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TCR Eastern Europe rolled into Austria for the second round of the season, with the narrow and high-speed Salzburgring serving up fierce battles and a double celebration for Czech drivers Martin Kadlečík and Adam Kout, who each claimed a victory.
Success ballast, a hallmark of touring car racing, started to make a noticeable impact on performance this weekend. Adam Kout, racing for Hyundai Janík Motorsport, carried 40 kilograms of ballast in his Elantra, and could only manage third in qualifying—behind Giacomo Ghermandi of MM Motorsport and Martin Kadlečík of Aditis Racing, both carrying 30 kg.
Kadlečík got a perfect launch in Race 1 with his Audi RS3, capitalizing on a poor start by Ghermandi to seize the lead. Kout slotted in behind, but his race quickly unraveled. First, he was tagged from behind by Ghermandi, then suffered a puncture that dropped him down the order. He eventually finished a distant eighth.
Kout’s misfortune opened the door for Aditis Racing. Kadlečík remained in control at the front, while teammate Bartosz Groszek moved up to second. The pair held their positions to the flag, delivering Kadlečík his first-ever TCR Eastern Europe victory, and Aditis Racing their first win of the season, plus a historic 1-2 finish for the team.
Third place went to Ivars Vallers of LV Racing, making it a clean sweep of the TOP3 for Audi RS3 machines in Race 1, ahead of rivals from Hyundai, Cupra and Honda.
As per tradition, the grid for Race 2 was reversed, handing pole position to Adam Kout, who lined up alongside his teammate Jiří Zbožínek. Kout managed the start perfectly and led confidently, while Zbožínek’s promising run was cut short by a loose bonnet that forced an early pit stop.
Ghermandi moved up to second but soon found himself under heavy pressure from Kadlečík. The Italian than crashed out in Turn 10. Following the safety car restart, Kadlečík attempted a move on Kout but couldn’t make it stick and eventually dropped to third behind teammate Groszek.
Kout crossed the line to take the Race 2 win, capping off a weekend of redemption and keeping his lead in the championship standings. However, the gap has narrowed, Kadlečík now sits just five points behind, with Groszek a further six back.
The battle for the TCR Eastern Europe title has well and truly come alive. Next up: the Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic, a home race for not only Kout, Kadlečík, and Zbožínek, but also for Petr Čížek, always a strong performer at the technical North Bohemian circuit.
