Bumper European Championship grids revealed for Nyirád

Since returning to the Euro RX calendar two years ago, the ‘Red Cauldron’ – so-called due to the distinctive colour of its unsealed surfaces, having been built on the site of a disused bauxite quarry – has rapidly re-established itself as a firm favourite amongst competitors and spectators alike, with its challenging ‘old-school’ nature generating some spectacular action.

This season, 18 Euro RX1 drivers and 16 in Euro RX3 – almost 50 per cent of whom are local stars – will head into battle at Nyirád, setting the scene for a superb weekend of doorhandle-to-doorhandle entertainment.

In Euro RX1, Korda Racing ace Máté Benyó will be targeting a champagne celebration after shining on his international debut on home soil last year, when the 22-year-old impressively reached the final first time out in a field that included no fewer than three former European champions. Fan favourite Tamás Kárai, meanwhile, is always a threat in his Audi S1, and can be counted upon to put in a committed, crowd-pleasing performance.

The pair will face stiff opposition, however, not only from regular rivals such as Patrick O’Donovan, Yury Belevskiy and Sivert Svardal, but also from a whole bunch of talented compatriots including László Kiss and newcomers István Antal and Zoltán Held.

There is an even greater homegrown contingent in Euro RX3, where Hungarians make up half of the 16-strong entry – the largest field in the category since Portugal last year.

Nils Volland arguably starts as favourite having finished third in the overall standings in 2023, but the young German will need to be on his toes to see off the likes of Volland Racing team-mate Sámuel Kovács, Balázs Körmöczi – a podium-finisher at Nyirád last season – and, intriguingly, Krisztián Szabó, the 2016 and 2017 champion in the series and a driver with two rostrum appearances to his name in the FIA World Rallycross Championship.