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The second round of the TCR Eastern Europe championship is set to take place this weekend at the popular and very fast Austrian circuit Salzburgring, where spectators can expect ongoing battles for victory.
Salzburgring is a narrow circuit nestled in a tight Alpine valley, with barriers close to the track. Any mistake here can be either dangerous or very costly for both the driver and the team.
Adam Kout from the Hyundai Janík Motorsport team arrives at Salzburgring as the championship leader, having secured a win and a second-place finish in the opening round at the Red Bull Ring. Kout returns with Hyundai Elantra to the track, where last year he pushed to the absolute limit in both races to fight for the wins.
One of the fastest drivers at this venue is Italian Giacomo Ghermandi from MM Motorsport. Driving a Honda Civic, he came close to his first win here last year, but a technical issue forced him to wait until this season’s opener at the Red Bull Ring to finally claim maiden victory. Heading into the second round, he sits just 17 points behind Kout. Sharing the same gap to the lead is former TCR Eastern Europe champion Bartosz Groszek from Aditis Racing. The returning driver competes in an Audi RS3 LMS TCR, as does his teammate and sim racer Martin Kadlečík, who is just one point further back. However, neither Aditis Racing driver has previously raced a TCR car at Salzburgring, so this weekend marks their debut at the track.
A familiar face returning to the grid is Petr Semerád, who joins the Expres Auto Racing team and will race a Cupra alongside teammate Petr Čížek. Semerád is well-known in TCR Eastern Europe, where he once fought for the title against Groszek, but Salzburgring will be a new challenge as he races there for the first time.
The grid also includes Jiří Zbožínek, teammate of Adam Kout, who finished fourth and sixth in the opening round, collecting 20 points, enough to place him fifth in the drivers’ standings, just ahead of Ivars Vallers, who drives an Audi RS3 LMS for the LV Racing team.
Žarko Knego and Fraňo Dubreta will represent Croatian team Auto Klub Dubrovnik, although they’ll be driving different cars. Knego continues with his Hyundai Elantra for another season, while Dubreta will be behind the wheel of a Cupra.
The second race weekend of the 2025 TCR Eastern Europe season kicks off on Friday afternoon with free practice sessions. Saturday begins with qualifying at 10:00, followed by Race 1 at 13:00. Sunday’s race gets underway at 11:45.
