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The new TCR Eastern Europe season kicked off with an action-packed weekend at the Red Bull Ring, where fans saw a victory from season favorite Adam Kout of Hyundai Janík Motorsport, as well as a long-awaited maiden win for Giacomo Ghermandi from MM Motorsport.
After several months of silence, the roar of TCR touring car engines returned. The Red Bull Ring, a fast and popular circuit, played host to the season opener. Saturday was all about qualifying and Race 1—and it belonged to Kout in the Hyundai Elantra N TCR. He dominated qualifying, taking pole position by more than half a second over Ghermandi in the Honda Civic FL5 TCR.
Kout nailed the start and held onto the lead. Within just a few corners, he built a comfortable gap to Ghermandi, and from that point on, it was clear that – barring any unexpected incidents – he was on course to secure the win. He drove flawlessly, commanding his car with confidence and steadily pulling away to cross the finish line nearly five seconds ahead of Ghermandi.
However, the Italian driver had a black mark on his record: a 30-second penalty was waiting for him after the race due to a tire change on the grid made after the allowed time had passed. The Aditis Racing duo of Bartosz Groszek and Martin Kadlečík, running just behind him in their Audi RS3 LMS TCRs, were aware of the penalty. Rather than taking unnecessary risks trying to pass, they strategically held position and followed him across the line.
As a result, Race 1 was a showcase for Hyundai and Audi, with their cars locking out the top six positions. Kout’s teammate Jiří Zbožínek finished fourth in another Hyundai Elantra N TCR, Žarko Knego from Croatia brought the same car home in fifth, and sixth place went to Ivars Vallers in an Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
But as is often the case in TCR, Race 2 brought even more drama. The grid was partially reversed based on a draw—and the number drawn by Kout was nine, meaning he would start from ninth on the grid, while pole position went to Sweden’s Viktor Andersson in a Lynk & Co. Ghermandi lined up alongside him and wasn’t going to let another chance slip away. He launched off the line brilliantly, seized the lead on the opening lap, and began pulling away in search of his first-ever win.
About halfway through the race, Martin Kadlečík caught up and attempted to challenge for the lead, but his single overtaking attempt didn’t stick. Instead, Kout moved past him into second place. By that point, though, Ghermandi was too far ahead for Kout and Italian racer finally clinched his long-awaited first victory in TCR Eastern Europe, a series he has competed in since 2021. He’d come close many times before, only to be denied for various reasons. But at the dawn of this new season, he could finally tick off an important milestone in his racing career.
And what’s next in the upcoming races? There’s no doubt Ghermandi will be looking to add more trophies to his collection…
RACE RESULTS:
TCR Eastern Europe – Qualifying
