Tomáš Pekař has taken a crucial step towards claiming yet another Clio Cup championship title. At the penultimate event of the year at the Slovakia Ring, he won the first race and finished second in the other. However, the championship is far from decided, with Bartek Mirecki, Nik Štefančič, and David Dziwok still in contention.
With a comfortable pole position and a dominant drive to victory, that’s how Tomáš Pekař’s first race at the Slovakia Ring could be described. The key moment for him was the start and the first corner, where the drivers behind him slowed each other down with overtaking attempts, losing precious seconds to Pekař. Once the Czech driver completed the first lap, he had established a comfortable lead, which he maintained until the finish.
But it was a different story behind him. Bartek Mirecki, David Dziwok, Julian Smiechowski, and Nik Štefančič are drivers who never give each other an inch on the track. Watching their battles is a delight at every race. Whether they’re fighting for the win or for a podium finish, they always provide the most thrilling spectacle of the entire race. The Slovakia Ring was no exception. Counting their overtaking moves and position changes would require a statistician’s touch.
It’s rare for someone to break away from such a tight battle, but at the Slovakia Ring, it was eventually Bartek Mirecki who managed to pull ahead of the wild pack behind him and secured second place behind Pekař. Julian Smiechowski finished third, the only one of this group yet to secure a victory.
Sunday’s race unfolded in a similar fashion. Tomáš Pekař drew number 4, which placed him fourth on the reversed starting grid, while Nik Štefančič started from pole position. Just a few metres after the start, Nico Wuest spun on the wide straight. Contact with another car sent him into a spin, but the Swiss driver managed to avoid hitting the pit wall and, crucially, other drivers steered clear of him. After the spin, he continued driving and finished in 11th place.
The situation at the front resembled Saturday’s race. Again, the racing was tight, with Smiechowski once more ending up off the track after contact, forcing him to visit the mechanics and dropping him to the back of the field.
At the front, Nik Štefančič and Bartek Mirecki swapped places several times. Naturally, Tomáš Pekař took advantage of their battles, staying close behind and waiting for an opportunity to overtake. That chance eventually came, and Pekař moved into second place behind Mirecki. The two then increased the pace and pulled away from the chasers, but Mirecki kept a tight line and secured his second win of the season. Pekař finished just 0.386 seconds behind, with Nik Štefančič taking third.
Mirecki has now moved back into second place in the overall standings, trailing Pekař by 21 points. Štefančič is third, 30 points behind, and Dziwok is fourth, 48 points adrift. The battle among the top four is still wide open. Although Pekař can take comfort in his solid lead, with 25 points available for each win in Brno, the title is still up for grabs…
RACE RESULTS
Qualifying
Race 1
Race 2
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