2022 – Where It All Began

It all started completely by accident.

In 2022, Dad had something to do near FIBO Karting in Nové Zámky. While we were there, I heard a noise coming from the kart track.

I was curious, so I asked Dad if we could go and see what was happening.

That was already a little strange.

Until then, I was scared of almost everything that was loud. I was even scared of the sound of a cordless drill. 😄

Dad took me inside and, of course, I immediately wanted to try a go-kart.

I was too young to drive on my own, but they let me sit on Dad's lap for one slow lap. For safety, nobody else was driving on the track at the time.

We started.

And I completely froze.

I didn't talk. I didn't move. I just sat there on Dad's lap.

Dad thought I was scared. He probably thought I was about to cry.

He stopped and told me that it was OK if I was afraid. We didn't even have to finish the lap. We could stop right there.

Although I think he probably just wanted to drive the kart a little more himself. 😄

I looked at him, smiled and said:

“This is awesome!”

That's How It Started

After that, we started going to FIBO Karting regularly. Dad drove in front of me and I tried to follow him.

Then an opportunity came that changed everything.

ROTU Karting Team was looking for young drivers and they offered me the chance to try a real racing kart.

I was six years old.

That's how I got to my first outdoor karting practice.

Of course, I didn't have proper karting gear yet. I didn't have my own racing suit or helmet. We borrowed whatever we could.

And my first “racing suit”?

My winter jacket. 😄

At that time, nobody knew if this would really turn into racing. I just got a chance to try it.

And I liked it.

A lot.

After that, everything happened pretty quickly.

My First Race

On April 15, 2022, I started my first kart race at Slovakia Ring.

Everything was new. The start, the other drivers, fighting for positions and the whole racing environment.

That year I was learning and racing in two categories: E-bambini and Baby 50.

Nobody expected me to win. I had a lot to learn.

Drive. Watch. Make mistakes. Try again.

And wait for the next race.

One Day Before My Second Race...

One day before my second kart race, I managed to do something that had absolutely nothing to do with motorsport.

I fell off a climbing frame.

I broke my elbow.

Instead of going to my next race, I had a very different program.

My first karting season had only just started and I already had to take a break. I missed two races.

That wasn't exactly how I imagined my first season.

But I definitely didn't want to stop.

I'm Back

As soon as I could, I got back into the kart.

In July 2022, I was back on the starting grid at Bruck an der Leitha.

We could continue what we had started in the spring.

Bruck, Trebatice, Slovakia Ring...

More laps, more experience and more situations that I knew nothing about just a few months earlier.

And slowly, the results started to come too.

In August at Trebatice, I made it onto the podium:

E-bambini – P2 🥈

Baby 50 – P3 🥉

During practice, I also got the chance to try a faster kart from a higher category.

The End of My First Season

When 2022 started, we didn't even know that this would become racing.

We didn't have a big plan.

We didn't have a plan for the next few years.

We weren't talking about international races or about racing in Italy against some of the best young drivers in Europe one day.

I was just a six-year-old kid who used to be scared of loud noises. Then one day I heard the karts at FIBO Karting in Nové Zámky and wanted to know what they were.

By the end of my first season, I finished:

E-bambini – 3rd overall 🥉

Baby 50 – 5th overall

I had my first practice.

My first race.

My first broken elbow. 😄

My first forced break.

My first comeback.

My first podiums.

And my first trophy at the end of a season.

But when I think about 2022, maybe none of those things is my most important memory.

It's still that very first lap.

Sitting on Dad's lap.

When he thought I was scared and wanted to stop.

I just looked at him, smiled and said:

“This is awesome!”

And the rest is history. 💜🏁