They spent the long winter training extensively at the RabócsiRing in Máriapócs. Now there’s no turning back for the four guys from Hungary: Gergő Kardos, Barnabás Oláh, Balázs Surányi, and Máté Számadó are 15 years old and will compete on Kawasaki Ninja 400s in the IDM Supersport class. Even though the planned season opener at the Lausitzring was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There’s more to the Hungarian Racing Engineering Team’s entry than meets the eye. Not only has it entered a full roster of four riders in the IDM Supersport , but most of its engineers and mechanics are students at the MAMI Hungarian Motorcycle Mechanics Technical School or Széchenyi István University in Győr. The HRE Team sees itself as a blend of sports and education. Students are given the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in a real competitive environment.
The four race car drivers are also MAMI students. The goal is not only to train fast young drivers for Hungarian motorsports, but also to develop qualified professionals who can gain experience at various international race tracks.
“Both at the team level and in terms of our drivers’ training, we can participate in a top-tier international championship without any reservations,” says HRE Team Principal Károly Lévay. “It will be a challenge, no question, but I am confident that we will meet expectations.” During a one-day test in the fall, all the drivers broke their previous track records.
During the winter, great emphasis was placed on physical conditioning as well as on developing the drivers' mental skills. In addition to the training sessions at the gym, the drivers honed their reflexes on the professional racing simulator at the MAMI Technical Center.
However, the COVID-19 crisis did not spare Hungary either. Gergő Kardos, Barnabás Oláh, Balázs Surányi, and Máté Számadó therefore got creative and built up their endurance with hikes in the mountains. “Despite the many obstacles, we managed to stick to our planned training program, which included both physical and mental preparation. We’ve put in a lot of work. I think the guys have physically reached the international elite standard,” says the team manager from the team headquarters.
During the last week of March, the HRE team was already training with the race-ready SSP300 bikes. Supersport Péter Sebestyén helped the IDM riders find the ideal lines at the RabócsiRing and continuously improve their lap times. He also tested the motorcycles and helped fine-tune the settings. Team manager Károly Lévay reports that while COVID-19 did disrupt some plans here as well in 2019—since race engineers fell ill and special spare parts arrived late—“that is precisely why we are very proud of what we have already achieved.”