Kadklečik sends TCR Eastern Europe title fight down to the wire
With two late overtaking moves over the points leader Adam Kout, Martin Kadklečik managed to send the fight for the TCR Eastern Europe title down to the wire.
Aditis Racing’s youngster drove his Audi RS 3 LMS to a pair of authoritative victories in the series penultimate event at Automotodrom Brno, reducing his gap in the standings from 20 points to eight behind Kout’s Janík Motorsport Hyundai Elantra N.
In the season finale that will take place on September 26/28 in Hungary at the Balaton Park, where competitors of TCR Croatia will join the field, the battle will be restricted to them. In fact, Kadklečik’s teammate, the 2022 champion Bartosz Groszek lies third with a gap of 74 points when 55 remain to be awarded. However, Groszek and the second Janík Motorsport driver Jiři Zbožínek – who shared third places in Brno – will be instrumental in supporting their own teammates in their title bid.
Race 1 – Kout had won the pole, the fourth for him in five events, four tenths ahead of Zbožínek who had outpaced Kadklečik by less than two tenths on his last lap. As the cars went out to reach the grid, Kout collided with Radoslav Obrtal; luckily Kout’s Hyundai escaped unscathed, while Obrtal’s CUPRA stopped on track with heavy damage. Kout led at the start, while Zbožínek, Kadklečik and Groszek battled for second. Kout kept on with a six-tenth lead, then in lap 6 Kadklečik overtook Zbožínek and began to close the gap to the leader. During the penultimate lap, Kadklečik stole the lead from Kout and went on to take his third race win of the season from Kout and Zbožínek.
Race 2 – The draw for the reversed grid placed Vít Smejkal and Žarko Knego on the front row, with title contenders Kout and Kadklečik in P6 and P7. At the start, Petr Čížek jumped into the lead from P3 on the grid, behind him Groszek, Knego, Kout, Kadklečik and Zbožínek began fighting. Zbožínek passed Kadklečik for fifth, but Kadklečik retook the position. In lap 2, Kout and Kadklečik overtook Knego moving into P3 and P4. One lap later Kadklečik passed both Kout and Groszek, advancing to second. The six leaders delivered a thrilling battle and in lap 4, Kadklečik passed Čížek, but then made a slight mistake that Kout used to pass them both and take the lead. One lap later, Groszek and Zbožínek overtook Čížek. In lap 6, Čížek was pushed by Knego and dropped behind him, but he was able to retake the fifth place in lap 8. Up front, Kadklečik put the pressure on Kout; they made contact in lap 11 and Kout rejected the attack but during the last lap Kadklečik took to the inside into T3 and moved ahead taking his second win of the weekend ahead of Kout, while Groszek kept Zbožínek at bay to finish third.
Race 1
- Martin Kadklečik (Aditis Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 12
- Adam Kout (Janík Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 1.688
- Jiři Zbožínek (Janík Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 2.220
Race 2
- Martin Kadklečik (Aditis Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 12
- Adam Kout (Janík Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 1.068
- Bartosz Groszek (Aditis Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 1.780
Championship points
- A. Kout, 214 pts; 2. M. Kadklečik, 206; 3. B. Groszek, 140
Picture: TCR Eastern Europe/Petr Frýba
