The opening race of the fifth Clio Cup round at a sunny Slovakia Ring was won by championship leader Bartlomiej Mirecki, who started from second on the grid and emerged victorious after an intense battle with Tomáš Pekař and Julian Smiechowski.
Pekař and Mirecki shared the front row, with Filip Dziwok and Luca Franca lining up behind them. Alan Kluza and Rafal Paprota occupied the third row, while Smiechowski and Pawel Wysmyk started from row four in 26 cars field.
Pekař made a good start, but Mirecki got away slightly better and grabbed the lead into Turn 1. Smiechowski made an even stronger getaway, climbing to third place on the opening lap ahead of Paprota.
Mirecki and Pekař initially managed to open a small gap over the rest of the field, but as Pekař searched for a way past the leader, Smiechowski, Paprota, Wysmyk and Miha Primožič were able to close in.
Smiechowski began putting Pekař under heavy pressure and made his move on lap four to take second place. That was not enough for the young Polish driver, as on the following lap he swept around the outside of Mirecki through the high-speed Turn 2 to take the lead, leaving the order Smiechowski, Mirecki and Pekař.
It did not last long. Mirecki fought back later on the same lap and reclaimed the lead, dropping Smiechowski back to second.
The battle intensified further on the following lap, with the leading trio going three-wide into Turn 2. After some wheel-to-wheel contact with his compatriot, Smiechowski emerged in front once again. The fight continued, with the lead changing several times before the safety car was deployed with six minutes remaining after Pavel Paickr crashed parked his car beside the circuit.
Behind the safety car, the order was Mirecki, Pekař, Smiechowski, Wysmyk, Paprota, Primožič, Sodnik, Preša, Franca and Martin Toth completing the top 10.
The race restarted with just one lap remaining, setting up a final showdown between Mirecki and Pekař. Pekař searched for an opportunity to pass the championship leader, but there was neither enough time nor a clear opening to make a move. Mirecki held on to claim his 6th victory of the season and his third win in a row after double victories at Autodrom Most. Smiechowski eventually managed to overtake Pekař to secure second place, making it a Polish one-two at the finish and Pekař third.
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