Trepák: ‘Surreal’ to be fighting at the front on ‘amazing’ Euro RX1 debut

Twelve months earlier, Trepák had already marked himself out as one to watch by starring on his maiden international rallycross appearance in the Euro RX3 category at Nyirád, placing second to two-time Super1600 champion and former FIA World Rallycross Championship podium-finisher Krisztián Szabó in his first heat race and continuing to impress weekend-long.

Fast forward to 2025, and the Hungarian – who only began competing in any form of motorsport two years ago – returned to the ‘Red Cauldron’ to test his mettle against Europe’s crème de la crème once more, but this time at the highest level and having upgraded his Renault Twingo to an ex-GCK Motorsport World RX Renault Mégane run by TRX Motorsport. Right from the outset, he was a contender.

In free practice, Trepák wound up fourth, a scant 0.056secs shy of the top spot. He then stunned the opposition in his first heat race as he belied his lack of experience to pip seasoned campaigners Damian Litwinowicz and Tamás Kárai to victory, going quickest overall amongst the 13 high-calibre Euro RX1 protagonists – to the tune of almost two seconds – and even outpacing all of the World RX competitors bar Johan Kristoffersson.

Indeed, his best lap was barely a quarter-of-a-second adrift of the benchmark set by the seven-time world champion, and the 19-year-old was on fine form again in heat two, battling back to finish second after running too deep into Turn One and finding himself hung out to dry at the start.

His gritty effort saw Trepák tied on points with Litwinowicz at the summit of the overnight standings, and he continued to hold his own against the championship’s heavy-hitters in heat three the next day, despite getting caught up in traffic. 

A puncture picked up in opening lap contact in heat four stunted his charge somewhat, although he still cemented third spot in the intermediate classification behind title-chasing duo Mika Liimatainen and Litwinowicz. A clash with championship leader Yury Belevskiy at the beginning of the semi-final, however, left the Újszilvás native buried in the barriers on the exit of Turn Two – and his stellar weekend came to a premature conclusion.

Notwithstanding the early bath, Trepák’s overall performance had 2019 world championship runner-up Andreas Bakkerud waxing lyrical in the commentary box – and the man behind the wheel is similarly justifiably proud of what he achieved. 

“We left Nyirád with some super experiences,” acknowledged the teenage prodigy, who currently leads the Hungarian Rallycross Championship at the midway stage of proceedings. “It was the biggest rollercoaster weekend of my career, with so many ups-and-downs!

“On the Saturday, in free practice, we saw we had great pace compared to the series regulars. I then got a phenomenal launch in heat one and it was absolutely surreal to be fighting at the front of the pack in my first serious international race at Euro RX1 level, going head-to-head with the big names. To set the second-fastest time outright, just behind a seven-time world champion was incredible! 

“Unfortunately, our luck disappeared the next day as our weekend turned upside-down. In heat three, I made a poor move after the start which dropped me to the back of the field and in heat four, I got a puncture due to a collision.

“Then in the semi-final, my fate was pretty much sealed in the first two corners. We started from the outside of the front row and I tried to get into a good position by Turn One but I got pushed into the wall – twice! Sadly, our challenge ended there but that’s how racing goes sometimes and there’s absolutely no reason to be upset or discouraged.

“It was an amazing feeling to compete against top drivers throughout the weekend and I gained so many new fans. I’m beyond grateful for all the love and support I received from them – that gave me such a boost – and I’m incredibly proud of my small, private, family-run team. We really held our own amongst the best out there!

“The goal for the remainder of this year is to finish the Hungarian Championship, and then next year, we’ll see where the road takes us...”