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Last summer, Petr Čížek held third place in the drivers‘ standings and had two podium finishes under his belt. This year, however, he finds himself in twelfth place, with his best results being two sixth-place finishes so far. Despite finishing all the races in the points, Čížek is far from pleased. His expectations were set considerably higher.
During the off-season, Čížek switched teams and joined the Expres Auto Racing team, not merely driving a Cupra TCR, but also overseeing the team’s operations. He shares managerial responsibilities with his teammate Vít Smejkal.
„We’re trying to manage the team together. This is our first season in this setup, and we’re constantly consulting with each other on various matters. I believe this kind of collaboration is beneficial; two heads are always better than one,“ Čížek says, confirming that he is more than satisfied with the way the team functions.
However, his satisfaction does not extend to the racetrack. His twelfth-place standing is not the result he had hoped for. „We cannot be pleased with this season. We aimed to be higher in the standings, and I’m hopeful that we can make improvements in the final two events.“
Čížek asserts that he hasn’t altered his racing approach or driving style. He remains the same driver as he was last year. „I’m driving the same as before, with a healthy degree of aggressiveness. I’m familiar with many of the competitors and know how to fight with them. I’m not the type of driver who goes for a gap that doesn’t exist. However, when an opportunity presents itself, I don’t hesitate to seize it.“
His best performance so far was at the Slovakia Ring. Due to technical issues, he had to start from the back of the grid. Despite this setback, he managed to overtake one driver after another, once again scoring points. Čížek holds the record for 23 consecutive point-scoring races.
„To be honest, I don’t dwell on it much, but it’s nice to know this statistic. It’s a testament to the reliability of my Cupra. But if the streak were to end, I wouldn’t be devastated,“ adds Petr Čížek, who is currently only nine points away from eighth place in the drivers‘ standings.
