At the Salzburgring, we achieved another significant milestone for the team's history. In the first race, our drivers crossed the finish line in first and second place, which was something we had never achieved before.
The second race weekend of this year's TCR Eastern Europe season took place in Austria again - at the Salzburgring. The track, nestled in a narrow valley and surrounded by beautiful countryside, suited our cars and drivers, and we took home a hefty haul of points.
It all started in qualifying, when Martin Kadlečík flew through more than four kilometers of track in second place, just one tenth of a second behind pole position. Bartosz Groszek set the fourth fastest time.
As the first car, the famous first chicane of the Austrian circuit saw our Audi with number 301. Martin had the best start and immediately took the lead. Soon after, the safety car was deployed and the race was neutralized. After the restart, however, the younger member of our squad was able to comfortably increase his lead, as a very tough battle for second place broke out behind him. In the end, both drivers in Aditis Racing suits benefited from that situation. Bartosz moved up one position and, aware of his speed, began to prepare an attack on second place. He performed a very daring maneuver into an endless right-hander, where he passed his opponent on the outside and the top spots on the podium were prepared for us.
On the grid of the second race, our Audis were in seventh and eighth place. However, it didn't take long for them to move to the front, aiming for another podium finishes. Martin was fighting for second place when his opponent couldn't handle the pressure Martin was putting on him, crashed into the barrier and caused the deployment of a safety car also in the second race. This played into our hands again, as the field closed up and Martin was able to attack for first place. He tried to perform the same maneuver as Bartosz in the first race. For a brief moment, he even found himself in the lead. At the same time, however, he was in the dirty line, and because his opponent did not give up, Martin experienced a very adrenaline-filled moment. Fortunately, he managed to catch the car and keep it on the track. Bartosz took advantage of the situation, overtook Martin, and we finished second and third in the second race.
Our racers also hold second and third place in the overall championship standings, still within reach of the top spot. Fans will see the next race weekend on the last weekend of July in Most.