Motorsport: Monarchs confirm signing of Hungarian rider Jozsef Tabaka.

Dec 17 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

THE SCOTWASTE Monarchs will have a Hungarian rider for the first time ever next season after they announced the signing of Jozsef Tabaka.

Tabaka, 20, has penned a deal with the Armadale-based Monarchs and comes with a top-class pedigree having been a reserve for last year’s World Under-21 Championship.

He is not a fluent English speaker yet, but he did say to Monarchs’ promoter John Campbell: “Thanks for the chance.

“I'm happy that we will work together and I would like it that the team be successful.”

Tabaka scored three points from the two rides he had in the World under-21 Final, defeating Simon Gustafsson and Ludvig Lindgren.

He has never ridden in the UK but is Hungarian under-21 champion and is looked on as the leading youngster in a country whose representatives have been getting a bit long in the tooth.

In Poland he rides for the Hungarian representatives Miskolc in League Two. He was top scorer in Hungary’s World Team Cup qualifying bid, and had a good run in the European Championship, reaching the final and finishing down the field in that, though level with Macs Gregoric and Mads Korneliussen. His continental results are pretty impressive, though as with all overseas riders, his success will depend on the transition to UK tracks. We welcome him and wish him well.

This means the highly popular Michal Rajkowski won’t be back at Armadale next season although he hopes he will ride for the Monarchs again one day.

And the team line-up has been completed with the news Max Dilger is returning to the side. German star Dilger rode 12 matches last season and on a 3-point average he was an obvious choice as a rider who should be able to increase his average in the new season.

John Campbell added: “The way we had put our team together, we were committed to a 3-pointer and it had become slightly concerning that Max hadn’t returned his contract after a few days.

“Whatever the delay was, I was relieved to find a signed contract coming in just as I was leaving the office on Tuesday.”

MONARCHS 2010: Ryan Fisher, Kevin Wolbert, Kalle Katajisto, Andrew Tully, Matthew Wethers, Jozsef Tabaka, Max Dilger.