WTCC boss puts high praise on ETCC star Mat’o Homola

WTCC general manager François Ribeiro has said that FIA European Touring Car Cup driver Mat’o Homola is a future racing star, and hopes that the young Slovakian will be able to make the step up to the FIA World Touring Car Championship in 2016.

Homola made his debut in his home race at the Slovakiaring in 2012 at the age of 17, driving a BMW 320si in the Super 2000 class. He went on to win three races in 2013 on his way to second in the standings behind Czech driver Petr Fulín, and won another race last year in the TC2T class in the unflavoured BMW 320 TC against the might of Campos’ Chevrolet Cruzes, again finishing second in the standings.

The now 20-year-old returns to fight for the ETCC title, in what’s set to be the most competitive class in the series this season, the Single-Make Trophy class for the SEAT León Cup Racer type cars, where his chief competition is likely to come from former champion Petr Fulín, SMT class regular Andreas Pfister, and now former WTCC driver Dusan Borkovic.

“I would love to have (Homola) in the WTCC,” said Ribeiro to TouringCarTimes. “He’s still young, but next year will probably be the right time for him to step up to the WTCC.

“We’re helping him with the Slovakian Federation. We’ve gone to the Slovakian government with him and said you’ve got Slovakian athletes in winter sports, in athletics, why don’t we try to do with Homola what Hungarian government and MOL have done with Norbert (Michelisz)? I think he has the right profile to come to the WTCC.”

The 2015 FIA European Touring Car Cup starts this weekend in support of the WTCC at the Hungaroring.