Trepák takes ‘a lot of confidence’ from outstanding Euro RX3 debut

Trepák only began competing in 2023 in amateur events on the domestic scene, and is currently contesting Hungary’s Super Touring Cars – 2000 category in a Renault Clio. That made him one of the most inexperienced drivers in the Euro RX3 field in the ‘Red Cauldron’, with the car he was piloting for the weekend – a Speedy Racing-prepared Suzuki Swift – similarly new to him. It did not hold him back.

In heat one, the 18-year-old impressively withstood an attack from two-time former European Champion and World RX podium-finisher Krisztián Szabó at the start, holding his countryman at bay for the opening lap-and-a-half until Szabó dived into the joker and thereafter keeping the Audi driver in his sights right to the chequered flag.

Trepák was unable to take advantage of a stellar getaway from the outside line in heat two, but he hounded André Sousa throughout on his way to a third-place finish. He subsequently survived minor contact with overnight leader Dominik Senegacnik in heat three as he continued to take the fight to his more seasoned adversaries, before producing another lightning launch from the middle of the grid in heat four to outfox title protagonist João Ribeiro into the first corner.

Despite having to narrowly give best to his Portuguese rival once the jokers were complete, the Újszilvás native looked comfortable in second until technical issues caused him to slow on the last lap – but he had nonetheless done enough to secure an excellent sixth position in the intermediate Ranking amongst the 14 Euro RX3 competitors.

After thinking about trying a move on Szabó into Turn One, Trepák then completed his weekend’s work with a fifth-place finish in his semi-final, leaving him ninth overall and third-best of the six Hungarian entrants, notably ahead of Höljes podium-finisher Sámuel Kovács. It has certainly whetted his appetite for more...

“I didn’t have any specific goals going into the weekend, because I knew how much experience I was lacking compared to the others,” reflected the teenage prodigy. “I wasn’t completely used to the car either, so I just wanted to feel good and present myself well to the audience while trying to make the most of every given situation.

“I managed to take the lead with a very good start in heat one, but Szabó was faster and deserved the victory. He is a very experienced and successful driver with a sensational car so I didn’t even consider him a realistic opponent – it was a big surprise that I wasn’t too far behind a two-time champion!

“Before the weekend, I thought I would be one of the slowest on the track due to my lack of experience, so to finish ninth overall was a surprisingly good result. I take a lot of confidence from that, and I definitely want to compete in Euro RX again in the future when budget allows.”