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Hyundai Janík Motorsport driver Adam Kout won the opening race of the weekend at Balaton Park. The final round of the TCR Eastern Europe featured a battle between championship contenders Kout and Martin Kadlečík of Aditis Racing.

Kout started from the front row alongside Kadlečík, with Bartosz Groszek and Jiří Zbožínek on the second row, while Petr Čížek and Nemanja Milovanovič lined up on the third.

In his Hyundai Elantra, Kout made a strong start, keeping a safe gap from Kadlečík in the black Audi RS3. The young Czech challenger, however, knew he had to be aggressive to have any chance of beating Kout. He dived into the first corner and pushed Kout off the track, seizing the lead. But on the back straight, Kout struck back, when Kadlečík braked too late, Kout took advantage and reclaimed first place.

Groszek held third ahead of Zbožínek, while Čížek battled with Milovanovič. Soon after, Žarko Knego, who had started from the back of the grid, overtook Milovanovič and began chasing Čížek.

Zbožínek continued to pressure Groszek, with not only the drivers’ title but also the teams’ title at stake. Their fight provided plenty of entertainment for the grandstands, while Kout pulled away from Kadlečík. Behind them, Čížek found some breathing room from Knego, who was under heavy pressure from Milovanovič. That fight ended when Milovanovič slid into the gravel, triggering a safety car, which was soon followed by a red flag.

Kout lost the hard-earned gap he had built, giving Kadlečík another chance. The race was restarted behind the safety car with six minutes remaining. At the restart, Kout kept his lead. Kadlečík tried to stay close but couldn’t mount an attack, ultimately finishing second behind the race winner.

The fight for third also intensified in the closing laps. Zbožínek again pushed Groszek but outbraked himself on the back straight, just as Kadlečík had earlier. That mistake allowed Čížek to slip through into fourth. Groszek held on for third, with Zbožínek finishing fifth, Knego sixth, Luka Fabijančič seventh and Bojan Miljković eighth.

Kout now leads Kadlečík by 17 points, meaning that if Kadlečík will win tomorrow and secure fastest lap, Kout will secured the title with fifth place in the finish.

Provisional Race Results

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