A grid of over twenty cars, dramatic races, and a closely contested championship – the Clio Cup was undoubtedly the star of this year’s weekends. Tomáš Pekař from Carpek Racing secured yet another title, but this time his path to success was far from straightforward.
At first, it looked like the title fight would be between Tomáš Pekař and Bartek Mirecki. Both battled fiercely at the opening round at Balaton Park, with each taking home a victory. However, when the championship moved to the fast Red Bull Ring, it was Pekař’s teammate David Dziwok who triumphed in both sprints.
The third event took place at Slovakia Ring, but Pekař was absent due to injury, making the standings tighter than ever. If Red Bull Ring had offered thrilling, close battles, Slovakia Ring took things to another level. Nik Štefančič from Lema Racing won both races, and the closeness of the competition was evident by the gap between the top two finishers. In the first sprint, Štefančič beat Julian Smiechowski from Orlen Janík Motorsport by just 0.196 seconds. And if that wasn’t enough excitement, the second race was even closer – spectators couldn’t tell who had won until they checked the timing screens. Štefančič won by just 0.007 seconds ahead of Dziwok.
After three rounds, the championship standings were incredibly tight. Dziwok led by nine points over Štefančič, with Mirecki only two points behind him, and fourth-placed Pekař was trailing Mirecki by 12 points after missing the Slovakia round. Meanwhile, Julian Smiechowski and Nikodém Sobczyk, a member of the Williams F1 Esports Academy, were also consistently fighting for race wins.
Next, the Clio Cup moved to Most. Pekař returned to the grid and dominated on his home track. Knowing the circuit inside out, he was almost unbeatable here, confirming his status as the favourite with two victories and reclaiming the lead in the standings. After another win at Slovakia Ring in late August, Pekař strengthened his lead. Mirecki won the second sprint in Slovakia and emerged as Pekař’s sole rival for the title. However, a 21-point deficit was too much for the Polish driver to overcome, and when Pekař won the first sprint at Brno, he sealed yet another championship season.
In the Clio Cup Trophy category, for the older fourth-generation French cars, Valter Nežič took the title ahead of Marek and Tomáš Kazarka. The final round in Brno also saw the debut of autocross driver and F4 CEZ Academy winner Martin Knápek, who converted his second start into a victory.
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