Name: Viktor Szabó
Age: 27
Location: Budapest, Hungary
V-WTCC car: Seat
V-WTCC achievement: Winner of the Seat Brand Cup Race at Brno

You won a Brand Cup event. Tell us your story of the races.
To my surprise (considering the little time I had to practice) I qualified in 2nd place, behind Zsolt Prezsnyák, so it was an all Hungarian front row. He blew the start and I was off in to the lead. The first couple of turns were tight, I felt some pressure from 2nd placed driver Gregory Degreef, who was very fair and left me enough space to retake the lead on the outside. Then, after the first lap, I was just pulling away from the pack.
2nd race was supposed to be more interesting as I started in 8th. I got away alright, but I was too careful and fell back to last place in the 1st lap. However my patience paid off as the others spun and took each other out. Shortly after that I was up to 3rd, where Ádám Rácz was delaying my run to the front by very defensive driving. In the 5th lap I did a “Hamilton” as I touched the pit limiter accidentally, but it didn’t cost me any positions. Eventually I got past Ádám and secured 2nd place, which meant the overall victory for me as well.

How did you prepare for the races?
I downloaded the demo, tweaked the setup a lot for the BMW, practiced on maybe 2 or 3 evenings. I was looking for a good race setup, which was easy to drive. I managed to get 3rd place in the demo race, which meant I won the full version of the game! Next morning I tried it for the first time and I had to put up with the SEAT instead of the BMW, but it worked out eventually by the looks of things.

How did you become a simracer?
I loved racing games from my Commodore 64 times. On the PC the F1 GP Series were my first sims [simracing games – ed.], but in terms of modern simulators Live For Speed is what brought me to this scene in June 2003.

Are you a real racer as well?
No, I am not and I do not plan to be either as it would take a lot of money to become one. However, I would love to race in real life as well.

What are your expectations for the Semi-Finals in Brno?
No chance against the BMW’s, so to get into the top 8 would be a great achievement for me.

Do you have any tips for new drivers?
Brake earlier than the guy in front of you, so you do not punt him off the track.

Who will win the V-WTCC 2008?
Somebody in a BMW.