4th UNI Győr Rally – My First Győr Rally

After photographing rallies across Europe in recent years, it was finally time to experience a major rally on home soil. The 4th UNI Győr Rally was my first visit to the event, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable and memorable weekend.

Held around Győr on 11–12 September, the rally offered a varied two-day programme, combining the spectacle of a city-centre stage with the very different challenges of the RábaRing and the Tényő–Ravazd stages.

The event got underway on Friday evening with the 2.85-kilometre Metabond City Stage in the heart of Győr. Running through the city under the evening lights, the stage provided a spectacular opening to the weekend and gave the large crowds a chance to see the rally cars at close quarters.

Klausz Kristóf and Bán Viktor set the fastest time on the opening stage in their Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, with the leading crews separated by only small margins.

Saturday Brings a Bigger Challenge

Saturday was a much bigger challenge. The crews headed out early in the morning for the Tényő–Ravazd stage before moving on to the RábaRing. The two stages formed the backbone of the day’s competition, with the RábaRing run three times and the countryside stage completed in both directions. With almost 100 kilometres of competitive running, there was little opportunity for the crews to relax.

The RábaRing in particular offered something very different from the Friday night city stage. The circuit environment allowed the spectators to get close to the action, while the repeated runs meant that the crews had to balance outright pace with consistency throughout the day.

The Tényő–Ravazd and Ravazd–Tényő stages, meanwhile, brought the more traditional rally atmosphere, with the cars disappearing into the countryside and the drivers having to deal with a completely different type of challenge.

Vincze Ferenc and Kocsis György proved to be the combination to beat. After a strong Saturday in their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, they took overall victory by 47.2 seconds from #6 Klausz Kristóf and Bán Viktor, with #2 Tóth Tibor and Szabó József completing the overall podium.

The Historic field added another dimension to the weekend, with the older machinery providing plenty of character and spectacle. Ifj. Érdi Tibor and Kerék István were particularly impressive, winning every stage on their way to victory in the Historic category.

More Than Just the Results

For me, however, the results were only part of the story.

One of the things I enjoyed most about my first Győr Rally was the atmosphere. There were plenty of spectators throughout the weekend, and it was clear that the event had attracted a strong following.

The RábaRing was particularly enjoyable from a photographer’s point of view. The layout offered plenty of different opportunities to capture the cars, while the proximity of the spectators to the action created a great atmosphere around the circuit.

The organisation also deserves credit. Spectators had everything they needed for a comfortable day at the rally, from food and drinks to toilets and well-organised spectator areas. These things might seem like small details, but they make a huge difference to the overall experience of an event.

Even the parking arrangements were well thought out. As a photographer, I was happy to have relatively easy access to the action, but more importantly, spectators were also able to park close to the venue. Nobody needed to walk several kilometres simply to reach the spectator areas.

That accessibility made the whole weekend feel much more enjoyable. A successful rally is not only about what happens between the start and finish lines. It is also about the people watching, the atmosphere around the stages and how easy it is for everyone to be part of the event.

And the UNI Győr Rally got that balance right.

A First Győr Rally to Remember

For me, finally getting to photograph a Hungarian rally was something I had been looking forward to for a long time. After travelling to events in several different countries, it was great to spend a weekend capturing the sport closer to home and seeing the Hungarian rally scene from behind the camera.

The 4th UNI Győr Rally gave me a very positive first impression. Fast cars, enthusiastic spectators, a great atmosphere and an organisation that made the event enjoyable for both photographers and fans.

It was certainly a weekend to remember — and hopefully, my first Győr Rally will not be my last.

Pos	Driver / Co-driver	Car	Time / Gap
1	Vincze Ferenc / Kocsis György	Škoda Fabia RS Rally2	53:46.6
2	Klaus Kristóf / Bán Viktor	Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo	+47.2s
3	Tóth Tibor / Szabó József	Škoda Fabia RS Rally2	+1:30.0
4	László Martin / Zsiros Gábor	Škoda Fabia RS Rally2	+1:34.7
5	Cseh Vilmos / Németh Gergely	Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo	+2:07.8
6	Bodolai László / Deák Attila	Ford Fiesta R5 MkII	+2:28.5

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