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After the opening round of this year’s TCR Eastern Europe season at Croatia’s Grobnik circuit, Martin Kadlečík could earn the nickname “comeback specialist”. The Czech driver for Aditis Racing claimed victory in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races despite starting from sixth place each time.
The first race weekend of the TCR Eastern Europe season promised highly varied conditions. Persistent rain hit Friday’s practice sessions, Saturday brought mixed weather for qualifying and the opening race, while Sunday was sunny throughout. Kadlečík handled the changing conditions better than anyone else, apart from a difficult wet qualifying session on Saturday where he posted only the sixth-fastest time, placing him on the third row alongside local favorite Žarko Knego. Ahead of them lined up Croatia’s Fraňo Dubreta and Petr Čížek, while the front row belonged to teammates Adam Kout and Jiří Zbožínek, who missed out on pole position by just 0.005 seconds.
By the time the saturday afternoon race got underway, the weather had improved, although parts of the track were still damp. Caution, at least during the opening laps, became the key theme of Saturday’s sprint race. Reigning champion Adam Kout immediately took the lead in his Hyundai Elantra, while Kadlečík wasted no time. Taking calculated risks, he carved his way through the field and by lap two was already up to second place, just three seconds behind Kout.
The anticipated battle between the champion and the vice-champion, however, never materialized, much to the disappointment of the spectators around the circuit. Kout suddenly slowed and was forced to retire with a halfshaft failure. That opened the door for Kadlečík, who controlled the race from the front, steadily pulled away from his pursuers, and guided his black Audi RS3 to his first victory of the 2026 season.
Petr Čížek finished second in his Cupra, while Jiří Zbožínek completed the podium in third place. There was some disappointment for fourth-placed Žarko Knego, who had hoped for a stronger result in front of his home crowd. However he more than made up for it in Sunday’s race, finishing second, less than six seconds behind winner Martin Kadlečík.
Kadlečík’s randomly drawn number-six token meant the top six positions on the grid would be reversed for Sunday’s race. Once again, he started from sixth place and once again, a familiar story unfolded. The black Audi RS3 launched forward, and by the second lap Kadlečík was already running third, right behind leader Knego and second-placed Čížek.
On lap five, Kadlečík moved into second place, and with ten minutes remaining he took the lead. The closing laps were all about managing the gap and avoiding mistakes as he secured his second win of the weekend. Twice from sixth to first — the celebrations for Martin Kadlečík and the entire Aditis Racing team were immense.
The celebrations were just as emotional for runner-up Žarko Knego, while Adam Kout also had reason to smile after scoring his first points of the season. Although he crossed the finish line in fourth behind Petr Čížek, he knew full well that his fellow Czech driver would receive a penalty for a jump start and drop down the order.
The Grobnik weekend had one clear standout performer, confirming his status as a serious title contender. Martin Kadlečík left Croatia as the championship leader in the new TCR Eastern Europe season, which already promises thrilling battles all the way to the October finale at the Hungaroring.
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