“A smile carries the power of perseverance”
En bref
- The Dakar has always been a dream for Peter Hamza but this owner of a car service and tire shop in Hungary had to wait until 2025 to get everything sorted with the opportunity of the Dakar Classic.
- Hamza has a passion for offroad and everything that appears to be adventurous. Not a surprise that he took part and won events like the Baja 4000 and the Budapest to Bamako rally.
- For his first appearance on the Dakar the 50-year-old father of three drove a Mitsubishi Pajero that was prepared in his workshop. He managed to finish in 60th position overall of the Classic class.
- A year later the Hungarian has decided to go for the big one. Stil alongside his navigator and friend Andras Kalmar, he’ll be driving a Nissan Patrol registered in the Stock category.
- Initially Peter Hamza and Andras Kalmar were rivals in amateur offroad races. Kalmar was often behind. But after several years of competition, they decided to join forces to take on the Dakar.
- This chief technology officer for a software company competed in many long-distance adventure races like Budapest-Bamako in faraway lands because the expedition side and charity operations are what he really enjoys.
- The goal for this 52-year-old from Schwechat in Austria (but originally from Budapest in Hungary), was to finish a new adventure on the tracks of Saudi Arabia with his former rival. That done (60th overall), he’s going for the real Dakar still with Hamza but this time in a Nissan Patrol.
Ambition
P.H.: “The Dakar has been a dream for a long time and I decided to go years ago, but I only managed to organize the car, the team and the sponsors last year. It really is the king of offroad rallies. There was simply nowhere else to go, only the Dakar remained on the bucket list, which always seemed like an unattainable goal.
It was a huge experience and a huge struggle at the same time. We had a lot of problems that we had to fix all night long. We really wanted to come back, but this time we will not be fighting for the finish line, but for a position.
In 2026, we are aiming even higher: competing in the elite T2 category. This is the battleground of factory giants: Toyota and Defender including Stéphane Peterhansel, the 14-time Dakar winner himself. Meanwhile, our Tireman Racing team built a rally car from two wrecked Nissan Patrols, in a small workshop with just 4–5 people.
When the homemade Patrol and the tiny service van line up next to the giant factory motorhomes in January 2026, many will smile again. But we know the truth: that a smile carries the power of perseverance.”
A.K.: “I had the honour to be asked by Peter Hamza to be his co-driver. The Dakar is the first and only rally that comes to your mind when you think about offroad rallies. My objective will be reaching the finish line and giving my best again.”
