Gábor Tim, a seven-time champion from Hungary, spent the last two years competing in the Clio Cup Europe championship. Although he couldn’t complete a full season, due to the support of crowdfunding, he gained valuable experience. This year, he is preparing for a full season and switching to a different category. He will be competing in the ESET Cup.
“In 2023, we managed to agree that Gábor could try out one of the Lotus Exige V6 Cup R cars at the Balaton Park Circuit. At that time, we didn’t think much further, but what he saw there quickly sparked something in me, that this is it, this is the direction we need to go,” said Imre Bende, Tim’s manager.
In this debut race, the Lotus was equipped according to the Lotus Cup Europe rules, where they had been competing until then. In the 2024 season, the car will not compete in the cup but in the ESET Cup GT Sprint races. Tim will be evaluated in the GTX category.
“The GFS Racing Team has been developing the Lotus throughout the winter, and modifications are currently underway. The reason is that the car was not originally designed to run on slick tires. Slicks will significantly increase cornering speeds, so I’ll be faster on the straights too, taking shorter braking distances. These changes require modifications to the car. Stronger brakes, a stronger suspension, and a more stable oil system are needed. In my opinion, the car will be close to GT4 cars, but this will be revealed during the first practice session,” Tim talked about the team’s work.
There will be a need for improvement because, as mentioned, the GTX category is very diverse. The field includes KTM, Pagani Zonda, Lamborghini, Porsche, Radical, and other brands competing in this category.
“This car, at the Hungaroring, in its current form and on semi-slick tires, ran 1:56 laps. This is slow in the GTX category. Slick tires will bring 1-2 seconds more, but we need to get more out of the package. If we reach a 4-5-second improvement, then it can be said that we are ahead of the GT4 cars and fighting for the podium in the GTX category. This is the goal, but currently, everything exists only on the drawing board; the stopwatch will tell us how we did over the winter. I’m eagerly awaiting the first race, trusting the team, the technology, hoping to repay their work with great results! I would like to thank my sponsors for continuing to support me, and I hope that crowdfunding will also help me compete under the best conditions,” Tim said before the season.
