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Reigning TCR Eastern Europe champion Adam Kout started from pole position, led every lap and won the opening race at the Salzburgring, securing his first victory of the season.

Adam Kout and Martin Kadlečík lined up on the front row, while Žarko Knego and Jiří Zbožínek occupied the second row. Radim Adámek started from the third row of the grid.

Driving a Hyundai Elantra, Kout made the best start and held the lead over Kadlečík’s Audi RS 3. Kadlečík looked for an opportunity to attack into the first chicane but decided to wait for a better chance on the long back straight. There, he used the slipstream from Kout’s Hyundai, but still remained two car lengths behind the Hyundai Janík Motorsport driver.

Behind them, Knego’s Hyundai Elantra was closely followed by Zbožínek, who put constant pressure on the Croatian driver in the battle for third place.

Although Kadlečík from Aditis Racing lost a few seconds to Kout during the opening stages, he gradually closed the gap again and remained firmly attached to the leader’s rear bumper.

Meanwhile, Knego, who had been running comfortably in third place, was forced to retire from the race with tire puncture. This promoted Zbožínek to third position, with Adámek moving up to fourth.

It was far from an easy race for the TCR Eastern Europe competitors. The grid was joined by the National Touring Car Championship field, meaning the leading drivers had to negotiate heavy traffic for most of the race. This created several opportunities for Kadlečík to stay close to Kout and prepare an attack for the lead.

However, Kout remained calm at the front. He managed the traffic skilfully, avoided mistakes, and controlled the pace from start to finish. Despite constant pressure from Kadlečík, the defending champion never relinquished the lead and crossed the finish line to claim his first victory of the 2026 season ahed of Kadlečík and Zbožínek in TOP3.

TCR Eastern Europe – Race 1

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