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Tomasz Rzepecki from Basenhurt A&T Racing team entered another season of TCR Eastern Europe with an older VW Golf GTI TCR. He had mixed feelings about the opening round at Hungaroring, but is pretty sure that there is a good chance to attain better positions in other events.
Tomasz, let’s talk about the opening round of TCR Eastern Europe. How satisfied are you with the races?
The first round of TCR Eastern Europe was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. We started with some good official practice, then a terrible qualifying, then the first race was okay, and the second race was great. Honestly, I don’t know if I am satisfied; I have mixed emotions. I am looking forward to the upcoming rounds.
Thanks to the reverse grid in the second race, you took the lead for a brief moment. But it was obvious that your car didn’t have the same speed as some of your opponents’…
I think that we have the chance to be in higher places. The guys from Janík Motorsport were great, but it’s difficult to compete with drivers from TCR Europe, who are driving one of the best cars available right now. In TCR EE, not everybody has the newest car, so it is more suitable for us and we have the chance to climb to higher places.
But TCR Eastern Europe also has a new Trophy class for older generation cars like your VW Golf, so you must be pleased with your third-place standings, aren’t you?
It is nice to have a Trophy class like this, but we will always aim for the highest places in the general classification.
The next round is at the Red Bull Ring, a very fast circuit. Will it be an advantage or a disadvantage for you and your car?
I think that the Red Bull Ring will be the hardest circuit for us because of the speed. We will not give up, though, and we will try to do our best!
What type of circuit will suit you and your car best?
I am looking forward to Slovakia Ring and Most. Last year at Slovakia Ring, we did very well in the first race. In the second race, we had problems with the car, so we lost a large number of points there. Every car I’ve driven at Most, I’ve really liked, and I am really excited to try it with a TCR car.
After the first round, did your goals for the season change? And who will be your closest opponent?
Like I said, Hungaroring was a rollercoaster of emotions for me, so it’s difficult to judge what will happen next. I will keep my head down and wait for future races. I think the guys from Janík Motorsport caused a little chaos in the classification and it should become clearer after Red Bull Ring.
