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Bartosz Groszek is involved in the fight for overall third position before the final round of the 2021 season at Automotodrom Brno. It will be his premiere appearance at Masaryk Circuit. But he believes he can adapt very quickly to this track. The Polish driver said that in our interview.
Your streak of podium results continued also at Slovakiaring. In Race 1, you was second. In Race 2, you took third place. So what are your impressions from Slovakiaring round?
Coming to Slovakia with 40 kg of ballast, I knew that it would not be easy, but we showed that we can go fast with ballast in Poznan. We have implemented the assumed plan in 100%. Unfortunately, the engine broke down after free practice but the mechanics did a brilliant job putting new ones overnight. This result is the culmination of their hard work.
In Race 1, you had a collision with Sebastian Steibel in the opening lap. What is your opinion on this incident?
I analyzed this situation for a long time, watching onboards and talking to other drivers and Sebastian. it was a very controversial situation for which I could get a penalty but it ended up in a racing incident. In my opinion, the maneuver was very brave but I don’t think I was to blame. Nevertheless, I would like to apologize once again to Sebastian.
Since your victory in Race 2 in Poznan, you scored podium result in every race. So you adapted really quickly in TCR Eastern Europe. Why do you think it´s like this? Do you have any recipe for adaptation in TCR Eastern Europe, for example?
It’s true, joining the series during the round in Poznań, I did not expect that I would be able to reach five podiums in a row. These results surprise me. It certainly wouldn’t have been possible without a well-adjusted car by Horňák-Aditis team. It seems to me that training is the recipe. Due to the situation with Covid, the main training for me is a simulator and this is where I can learn repetition, which I later try to transfer to the racetrack. It is helpful to observe other drivers‘ lines and look for where I could go faster.
Bartosz Groszek has a great debut season in TCR Eastern Europe so far. Photo: Petr Frýba
You race with support of ESET Race Star project. Can you describe for us how does this support help you?
I am very grateful that Mr. Josef Křenek invited me to this programme and allows to race at the highest level with other drivers in the series. This programme helps me with financial matters. Everyone knows how difficult it is for young drivers to develop for financial reasons and this programme is to solve this problem. As we can see, two drivers supported by this programme will fight for the 3rd place in the general classification.
What are your ambitions for Brno? Do you believe you can finish third in overall standings?
We have two goals. The first is to finish both races ahead of Carol and Sebastian and to get overall third place. The second goal is the team classification in which we are currently in third place and if we manage to repeat the same result as in Slovakia, we have a chance to fight for second place. I know that the weekend in Brno will be very hard for me. I have never been to this track and when my rivals will look for car setups to break the hundredths of a second, I will be learning the track, but I know that I can adapt very quickly to new conditions and I will try to prove it in a week.
Opening photo: Petr Frýba
