Zengö aiming to be back at the front in 2017

After a transitional year after losing star driver Norbert Michelisz to the factory Honda team in 2016, Zengö Motorsport are aiming to be back at the front with an updated Honda Civic and a driver capable of battling at the front of the pack in Aurélien Panis.

The team ran two cars during the course of 2016, with an older-specification engine, with rookie drivers Ferenc Ficza and Daniel Nagy.

Ficza took a points finish in Russia, losing the point he scored at his home race after all the Civics were disqualified due to a technical irregularity.

Although one of Ficza or Nagy look set to stay with the team for this year, the team will field their first non-Hungarian driver after signing Aurélien Panis, son of one-time Formula 1 race winner Olivier, to their line-up.

“We wanted to get back under the spotlight, where we once were with Norbert Michelisz,” said team principal Zoltan Zengö to M4Sport.

“It is important that this year we will have all the latest updates from the factory, and it was important to have driver who makes Honda interested in this support.

“When (WTCC promoter) Francois Ribeiro called me and said he had an idea about our future line-up, I told him he should first ask Honda if we can have the latest specification of the Civic, otherwise it would not make much sense. Honda liked the idea and it became possible to create a new situation which enables us to be successful again.”

Zengö added the aim of Panis’s signing is not just about attention from having a driver with a famous name, but one that can bring results to the team which were race winners with Michelisz from their first season in 2010.

“Aurélien is a drop of fresh blood for WTCC,” explained Zengö. I feel the World Championship is a bit down these years, and Eurosport Events try the shake up things with big names and well-known drivers. The name Panis is capable of drawing attention to the series, and can put the spotlight on Zengő Motorsport too.”