16 October 2026. Norbert Kiss won a record eighth Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship title. The Révész Racing driver talked about this season's success, the team and the support of Hungarian fans.
You are an eight-time Goodyear FIA ETRC champion. What does this success mean to you?
It feels great, and I am proud of the whole Révész Racing team. They work incredibly hard and give me a superb truck at every race, which always makes my job easier. I am grateful to team owner Bálint Révész for giving us this opportunity and for allowing us to compete at this level.
We had a fantastic season. Weekend after weekend, step by step, we built our lead, and we sealed the title at Le Mans – one of my favourite tracks – with a win. I am always proud when we do not finish the championship fight in fourth or fifth. The team did an incredible job, and I am proud of the last few years as well: we have kept this level, and so far nobody has been able to catch us.
Beyond the teamwork, you also delivered outstanding performances this year. Several times you won races by overtaking from almost impossible positions. Your driving was exceptional too, so the recognition is yours as well.
It is nice when what I do also looks spectacular from the outside. I enjoy racing, and I am proud of some of our reversed-grid races too – for example when René Reinert and I finished side by side at the Slovakia Ring, or the overtakes we made in the rain at Zolder.
I try to perform at the highest level while also enjoying the racing, because that matters a lot. It is easy to say you enjoy it when you are the fastest and win the championship. I have had less successful seasons as well, but I enjoyed those too and learned a lot from them. I always say: either you win, or you learn. As a driver I have developed a lot in recent years.
I try to stay out of trouble and not hit anyone, but it is also important to make the overtakes. That is fun for me, and I hope the spectators enjoy those races when I am trying to pass. I certainly enjoy them a lot.
Hungarian fans follow you everywhere. When you secured the title at Le Mans, a Hungarian flag was flying on the pit wall. How does that support feel?
It is fantastic. I also saw Hungarian flags in the grandstands, including one with an eight in the middle. It was great to see.
Hungary is not one of the biggest motorsport nations, and there are not many Hungarian drivers at the top of international racing. In the highest categories Norbert Michelisz and I represent Hungary. But we are not only there as Hungarian drivers: we compete as a fully Hungarian team, with a Hungarian background, Hungarian mechanics and engineers. We also build the race truck in our own workshop in Hungary.
I am very proud of that. It feels especially good that, coming from such a small motorsport nation, we can still succeed at international level.
In the 2026 Goodyear FIA ETRC season you took pole position in every qualifying session. What does that result mean to you?
I am very satisfied with our whole season. The team prepared the truck perfectly for every condition. It is a special achievement if someone can start from first on every qualifying, because that is usually very difficult. This time, though, we did a superb job.
Reliability was key, alongside the strong performance of course. We tried not to make mistakes and always get the maximum out of the truck. Qualifying lasts five minutes and is basically built around a single flying lap. You can try a second lap, but by then everything overheats, so it rarely works well. You have to know how far you can go and not overstep your limits. Usually you get a better result at 99 percent than if you overdrive.
Besides your eighth title, you won 20 of the 28 races this year. Your 20th win came in race three at Jarama. How do you think you managed that?
A good start is always crucial. You have to brake confidently before the first corner to get ahead. The Révész Racing team did a great job there too. Even though we had already won the championship at Le Mans, we arrived at Jarama well prepared and got the maximum out of it there as well. We took pole, won the race, our pace was strong and the tyres worked well until the end. We are very satisfied.
The start was not particularly good: Jochen Hahn and I ran side by side. Braking before the first corner decided it. Pole usually means the inside line, which gives an advantage to whoever starts from there – and I mostly started from pole. The first corner is always very important.