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After two rounds in Austria, the TCR Eastern Europe championship moved to the Czech Republic for the Racing Journal Speed Fest at Autodrom Most. The event offered spectators dramatic victories by local drivers Martin Kadlečík and Adam Kout, who managed to win despite challenges such as changing weather and red flag interruptions.
Autodrom Most marked the third stop of the 2025 TCR Eastern Europe season and served as the symbolic halfway point of the year. Kout and Kadlečík were leading the championship standings coming into the weekend, and with their wins at Most, they further solidified their positions.
The weekend proved slightly more successful for Kadlečík of the Aditis Racing team, who managed to close the gap to championship leader Kout by six points. Only two points now separate the two, with three rounds and six races remaining in the season.
Kout, representing Hyundai Janík Motorsport, started the weekend on a high note. On home soil, he secured pole position by nearly half a second over Kadlečík, setting the stage for what looked like a dominant performance in Race 1. But a sudden rain shower just before the start ensured that Saturday’s race would be anything but straightforward.
Despite the light rain, no one switched to wet-weather tires before the start. All drivers stayed on slicks. Kout had a poor getaway from pole and Kadlečík seized the opportunity to take the lead ahead of Groszek. The two black Audi RS3 LMS cars settled into the front spots, with Ghermandi and Kout chasing behind.
In the wet conditions, Ghermandi’s Honda Civic was the fastest car on track. But his attempt to overtake Groszek ended in a collision and Kout’s subsequent move on Ghermandi resulted in contact as well. These incidents caught the attention of the stewards. Ghermandi will drop three places on the starting grid at the Slovakia Ring, while Kout received a 10-second time penalty.
Meanwhile, Kadlečík was unaware of the chaos unfolding behind him. With a clear track ahead, he cruised from start to finish to claim his second win of the season. The biggest beneficiary of the mayhem was local driver Petr Čížek, who guided his Cupra around the Most circuit with confidence, a track where he traditionally performs really well. The incidents ahead opened the door for Čížek to claim an excellent second place, while Jiří Zbožínek brought his Hyundai Elantra home in third.
Čížek couldn’t replicate that success in Race 2. He became an unfortunate victim of a crash between Ghermandi and Žarko Knego in the first chicane. The Italian driver hit the Croatian and the two ended up blocking the track. Čížek, following closely behind, had no way to avoid the pile-up.
The crash triggered red flags and a long delay. Kout’s path to victory in the second race took longer than expected, but in the end, he crossed the line first, ahead of Kadlečík. Their points gap in the standings shrank to just two. Groszek finished third and, despite trailing by 37 points, still holds a theoretical shot at the title.
TCR Eastern Europe – Qualifying
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