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The 2015 Hankook RCM Cup season started out with a very tight and exciting race as the fight for top positions was on until the very last lap between Gábor Tim and Dániel Nagy. The two title aspirants was separated by a mere seven thousandth of a second in qualifying and Race One proved that it was not by chance. The Apex Racing and George Racing Team driver did very close lap times throughout the whole distance of the race. As if they pushed the cruise control button.

Of course it was not the case; the two former Suzuki-champions were driving constantly on the limit and were still almost on the same level. Eventually Nagy did not manage to make the overtake, however he was 3-4 tenth from the title-holder all the time. At the chequered flag a mere seven tenth of a second separated the two.

“We were very close to each other with Dani as it had already been shown on the qualifying. It was a very fair fight between the two of us, and I hope it stays like this for the rest of the season. And of course I hope I will always be in front in the points. My car was just perfect and I am very grateful to my team, Apex Racing and to my sponsors” – Tim said after race one.

“I got stuck in for a while at the start, I had to push the clutch twice but I managed to close the gap in the first lap. It was apparent from the beginning that I will not be able to beat Gábor on braking, he could brake very late. So I concentrated on acceleration but still I did not manage to get the better of him” – Nagy added.

The driver of George Racing Team was later caught to be in deep discussion with former ETCC, SEAT León Eurocup and TCR International Series driver Ferenc Ficza Jr. about the possible ways to beat a rival so good as Tim.

“He could watch our race from outside and we talked as two sportsmen about the possibilities. Fecó is an experienced driver and I always like have his opinion about situations like this.”

Behind them Attila Tassi (RCM Motorsport) and Dutchman Mika Morien (Zsille Motorsport) formed the second pair, and although they could get closer to the leaders by the end they never had a real chance to fight with them. Young Morien was flagged as the best of the rookies in P4.

Norbert Nagy grabbed P3 in the beginning, however slipped down some positions later. Nevertheless it is inevitable that he can be among the frontrunners this year. Gábor Kismarty-Lechner and Márk Somogyi had the own battle behind him, and arrived in this order, while Anett György was the best of the ladies in P9.

“I could keep Tijmen Heino in the bay for two laps but then he overtook me in the chicane. I tried to follow him as long as possible, but when he went to the pit I was alone. There is a lot to gain on braking; I am not yet confident enough to brake as hard as in the Lotus” – Anett said.

One of the most memorable events of the race is linked to young Dutchman Tijmen Heino. He was given a black-and-white flag (last warning) but he misunderstood it and thought he has to come out for a drive through penalty. His radio was not working so he cannot ask the team about the situation.

The two newcomers at B3 Racing also had a successful first race. Bence Boldizs kept P6 and later P7 for a long time before stopping due to some technical problems. Gergő Báldi fought a memorable fight with Gábor Forrai (Apex Racing) and Gábor György (George Racing Team), and he won it. This was the other highlight of the race beside the tussle between Tim and Nagy in front.

Results of the first Hungaroring race:

RCMCup - András Lantos