The fifth round of the M1Flotta Hungarian Cross-Country Rally Championship — also counting toward the FIA Central European Zone Championship — concluded with a nail-biting finish at the Nyír1 Baja. With two stage wins, Csucsu and co-driver Márk Mesterházi emerged as the overall winners after a day of tight battles that went down to the final stage.
The weather turned in favor of the competitors, with the rain stopping just in time for the start. Over the course of a single day, the field covered 305 kilometers and four stages across technical and demanding terrain — deep sand mixed with slippery mud left behind by the night’s rainfall.
The first stage went to Zoltán Garamvölgyi / Antal Takács, 32 seconds ahead of Csucsu and Mesterházi. On SS2, the order was reversed. Stage 3 saw Miroslav Zapletal / Marek Sykora set the best time, with Csucsu second and Lőrinc Mészáros / Norbert Liszi third. The deciding moment came on the final stage, where Csucsu and Márk once again proved fastest, sealing both the overall win and the T3 category victory.
“I really enjoyed this rally, especially the sections entering and leaving the forest. In the morning we took it easy to read the track, but in the afternoon, with the reversed direction, we pushed hard. The car worked flawlessly, no technical issues, and we found a great rhythm. Now that we’ve tasted victory, we’re aiming for the same at the Raid of the Champions,” said Csucsu.
Zapletal / Sykora finished second overall and won the Ultimate category, despite suffering engine issues 20 km from the finish. Garamvölgyi / Takács completed the podium, claiming their third consecutive victory in the T4Nat class.
The Ultimate category runner-up spot went to Pál Lónyai / Miklós Trébitsch, who particularly enjoyed the high-speed forest sections, while Frantisek Brutovsky / Josef Radina took third in their Ford.
In the Challenger class, Mészáros / Liszi finished second and fourth overall after finding their pace in the afternoon stages, followed by teammates Zsolt Hoffer / Róbert Tagai in third — a strong result in their rookie cross-country season.
The T4Nat podium was completed by Szilveszter Kéry / Barbara Bartha in second and Péter Tóth / Márk Salamon in third, both delivering impressive performances. In T4, siblings Szabolcs and Dorottya Kollár set the fastest time, finishing seventh overall.
The UP category win went to József Papp / Zita Győri, in only their second event after Hungarian Baja, and with a brand-new car.
Meanwhile, in the TH class, Csaba Bakonyi / Veronika Hári claimed victory, finally putting an end to the technical issues that plagued their previous outings.
The Hungarian Cross-Country Rally Championship still has one round remaining: the Raid of the Champions, on November 14–15, where the national titles will be decided.
Source: terep-rallye.hu / Réka Erős
Translation and adaptation: Rally-Raid Network
Photos by Péter Pataky
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