Photo: TCR

Dániel Nagy announces split from M1RA

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Dániel Nagy will miss the latest round of the TCR Europe series this weekend after announcing that he has taken the decision to split with the M1RA team.

The 21-year-old was in his second season in the series with the Hungarian team but has endured a challenging campaign to date, with a best finish of third on home soil at the Hungaroring during the season opener being one of few highlights on track.

Nagy currently sits 14th in the standings having failed to score in four of the six races since then, and has taken the decision to split with the team on the eve of the fifth meeting of the campaign at Oschersleben.

“Unfortunately, this season did not turn out as we imagined,” he said. “Due to a lack of success in recent times we have decided to split with M1RA. We are looking for a solution to get back into a race car as soon as possible.”

The late nature of the decision means M1RA is now likely to field just a single Hyundai i30 N TCR in Germany for title contender Luca Engstler, who sits second in the standings following his first win of the year at the Red Bull Ring last time out.

In a statement, the team admitted it was surprised by Nagy’s decision and would work to find a replacement for in order to maintain its bid for the 2019 titles.

“Shortly before the German round of TCR Europe, we were informed that Dániel Nagy and his father had decided that he would not go to Oschersleben,” it read. “We have taken note of their decision and will respect it.

“We enjoyed a second place finish in WTCR in Hungary and celebrated Dani’s first international victory in Assen last year, and started 2019 with a podium in TCR Europe. Although the season has been more difficult, we still believe in Dani’s abilities and that we had a good chance of further success together – including this weekend at Oschersleben.

“We now have to focus on the race ahead of us with Luca as we fight to win TCR Europe. Meanwhile, we’re working on replacing Dani, which is important for keeping our team championship chances alive.”