chance to compete with
the same Hyundai i30 N TCR car as three world champions and the best driver in the world,” said Team Principal Dávid Bári. “As a one year old team, we could not wish for more.
“This weekend will be kind of a festival for Hungarian motorsport, and it is an amazing feeling that M1RA will be part of this show. There are professional teams with customer racing department support, legendary drivers and champions on the entry list, not least with many Hungarian talents.
“Many of us were involved in motorsport as a consequence of the Norbi [Michelisz] cult in Hungary, so it is a special feeling to share the paddock with him, moreover all of this will happen on our national racetrack.
“The team has worked incredibly hard since last year, and I am very proud of our progress. I have to say thank you for our sponsors and supporters to have the possibility to compete again on the top of the TCR pyramid.”
With the i30 N TCR already having proven to be the car to beat at the WTCR season-opener in Morocco, Nagy is confident of performing well at the Hungaroring in just under three weeks’ time.
“My main aim this year is being competitive in TCR Europe Series with M1RA and the Hyundai i30 N, but I am extremely motivated by this opportunity in WTCR, especially in front of a home crowd,” said Nagy, who contested 30 races in the WTCC between 2016 and 2017 for Zengő Motorsport.
“I raced on home soil in an international series last year for first time in my life and it will be a lifelong memory for me.
“This time I will drive exactly the same car as the other Hyundai drivers, so I am very curious what I can achieve in this excessively strong competition. I hope I can improve my self- confidence a bit with a good result one week before the start of TCR Europe.”