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The TCR Eastern Europe Championship enters the second half of the 2024 season. The fight for the title is intensely competitive, with Slovak Maťo Homola and Hungarian Attila Bucsi occupying the top two spots. So far, they haven’t let anyone else reach the highest step of the podium.
After three rounds at Balaton Park, Red Bull Ring, and Slovakia Ring, the standings are incredibly tight. Maťo Homola from Hyundai Janík Motorsport leads the table with 127 points, while Attila Bucsi from M1RA Motorsport is only six points behind. When it comes to the number of wins, the situation is perfectly balanced. Homola has led his Hyundai Elantra to three victories – each time in the first sprint of the race weekend. Bucsi, with the older Hyundai i30 N TCR, has always triumphed in the second sprint of the weekend. Will they continue this pattern in the remaining three rounds of the season? If so, Bucsi will need to perform better in qualifying and strive to secure the fastest laps in the races. Even these small victories can earn points that are crucial in their tight battle for the title.
Adam Kout has the most second places this season. Homola’s teammate has finished second three times, and if it weren’t for a tyre puncture, he would have added another silver position. However, he is still waiting for his first win of the season. In Austria, he was close, but Bucsi overtook him in the final stages. Last year, Kout claimed his first victory in Most under changing conditions. Will we see another triumph on his nearly home track?
Truly local drivers in Most will be Petr Čížek and Vít Smejkal with their Cupra cars. The Czech drivers have formed the Expres Auto Racing team and, besides their driving duties, have also taken on managerial roles. Both have been scoring points regularly this year, with Čížek holding fifth place behind Martin Kadlečík. The former autocross driver and Clio Cup Trophy champion did not start in Austria, yet thanks to strong results, he remains fourth in the drivers’ standings. Kadlečík had no prior experience with the Audi RS3 TCR, but he finished second on his debut at Balaton Park.
Czech driver Jiří Zbožínek will also be in action. Last year, he competed in the Clio Cup and this year moved up to a TCR car. As a teammate of Homola and Kout, he is gaining valuable experience and improving his speed with each race. He achieved his first podium finish in Slovakia. The TCR Eastern Europe grid also features Honda Civic cars driven by René Kircher, Davit Kajaia, and their teammate Jorden Dolischka. The aggressive Italian Giacomo Ghermandi races with the newer specification Honda Civic, and his driving is often spectacular. Žarko Knego competes with a Hyundai Elantra, and Ivars Vallers drives an Audi RS3 TCR.
The remaining three race weekends will undoubtedly be full of sporting drama, culminating in the final battle for the title at the end of September.
