Levente Losonczy tried to save the situation until the last moment at the TCR Europe race in Monza, but wheel hit wheel and the steering wheel hit Levi’s hand so badly that he fractured the metacarpal bone. He is now being treated at home and promises to be back to normal by Barcelona.
Levente Losonczy was expecting a tough weekend as, after the TCR Eastern Europe and TCR Italy, he set the bar even higher this time around when he made his debut in the TCR Europe Championship, on its penultimate weekend in Monza.
In preparation, he spent two days in a simulator at Aggressive Team Italia’s headquarters to get to know the Monza circuit, and one day testing with the team’s experienced Spanish driver Pepe Oriola in Cremona.
Levi made a lot of progress over the three days and was looking forward to the first TCR Europe race of his career. In the dry free practice he finished P21 and P22 in a field of 25. In qualifying, in the rain, he finished P22 in the Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
After the start of the first race, in the heavy rain he crashed out. His injury meant he was unable to start the second race on Sunday, but he has reason to be happy.
„I’m fine, thank you,” said Levente Losonczy, „I had my arm in a cast in Italy and I’ve just come back from a magnetic treatment at home. The season-closing TCR Europe race in Barcelona is in two weeks’ time, so I’m 100 percent sure it will be healed by then.
The weekend was really not easy. The field in TCR Italy was strong, but TCR Europe is really the top. Here, anyone in the top 20 is capable of winning at any time. It was a great help to be able to sit next to Pepe Oriola in the test. I’ve made so much progress in just one day, it’s as if I’ve spent a year in a very serious championship.
It also made a big difference that I was able to learn the Monza circuit in a simulator for two days at the Aggressive Team Italia headquarters.
My results probably don’t show how much I’ve improved, but in my first touring car season, it’s also a huge achievement for me to grab the back of the TCR Europe field.
The qualifying was very difficult in dry, rainy conditions, with slicks at the front and rain tyres at the rear. I finished P22 with a safety lap.
It was pouring rain during the race, and after the start there was such a curtain of water in front of me that I couldn’t see more than two metres. I had a good braking distance, but when I stepped on the brakes I saw some cars in front of me. I couldn’t avoid them and hit an Audi.
I tried to save the situation, I didn’t let go of the steering wheel because they would have spun me and it would have been even more trouble. So the wheel hit the wheel, and the steering wheel hit me so hard that I cracked my right metacarpal. I didn’t even feel pain in the car because of the adrenaline, it just started hurting in the pits. That’s when they took me for an X-ray, and it turned out to be fractured.
I expected a better premiere than that, but that’s motor racing. But I am very happy that I have improved so much as a result of the test. I still have a lot to learn to be able to compete with the front runners, but that’s why I’m here. So, see you in Barcelona!”
Cooperation partners of Levente Losonczy
Pillango GmbH and OxxyGenum
