King of Touge Round 3 - Belko, Hungary

As drivers prepared for the 3rd Round of the Federal Tyres King of Touge series they would return to Hungary to revisit the incredibly challenging mountain which pushes drivers to their absolute limits. The track which lies within the Belko mountains and has not only hosted the King of Europe ProSeries in the past, but also the King of Touge Final last year.

Notable absences from the event would be 2nd place Championship contender Marin Morier, after the sad news that his car had been involved in a fire whilst in storage, the team are working hard to build a replacement in time for the Final round in France. Swen Burkhard had also suffered a severe engine issue at Anneau du Rhin, Team54 are working hard to have the car back stronger than ever for the Final round.

With a full day of practice and the intense summer heat shining down on the track on the Saturday, it sadly didn’t stop the track holding absolutely no prisoners as competitors fell victim to the steep walls and Armco around the mountain road.

Day two would be an action packed day, featuring both qualifying and battles as the fans flocked to bathe in the summer sun and witness the action go down. With one of the closest qualifications of the year, Slovakian series leader Norbert Kovacik would once again take first place in his BMW M6 with 103.25 points.

Simon Csaba would continue his impressive form which we’ve seen from him throughout King of Europe events in his S13, taking second place with 102.75 points.

Third place would go to local driver Csuka Gyula, who took 100.75 points in his BMW E30. Swiss driver Raffaele Rusca would take fifth place in his quest to overtake Marin Morier in his unfortunate absence.

In the Top 8 battles, Norbert Kovacik would continue his form by confirming his progression into the Top 4 after a close battle, knocking out Tamas Magyar.

Raffaele Rusca would be stopped in his tracks by an on-form Norbert Zamecz, after losing the initial battle 6-4, he could only manage a 5.5-4.5 score in his lead run, allowing Zamecz to advance.

Two drivers who have impressed in the King of Europe Pro Series this year, Simon Csaba and Zsolt Zalabai would face each other. Zalabai unfortunately scored a zero in his chase run, and despite a 6-4 score in his lead run, it wasn’t enough to stop Csaba advancing to the Top 4.

Nobert Kovacik would face Norbert Zamecz in the first Top 4 battle. Kovacik once again proved his consistency, taking a 7-3 advantage in his lead run, with a 5-5 score in the second run, Kovacik would once again find his way to the Final!

Simon Csaba went up against Marko Hucko to fight for the second spot in the Final. Csaba took a 6-4 advantage in his lead run, and a mistake from Marko Hucko in his chase run meant that Csaba would face Kovacik in the Final.

As the Small Final got underway, it would be an all-E30 affair as Zamecz faced Slovakian driver Marko Hucko. With the local crowd behind Norbert Zamecz, he would take a 6-4 advantage in his lead run. Despite his best efforts to make up the points, Hucko would only manage a 5-5 score in the second run, handing the third spot on the podium to Zamecz.

In the final, Slovakian series leader Norbert Kovacik faced Simon Csaba as Kovacik prepared to take his second back-to-back position at the top of the podium in the series. Kovacik fired himself up the mountain road for the final time, however whilst pushing as hard as he could, Csaba was forced to make a correction in his chase run. With the score at 7-3, Csaba would hope that a mistake from Kovacik would hand him the win. Kovacik scored a safe run, and despite the 6-4 score going in Csaba’s advantage, Kovacik knew he had what it took to secure the top spot of the podium once again!

Kovacik now increases his lead in the series, Raffaele Rusca now steps up to second place in the overall rankings and Marin Morier moves down to third after his unfortunate absence. It will be all to fight for in the Final in France on 10th/11th September as double points will be on offer for the drivers throughout the round. Expect a truly exciting encounter as we return to Les 7 Laux!

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Next up for the Federal Tyres King of Europe series will be the return of the Lydden Hill Circuit in the UK as drivers prepare to battle it out at Round 4 as the top places in the Pro Series get closer than ever! Just one week after that we return to Lignieres, Switzerland as we welcome the return of the Drift King, Keiichi Tsuchiya to the series!