Hungarian Rally driver Lukacs Kornel will make the switch to Rallycross this year as he confirmed to the FIA World Rallycross Championship website that he will compete in the 2016 FIA European Rallycross Championship.

Kornel, who finished as runner-up in the two-wheel drive category in the 2013 FIA European Rally Championship and recently competed in the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, will drive a Mk3 Ford Focus Supercar that he has purchased from renowned Belgian Rallycross driver Koen Pauwels.

The Hungarian driver is very excited ahead of his FIA EuroRX but and feels that Rallycross is the place to be: “I will race a brilliant Ford Focus that we’ve bought from Koen Pauwels this year,” said Kornel. “We tried to choose a car that has all the best parts. I’ve finished rallying. With my driving style, rallycross is the best way for the future for me. I like the idea of a sprint race, you can save nothing, you just drive as fast as you can! This is the future of car racing.”

Kornel’s main focus for 2016 will be EuroRX, however he will be competing in other events as well. Due to the bad weather conditions in Hungary recently, the team has not had a chance to test the Ford Focus, however he remains hopeful this will change before the opening event in Belgium: “Unfortunately now in Hungary we have a lot of snow, so now there is no chance to test. As much I can, I spend a lot of time in the workshop to sit in the car, hold the steering wheel and dream about racing in Euro RX. I hope I can do some tests before the first Euro RX race in Belgium.”

The Hungarian is well aware of the difficult year that is ahead of him, however Kornel has also made his long term goals in European and World Rallycross very clear: “I want to be the best that I can. Since I was five years old, I’ve wanted to be a world champion. I hope I can show my potential in Euro RX and hopefully later move into World RX. I want to use this year to earn a lot of experience, and to know what I need to do for a good championship result in 2017.”

The 2016 FIA European Rallycross Championship kicks off at the Circuit Jules Tacheny at Mettet in Belgium on 13-15 May.