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Slovenian driver Robert Pravdič has committed to the 2026 season of the TCR Eastern Europe Championship, a series he knows very well from the past. Pravdič will compete in a second generation of an Audi RS3 LMS TCR and is already preparing for the opening round of the season at Automotodrom Grobnik.

Pravdič returns to TCR Eastern Europe after a one-year break. He entered the opening round of the 2025 season in Austria with a Hyundai Elantra TCR, but later switched cars during the season. Now, he is once again relying on car from a German manufacturer.

“Three or four years ago, I raced with the first generation of Audi TCR and I was thrilled with the car and the support from Milovan Vesnić. Before last season, I wanted to order the second generation of the Audi TCR, but all the cars were already sold out. So I quickly decided to buy a Hyundai Elantra before the start of the 2025 season. But to be honest, I was disappointed with the car, and I immediately bought what I originally wanted, the Audi RS3 LMS TCR,” explains Pravdič.

Now he returns to the TCR Eastern Europe championship, where he last raced about 12 months ago. Does he feel ready?

“I’m prepared, and I don’t remember training as hard as I did before this season. Even though I’m 58, I’m really looking forward to this year’s competition,” says Pravdič.

The opening round of the 2026 season will take place at Grobnik, which, as Pravdič says, is one of his favourite tracks. However, he has not set any specific goals for the race in Croatia or for the season as a whole.

“The goals for this season are quite high, but let’s stay modest and try to surprise ourselves, race by race,” continues Pravdič, who was introduced to motorsport many years ago by his friend Milovan Vesnić and has many memories from his career. Looking back, one of his most memorable moments behind the wheel came with SEAT León WTCC. “I remember the official practice at the Red Bull Ring in 2014, where I set the second fastest lap. It was a clean session without mistakes and the car was incredibly fast.”

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