Young Hungarian Tamás Tenke will make his début in the FIA World Touring Car Cup at the Hungaroring this weekend, as he joins the grid with series returnees Zengő Motorsport.
The 22-year-old has already raced one of the Hungarian team’s CUPRA TCR cars in 2019, having competed in the TCR Middle East Series for two rounds earlier in the winter season.
He will make his WTCR début, before joining the TCR Europe series for the rest of the season. As the two events both run on the bill this weekend, and WTCR rules forbid drivers from racing on a circuit on the WTCR calendar before the series visits, Tenke will only be able to take on one of the two series at his home circuit.
“This is a big honour for me and an incredible opportunity,” said Tenke. “I will have a lot to learn and won’t be making any predictions.
“I just want to complete as many laps as possible in practice and qualifying and finish all the races. That would make me satisfied.”
Tenke has previously proven himself in sim racing, an arena in which top Hungarian driver and former Zengő protégé Norbert Michelisz made his name before moving into real touring car racing.
“We are really pleased to be back in WTCR / OSCARO, especially for our home event,” said Team Principal Zoltán Zengő.
“There is no doubt that Tamás will face a steep learning curve but it’s a great chance to experience a very high level of competition and take on new skills that can only help his progress in the sport.
“The wildcard option is a very good one for teams not in the position to commit to a full season. Maybe there will be other opportunities during the year.”
Tenke will not be eligible for points at his home race, due to new sporting regulations introduced for the 2019 WTCR season. He will, however, be subjected to the 20 kg of additional weight for being a non-full-season driver.