A horrific accident that resulted in the deaths of three people and another severely injured, occurred on Sunday, 02 May 2004, on the Rába-ring proving ground circuit, located near the village of Écs, close to the Hungarian border with Slovakia.
Three Hungarian racers were killed during an official test before the start of an amateur rally, a round of the 2004 Magyar Persped Ezerjó Kupa Amatőr Területi Rallyesprint Bajnokság (Hungarian Persped Ezerjó Cup Amateur Regional Rallyesprint Championship). Two crews participating in the rally were allowed to test their cars on the Rába-ring, in their Lada touring cars.
The two cars collided head-on on the banked parabolic corner of the course, at a speed of about 140 km/h (87 mi/h). The drivers, Tamás Varga, 26, who was at the wheel of the blue car, and the 25-year-old driver of the white car, were killed instantly. Both their co-drivers were transported to Győr hospital, where one of them succumbed to his injuries the next day. The deceased was the unnamed co-driver in the white Lada. The only survivor of the huge accident was Béla Szász, who was co-driving to Varga in the blue Lada.
According to local authorities, only certain segments of the Rába-ring were opened to be used for test, and the parabolic corner where the fatal accident happened, was not included. Owing to the tragedy, the event was canceled.
Albeit not yet confirmed, the most likely conclusion based on the available sources is that the deceased driver in the white Lada was named Szalay. The names of the other victim was not released.
R.I.P
