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Žarko Knego is looking forward to starting the TCR Eastern Europe season at his home track Grobnik. The Croatian driver from the Auto Klub Dubrovnik team knows every inch of the circuit so well that he has always achieved strong results there.

“We are very proud to have TCR Eastern Europe back at Grobnik. To be honest, any result outside the top three would be a failure for me,” says Knego, setting high expectations for the two races at Grobnik. “There is no excuse for a bad result apart from a technical issue or an accident caused by another driver. I have done more laps there than the rest of the grid combined, so I have to perform well,” continues Knego, while recalling an unlucky moment from a few years ago. “During one TCR Eastern Europe race at Grobnik, I was performing very well, but a technical failure forced me to retire while running in second place. It was a huge disappointment. I hope it will not happen again this year and that luck will finally be on my side.”

Žarko Knego and his team are leaving nothing to chance. The decision about where to conduct their preseason testing was made quickly, as Grobnik is the nearest circuit for them.

“We completed a couple of test sessions at Grobnik this spring. Due to our very limited budget this year, we decided to test only at Grobnik, compared to last year when we tested at both Grobnik and Slovakia Ring,” explains Knego, who has raced a Hyundai Elantra in recent years. Although he has changed cars for the 2026 season, he remains loyal to the Hyundai brand.

“We purchased the new evolution version of the Hyundai Elantra TCR. This gives us confidence that we have a good car. At least from the technical side, we should not face any unexpected issues, and we are ready to fight for the best result possible. Considering the new car and the testing we completed, I can say that we are better prepared, at least for the opening race and hopefully for the rest of the season as well.”

Žarko Knego has been racing in TCR Eastern Europe since the inaugural season in 2019 and is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. However, every driver is constantly looking to improve and be better prepared, and Knego is no exception.

“During the spring tests, I focused mainly on my race pace,” says Knego, who knew exactly what he wanted to improve. “In previous seasons, I often struggled during the final laps of the race, when my pace dropped significantly and I started losing ground to the cars ahead. Also, after the starts, especially when lining up on the front rows, I would often lose positions on the opening lap and then have to fight hard to recover them later in the race.”

After Grobnik, the championship will move to Salzburgring for the second round of the season. The Austrian weekend will be special because, for the first time, TCR Eastern Europe will feature three races during one event.

“If you ask me, I would have three races every weekend. It is a good way to have more racing while still keeping costs under control. A three-race weekend might be a bit more challenging for the team when it comes to preparing the car, but I am sure we will manage well under those conditions.”

Knego’s Hyundai Elantra became very well known and easily recognizable on track in recent years thanks to its special art livery. With the arrival of the new car, the question of whether there will be another special design for 2026 naturally comes up.

“This year we will go with a more conservative livery. We have a new car, and part of the agreement with Hyundai was to keep it in its ‘development’ livery. Therefore, we will keep that design and add our sponsors to it. So this year we definitely will not win the award for the best TCR livery in the world like we did last year,” smiles Žarko, whose car won the 2025 TCR Livery Champions League title.

TCR Eastern Europe season starts with the opening weekend at Grobnik 15th-17th May.

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