Kárai ‘headed in the right direction’ as Hungarian targets podium’s highest step

Three times a European Autocross Champion, Kárai made his Euro RX debut at Mettet in 2015, immediately ascending the podium in the headlining Supercar division. After switching from Škoda to Audi machinery, he returned to the rostrum at Lohéac in 2019 and has since tallied four further top three results. 

The Orosháza native secured a career-high fifth in the standings in both 2022 and 2023, and while he made just a brace of appearances last year – on home soil at Nyirád and in the final round in Istanbul – he was once again firmly in the mix. In Türkiye, he improved upon his previous quintet of third-place finishes by scooping the runner-up spoils courtesy of a characteristically committed and combative display. 

Indeed, he might have turned 52 last October, but age has clearly not dimmed either his speed or his fighting spirit – if anything, he is faster and feistier than ever. He is determined to continue having his say after signing up to contest another full season in what will be the biggest top-tier field in the European Championship in almost a decade.

“I expect a lot of tough battles, which will be great for the drivers and the fans!” enthused Kárai, who has additionally entered sporadic World RX events since 2014, advancing to the semi-final stage in all three of his outings in 2021.

“We will be competing on proper rallycross circuits. Nyirád is obviously my home turf, I really like Rīga and in recent years, I’ve been racing at Lohéac in the French Championship. That’s a good track for me and my car, and they are also my son’s favourite circuits on the PlayStation, so I have to perform well there!

“We had really good performance over the second half of last season and we are headed in the right direction with the Audi, which gives me a good feeling. Our developments for 2026 look really promising, so I’m optimistic about our chances – and about the future of the championship, too.

“I haven’t participated in a race for months, so it’s about time – I’ve been missing that feeling! Every year, my goal is to achieve podium finishes, and that hasn’t changed – and after coming so close at the end of last season, we have to be targeting the top step!”

Following the opening round of the campaign at the historic Biķernieku trase in the Latvian capital of Rīga on 9-10 May, participants will go on to lock horns at Nyirád in Hungary (30-31 May), Höljes in Sweden (4-5 July), Mondello Park in Ireland (18-19 July), Lohéac in France (29-30 August) and finally Lousada in Portugal, where champions will be crowned on 12-13 September.