Kelly family enjoyed their first Hungarian adventure

MOY’S Frank Kelly and daughter, Lauren, enjoyed a gruelling outing in Hungary at the Greenplan Kazincbarcika Rally where they had to overcome searing conditions and tricky surfaces.

On board their trusty Mk II Ford Escort, ‘Baby Blue’, the Kelly crew finished all nine stages in stifling heat and on the treacherous ‘white asphalt’ to come home second in the ‘All Star’ class, 7.6 seconds behind the Lada of Zoltan Kovacs.

“It was great to get over the finish ramp in one piece. Fantastic support from all the crazy Hungarian spectators,” beamed Frank after returning home.

“The Lada men leave nothing behind that’s for sure. A lot of quarter panels and roof skins required. Can’t remember the last time I saw so many cars off the road.”

Throughout their stay in Hungary, the Kellys, like the natives, had to cope with a heatwave in the area which saw temperatures of up to 40 degrees centigrade. That was magnified inside the car, which made things very difficult.

“We had to be very careful that we didn’t pass out,” Frank explained.

“Hydration was important and we worked very hard on that and we were literally pouring bottles of water over ourselves on the road sections.

“Lauren would soak her balaclava in water before she put it on and it worked well, we kept our noses clean and worked the best we could but keeping the car cool was another issue.”

As well as the heat, the Kellys had to keep an eye on the road surfaces in Hungary too.

“It was weird, they have what they call ‘white asphalt’, which is what the locals call it,” Frank explained. “We were warned before the rally to keep and eye out for it because you would have more grip and more traction on a wet Irish tarmac day than that in those conditions.

“It’s so deceptive and it’s crazy to watch and on the first loop we had gravel tyres on but we had to change them otherwise we were going to have a huge accident.

“It’s akin to rallying on a granite kitchen work surface, it’s so slippy, we had no grip!”

And those conditions meant that it wasn’t just the visitors who were struggling, so too were the local competitors in their suped up Ladas.

“There were Ladas scattered all over the countryside,” Frank laughed. “They’re mad! We had proper rally notes made, like we do anywhere we go because it’s too dangerous but anywhere I had a caution noted there were three or four Ladas stuck in trees or bushes, they just seemed to throw them at the scenery!”

All of that, the insane local drivers, the heat and the slippery roads made it a weekend Frank and Lauren will never forget.

“It was funny, it was scary, it was an unbelievable experience,” he beamed.

“It was brutal warm but I’d go back in the morning. We had a fantastic reception, the Hungarians, especially the rally community, are so welcoming.

“It was great to go to a country I’ve never been to before and to be accepted so well. They went out of their way to make you feel welcome.”

The Kelly family’s European adventures are set to continue over the next few months with Lithuania the likely next stop in August, followed by Rally Special in Belgium, Rally Legend in San Marino and Portugal’s version of Rally Legend in November.