Tomáš Pekař claimed victory in the second Clio Cup race at the Slovakia Ring after charging through the field from tenth on the grid. Once he took the lead, Pekař did not put a foot wrong and remained in control despite two safety car periods.
Filip Dziwok and Alan Kluza started from the front row, with Luca Franca and Martin Toth on row two. Matic Preša and Jorg Sodnik lined up on the third row, ahead of Miha Primožič and Rafal Paprota. Pawel Wysmyk shared the fifth row with Pekař, while Julian Smiechowski and Race 1 winner Bartlomiej Mirecki started from row six.
Dziwok made the best start and led the 26-car field into Turn 1, while Preša also made an excellent getaway to climb into second place. By lap two, however, an intense battle for the lead had developed. Paprota took full advantage of a four-wide fight under heavy braking, slicing his way through to take the lead ahead of Franca and a rapidly advancing Pekař, who was already up to third.
On the following lap, Pekař moved into second and immediately began chasing Paprota as he searched for his second victory of the season. His charge continued, and he took the lead at the end of lap three.
Smiechowski was also making rapid progress through the field, but contact with Jorg Sodnik damaged the left-front corner of his car. With the Clio no longer driveable, Smiechowski came to a halt in the gravel trap.
The safety car was deployed, with the order under caution Pekař, Paprota, Franca, Dziwok, Preša, Mirecki, Vondráček, Kluza, Sodnik and Primožič completing the top 10.
Racing soon resumed and Pekař retained the lead, opening a small gap over Paprota, while Franca, Preša, Mirecki and Primožič fought over third place. Primožič’s race then came to an unfortunate end after contact with another car left him with similar left-front damage to that suffered by Smiechowski.
Primožič stopped beside the circuit, bringing out the safety car for a second time with less than four minutes remaining. It set up a final-lap shootout, with Pekař leading Paprota, Franca, Dziwok, Mirecki, Preša, Kluza, Vondráček, Fabijan and Wysmyk.
Pekař and Paprota immediately pulled clear at the restart, while Dziwok moved up to third. Pekař held his nerve to complete a superb drive from tenth on the grid and secure his second victory of the season.
Paprota finished second, with Dziwok completing the podium. Mirecki crossed the line in fourth ahead of Franca, while Preše took sixth. Vondráček, Fabijan and Wysmyk followed, with Janík Jr. rounding out the top 10.
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