Sólyom Team’s HAWKIA arrived from the roadworthiness test in the Czech Republic to Kapuvár with a damaged engine. It turned out that during the CO test the environmental protection examiner ran the cold engine at 6000 – 8000 rpm and that caused that the cylinder-head broke.
Friday
After this, the team planned to forfait on Friday and on Saturday after one completed special starts to repair the engine. The smile of the crew Sólyom – Galbács wasn’t unclouded in the service park after having to forfait right at the start ceremony.
Olivér Sólyom: “It’s phenomenal that something always happens to us. Finally we managed to get the car ready and someone else ruins it! Anyway, we don’t go home, we fight until the end!”
Mátyás Galbács: “Under the given circumstances we made the best possible decision.”
Saturday
The horribly bad roadbook and the error of the Sentinel system together caused the withdrawal of the crew Sólyom – Galbács. Because of the cautious pace, the first was marked by overtakings. But the Sentinel in HAWKIA didn’t work Olivér could only notice the overtaking intentions from the mirror. One of the Polish cars even hit the yellow-black racecar in the back, which caused power-supply failure in the HAWKIA. After some reparation it turned out that both terratrips broke down. After this, driving blind, without distance measurement, a poorly marked bridge caused the withdrawal of the crew of Sólyom Team.
Olivér Sólyom: “Sentinel out – Michal Krotiuk – Robert Layzwa crash – electricity out – electricity back – distance measurement out – bridge comes – HAWKIA out! The bridge was marked as a jump but in reality it was a step up. When I realised it I braked so I hit the braked wheels. The front left tower broke and bent on the steering rod so the car became uncontrollable. That was the moment that destroyed all our hopes to complete the rally.”
Mátyás Galbács: “I said to Olivér that at some time we’ll get to a bridge with a jump, he answered ‘We can fly!’ At the bridge I was thinking about the problem of the terratrips so I also noticed too late that it was not a jump but a step in concrete.”
The German crew of Sólyom Team, Björn Hrabal and Walter Hrabal finished III. Admiral Rábaköz Cup successfully.
Björn Hrabal: “We always had a great time in Hungary, also this time. The atmosphere was very good at the rally!”
