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Philipp Dietrich from the Wimmer Werk Motorsport team enjoyed a fantastic weekend in the second round of TCR Eastern Europe at Hungaroring. The young Austrian driver made his championship debut with the Cupra Leon Competición and scored points in both races.
„It was an awesome experience. The competition is very high here, and, as I came from the Swift Cup, this is a really great step for me in terms of competition and battling on the track,“ said the twenty-year-old Dietrich.
„It was my first race weekend with Cupra. I tested the Cupra TCR at Slovakia Ring and Brno; Hungaroring was my first race weekend ever with a TCR car,“ Dietrich explained. He performed admirably during his debut, qualifying eleventh at Hungaroring.
„The first start was very difficult – a lot of cars, I think we were three or four wide into the first corner, and I was a little off track. It’s very difficult with all these cars in one place on the track. It’s easy to crash, but all drivers drove very well and were respectful. That’s why no one had a serious crash. It’s great for the series,“ Dietrich praised his opponents.
He had a hard fight with Carlo Czepiel in the first race and used all his experience in touring car racing to view for position. He eventually finished tenth, but thanks to the disqualification of the car in front, he moved up to ninth place in Race 1. Dietrich finished ninth in the second race, but again, thanks to a time penalty for a driver in a higher position, the Wimmer Werk Motorsport racer moved up to eighth place.
„It’s a fantastic experience for me, and I can improve so many things. I felt more connected to the car with every lap, and I think I can improve…everywhere,“ Dietrich said with a smile. He will start again in TCR Eastern Europe at the Red Bull Ring, which should be his final race in the championship this season. But never say never. His plans for next season are very serious: „The plan is to test a lot this year and gain experience. It’s a very different kind of racing than what I’ve done before. The goal is to compete in the whole season next year in TCR Eastern Europe. If I can find some sponsors, then I think it’s possible,“ added the young and promising Philipp Dietrich.
