The Twingo Cup kicked off with a large starting field at the Hungarian circuit of Balaton Park, marking the inaugural event of the season. An interesting addition was the separate Zazenit Cup, featuring internationally experienced Czech and Slovak racers.
The Saturday and Sunday races of the Twingo Cup showcased the traditional spectacle of close battles in small Renaults, where slipstreaming plays a crucial role, more so than in other races, making predictions about the outcome akin to a lottery gamble. However, Slovenian racers Preša and Poljanec demonstrated that they could break away from their pursuers and comfortably lead until the finish.
Matic Preša gained a significant lead in Saturday’s race right from the second lap after dropping to second place from pole position at the start but quickly regained the lead, built a gap, and crossed the finish line under the checkered flag first. He finished twelve seconds ahead of his chaser, Nik Poljanec. Macedonian Bojan Petrushevski joined them on the podium.
In the second race, it was Nik Poljanec who managed to create a safe five-second lead over his competitors, clinching a victory in Hungary. This time, he was joined on the podium by Samo Sládečka and Tomáš Mičánek, who participated in the Zazenit Cup.
Zazenit Cup
Tomáš Mičánek, Samo Sládečka, Bronislav Formánek, Dennis Waszek, Josef Záruba, Štefan Rosina and Filip Sládečka decided to try their hand at racing in the Twingo Cup. Professional drivers from the Gran Turismo environment took to the small Renaults to reminisce about their beginnings and have some fun behind the wheel.
The qualifying round hinted that racing in Twingos wouldn’t be easy, as this group of drivers spread across practically the entire starting field. Samo Sládečka was the fastest, starting from the front row, followed by Tomáš Mičánek, with other members of this cup scattered to the back rows.
However, they thoroughly enjoyed the racing on both Saturday and Sunday. Dennis Waszek even ran to his Lamborghini right after finishing with the Twingo on Saturday to participate in the Eset Cup race. Wheel-to-wheel battles, occasional track limit violations, and a few dented fenders characterized their weekend debut in the Twingo Cup.
In the end, the best driver in the first race was Tomáš Mičánek, who finished in fourth place overall, ahead of Samo Sládečka and sixth-placed Bronislav Formánek. On Sunday, the order was reversed, with Samo Sládečka finishing best ahead of Mičánek in the overall second and third places. Dennis Waszek completed the top three of the Zazenit Cup.