46-year-old economist László Palik is a determining character of the Hungarian Formula 1. He has been the commentator of the races for 18 years and the president of the Hungaroring Sport Zrt. since 2001.
He has been playing a deciding role as a media personality for more than 20 years. One of the most outstanding events of his career was at the 2000 Olympic Games when he set up two Guinness records by working continuously as a commentator.
In the 1990's he demonstrated his talents in media management: as a founder of 'Radio Bridge', Hungary's first private radio station, as the creator of the Hungarian version of Eurosport (Europe's number one thematic channel), and as the publisher of 'Autó-Motor', Hungary's most popular automobile magazine.
After he sold his shares at the end of the 1990's, he decided to take part in motorsports as a racer. He first participated as a navigator in the Dakar Rally in January, 2002. Two months later he changed the seat and founded his own motorsport team, the Palik Racing Team which operates within the framework of the RTL MOTORSPORT CLUB of the RTL CLUB television channel.
In 2002 he took part in the World Cup races in Tunisia and Morocco, and in September the same year he seized the 11th standing at the Egypt Rally. The year was closed with the team's first greatest success: they were Hungarian Champions in the diesel category.
In 2003 Palik and his navigator, Gábor Darázsi got the 52nd standing at the 25th Jubilee Dakar Rally, and with their Toyota Land Cruiser they proved to be the best first-time racers in diesel category. After this Dakar race, which has had a determining impact on their later career, they came in 19th at the Morocco World Cup Race, and later they won the 6th standing at the Egypt Rally. At this time, the diesel Toyota was replaced by a Bowler racing car designed for special desert marathon races.
At the 2004 Dakar they fell over due to a breakdown. László Palik broke his right hand, so they had to give up the race. The days spent at the hospital did not decrease his determination. After his recovery he carried out serious technical developments in his team.
Exactly three months after the accident Palik was again at the start line of an international race; this time with a racing car with technically world class parameters, a Nissan Navara. At this race the team achieved excellent results again at the Tunisia World Cup Race: they won the 18th standing from among the 120 racers and 80 finishers, and this had been the best Hungarian result reached at a desert marathon World Cup so far.
In 2004 the team reached the finish line at every race where they were qualified: they came in the best twenty at three World Cup races, and they grabbed the 3rd standing at the Baja Deutschland. Later, they also won the 3rd standing at the Egyptian Pharaoh Rally which is the world's second longest desert race after Dakar.
All this could not have been accomplished without a precisely planned logistical work, technical innovation and excellent professionals.
The most outstanding professionals of Hungary and Middle Eastern Europe implement the technical improvements of the cars. The most important spare parts of the car are made in the same workshops where the world class factory team cars.
Gábor Darázsi is responsible for the technical background of the racing car. He is not only an excellent car mechanic but in the past five years he has also accomplished nearly 80000 kilometres in races as László Palik's navigator.
The 2005 Dakar is the greatest success of the Palik Racing Team so far. Palik, in the overall category, after 11 stages, was at the thrilling 13th standing when finally on the last racing day Palik and his team fell back to the 18th standing due to technical difficulties. With this result they have performed as the best Hungarians ever at the Dakar Race. This standing was also the best Eastern-European result achieved at Dakar so far.
After a short rest another season of races began: at the beginning of April, he won the 10th standing at the Tunisia World Cup Race. Six weeks later, exceeding this result, they seized Hungary's first World Cup point with the 8th standing in combined evaluation. They came in 2nd in their category; only Joan Roma, the multiple Dakar-winner and driver of the professional Mitsubishi factory team overtook them.
After the international success, the Palik - Darázsi duo lined up for the starting line at the Baja Slovakia, the third stage of the Hungarian Champion Series, where they won the Hungarian Championship evaluation.
At the Pharaoh Rally, the fifth race of the 2005 World Cup Series, they achieved one of the greatest successes of Hungarian motor sport history: they won the 2nd standing. This was the first occasion that a Hungarian racer could stand on the podium in a World Cup event.
At the end of the 2005 race season, the competitors of the Palik Racing Team seized the 9th standing in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup Series, overtaking two-time Dakar-winner Maszuoka Hiroshi, racer of the Mitsubishi factory team, and his team-mate, Joan „Nani” Roma who triumphed with a motorbike in 2004. In this year the PRT competitors were the world's most productive Nissan duo.
The 2006 Dakar brought an unexpected dramatic turning point in the team's life. On a European connection stage the so far reliably working engine broke down so that the team had to withdraw from the competition. This failure further strengthened the desperation of the team, and thus, after a purposeful and precise preparation, other outstanding international successes followed.
As part of the international sprint cross country rally at the Spanish Baja they grabbed the thrilling 4th place among the 108 racers. At this race they were the best Nissan duo winning the first Hungarian World Cup points and the first Hungarian points in this sport series. In October, 2006 at the Portugal Baja, the next event of the Cup series, out of more than 130 starters they seized the 8th standing thus receiving more valuable points. The team finished 27th at the 2007 Dakar race and is currently preparing in full steam for the 2008 Lisboa - Dakar race debuting with a brand new race car and assistance truck, renewed image and a widened range of sponsors.
Or rather, they would have debuted if the organizers had not cancelled the race. So the team had to find other challenges. They made up a busy race schedule with the unconcealed intention of reaching very good results in the national championship and in the Sprint World Cup Series as well. The hard work began, and it had its results: the Palik – Darázsi duo secured its victory one race before the end of the national season, this way winning the championship. The duo competed excellently in international races as well. Although their Nissan turned over on the first day of the Central European Rally, also called 'the Hungarian Dakar', after that, they were the fastest among the Hungarian racers, while after four races in the World Cup Series, they have the 4th standing at the moment.
László Palik and Gábor Darázsi won the Hungarian Cross Country Championship and they finished in the overall 6th position in the Baja Series . The National Automobilesport Federation of Hungary elected the duo in 2008 as the Race Driver of the Year.
