The Clio Cup grid has grown this year, boasting more cars than Formula 1. This will be evident in the upcoming weekend at the Most Autodrom, where the fourth round of this season will take place.
Tomáš Pekař was the favourite at the start of the season. The racer from Mělník is a top contender in the Clio Cup and consistently ranks high with his orange car. However, when Polish driver Bartek Mirecki committed to participate, it promised to be an exciting battle. This was evident right from the first event at Balaton Park, where the two fought for the lead, with minor contacts occurring but always within the bounds of fair play. Pekař won the first sprint, Mirecki the second. It seemed the favourites had their positions set.
But then the Clio Cup moved to the fast Red Bull Ring, and everything changed. A group formed at the front not just with Pekař and Mirecki, but also with David Dziwok, Nik Štefančič, Julian Śmiechowski, and Ivan Pulić. The two frontrunners couldn’t break away from the pack and found themselves in the thick of close battles and overtaking manoeuvres. Pekař’s teammate David Dziwok ultimately won both Austrian sprints. Yet, the reshuffling of the standings didn’t end there.
The third event at Slovakia Ring started with an early end for Pekař. He injured himself while riding a kick scooter and was out of both sprints. An opportunity for Mirecki? Or Dziwok? No, this time Nik Štefančič triumphed in both sprints. His joy was genuine, winning the first by 0.196 seconds and the second by a mere 0.007 seconds! The photo finish of the final race perfectly encapsulates this season’s competitive nature.
The grid is incredibly tight. There are no clear favourites. At least the top five in the standings – Dziwok, Štefančič, Mirecki, Pekař, and Śmiechowski – all have equal chances of victory. And one cannot underestimate Ivan Pulić, Filip Kunčer, or Nikodém Sobczyk, who is a member of the Williams Esports team.
The biggest hope for Czech fans is, of course, Tomáš Pekař, who returns to the driver’s seat at the home race in Most after a short recovery. However, he trails the leader David Dziwok by 23 points, which is significant. On the other hand, with three race weekends remaining in the season, as the first half has shown, anything can happen.
Within the Clio Cup, there is a special category for older generation Clio IV cars. The so-called Clio Cup Trophy is also closely contested, with Valter Nežič leading ahead of Tomáš Kazarka.
EVENT INFO:
Timetable V4
Entry List
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