In what is one of the biggest tragedies in Hungarian motorsport history, four spectators were killed at the Esztergom–Nyerges rally in the northern part of Hungary on Sunday, 24 March. One of the drivers drifted off the road and accidentally rammed his vehicle into a crowd of onlookers. In addition to the four dead, eight people were also injured.
The tragic incident was captured on camera and shared on social media.
Evidently, the race was called off after the fatal accident. The organizer Arrabona Rally Club first issued a brief public statement on their social media, announcing the suspension of the race, which they then followed up with the announcement of its official cancelation, then by sharing a public statement from the Hungarian National Auto Sport Association (MNASZ). The MNASZ statement read:
‘On the second day of the 11th Esztergom–Nyerges Rally, due to an unfortunate accident on the Lábatlan–Baja high-speed stage, the organizers have interrupted the competition.
Eight ambulances and four rescue helicopters arrived on the scene to rescue the spectators involved in the accident. Unfortunately, four people’s lives could not be saved, one child was taken to hospital with serious life-threatening injuries, one person with serious injuries and six people (including one child) with minor injuries.
It is up to the authorities to clarify the circumstances.
The Hungarian National Auto Sport Association expresses its condolences to the victims and their families. The circumstances of the accident is being investigated immediately by the MNASZ, in cooperation with the authorities. Until the investigation has been completed, the race organizers do not wish to provide any further information or make any further statements regarding the accident.’
Nemzetisportonline.hu reached out to Tibor Érdi Jr, one of the experienced drivers competing in the race, to describe the tragic accident from his perspective. He had this to say:
‘We were already the furthest away from the scene of the accident when the news came, which of course came as a shock to us all. We knew that the race would be cancelled, but that was completely understandable out of respect for the victims, and nobody wanted to continue anyway. It’s a terrible thing… I’ve hit a spectator myself, although fortunately he escaped with an injury, but it was still very emotional, so I feel the pain of my fellow competitors, not to mention their families.’
News of the incident has been picked up by the international news media, such as CNN, The Guardian, and the Daily Mail.
Motorsport is very popular in Hungary, despite its dangerous nature. The Hungarian Grand Prix, a Formula One racing event, has been held annually in Mogyoród, Hungary since 1986. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a fatality has happened at a Hungarian rally event. In August 2023, race driver Csaba Nemes passed away in an accident during the Veszprém Rally. Three years earlier, in August 2020, navigator Zsolt Tóth lost his life in another collision at the Miskolc Rally.
