Victory in qualifying, second place in the first race, then a win in the second one. A great start in Croatia, but we have barely had time to process everything before round two is already here. This weekend, the Swift Cup Europe championship continues in Austria at the Salzburgring, where I arrive as the leader of the standings.
As I have already written, this year I will have the opportunity to compete in several Swift Cup Europe races, thanks to your support and, of course, GFS Motorsport, who have been helping me since the very beginning of my career.
I had already raced at the Grobnik circuit in Croatia before, although it was more than ten years ago. Back then, my result was one victory and one second place. And now, the same again.
The weather was not kind to the drivers and teams. It rained almost throughout the entire weekend, and it was difficult to find grip on the track, especially because the current Swift Cup Europe cars run on the same tires in both dry and wet conditions.
The qualifying session took place in light rain, so it was important to drive with intelligence, but at the same time you had to keep circulating and wait for the right moment. The intensity of the rain kept changing, so it was necessary to stay out on track continuously to find the best conditions and set the best lap time. I stretched that all the way to the final lap, and it paid off. Pole!
My manager asked me if I remembered the last time I had won a qualifying session. Well, I stopped to think, and it really had been a long time. My previous pole positions came back in 2016 in the Skoda Octavia Cup. Fortunately, victories were more frequent…
I started the first race from first place, and by then the track was already drier. However, it began to rain again before the start, and on my decision we changed the setup. It was a mistake. The rain stopped and the track began to dry.
I made a poor start, but later I managed to get back into the lead and was leading the race. On the start-finish straight, I did not position myself well on one occasion, Balázs Hartmann was able to pull alongside me and overtake me. I tried to fight back, but I could not find a way through, so I finished second.
To be honest, I was angry. Not because of second place, but because changing the setup had been my own decision, and it simply did not allow me to fight back in the second half of the race.
I was heading into Sunday’s race from seventh on the grid, as the top eight drivers are reversed for the start. Well, if my Saturday start was bad, then Sunday’s was terrible. That still needs practice. I came out of the first corner in eighth place.
Gradually I found my rhythm, and I felt that everything was coming together. By halfway through the race I was already up to second place, and in the end I managed to take the lead with a bold overtaking move. The pace remained strong, and I also claimed the fastest lap, which meant one extra point. That could still be important, because we have to collect every single point, as we do not know what the season will bring.
The next round is already coming this weekend — next stop, Austria and the iconic Salzburgring. The circuit is very fast, slipstreaming will matter a lot, but I will focus only on myself. I’m leading the championship, and I want to leave the Austrian track on Sunday afternoon still in that position. Stay with me!
