A very close race between all the drivers in the Clio Cup thrilled the spectators at Slovakia Ring, with an intense battle for the win between young drivers Nik Štefančič and Julian Smiechovski.
Julian Smiechovski started from pole position alongside David Dziwok, with Filip Kuncer and Nikodem Sobczyk behind them.
Smiechovski had a great launch and kept the first place, while Nik Štefančič moved up to second place but lost the position during the opening lap to Bartek Mirecki. Dziwok attempted to attack Mirecki on the outside but almost ran off the track and dropped to fourth.
Smiechovski built a gap of more than one second in first place. Behind him, there was a close fight involving Mirecki, Štefančič, Dziwok, Kunčer, and Sobczyk in sixth. They were constantly changing places and passing each other at every opportunity. It was an amazing spectacle for everyone.
Eventually, Štefančič broke away from the opposition, creating a gap behind him and slowly approaching the lonely leader, Smiechovski.
Toward the end of the race, three groups of two cars each formed on the track: Smiechovski and Štefančič fighting for the win, Kunčer and Dziwok battling for third, and Mirecki with Sobczyk fighting for fifth and sixth place.
With five minutes to go, Štefančič found a way to take the lead, but Smiechovski returned the pass in the following corner. However, Štefančič eventually retook the lead. Their battle continued until the last lap of the race when Štefančič again moved up to first place, defended his position well, and crossed the finish line just 0.196 seconds ahead of Smiechovski.
Third place was brought home by Filip Kunčer, with Mirecki fourth, Sobczyk fifth, and Dziwok sixth. Miha Primožič finished seventh, and Miha Fabian rounded out the top eight.
In the Clio Cup Trophy category for the fourth generation of Clios, the winner was Tomas Kazarka, with Valter Nezic second and Marko Kazarka third.
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