Maťo Homola clinched his 2nd title of TCR Eastern Europe at Salzburgring!
Maťo had an incredibly challenging final weekend of the TCR Eastern Europe season, yet he managed to secure third place in the second race and, after tight battles until the very last moment, defended his title as the best driver in TCR Eastern Europe.
From the start of the weekend, Maťo had to contend with an additional 40 kg of weight, a “gift” for his success in the previous races. This made him slower on the straights and forced him to fight harder in the corners. He only managed to qualify in third place, which set his starting position for the race.
Unfortunately, Maťo jumped the start in the first race, earning a 10-second penalty added to his overall time. After the start, the Slovak driver dropped to fifth place but quickly made his way back up to third. Shortly after, he advanced to second place, but at that exact moment, another driver had an accident. During the red flag, Maťo was ordered to give back the position, even though it didn’t make sense.
The irreversible decision pushed Maťo down the order, forcing him into tough battles. He lost one position and finished the race in fourth. However, due to the time penalty, he dropped to sixth place, losing a significant amount of points, reducing his overall lead to just 16 points. And what about the decision to return the position? After the race, the stewards apologized to Maťo, acknowledging the mistake.
In the second race of the weekend, Maťo started from fourth place. This time, his start was successful, and he maintained his position. The lack of speed, however, was evident, and Maťo had difficulties holding onto his position. He couldn’t just sit back and hope for the best—he had to fight, but not at the expense of losing points. Maťo had carefully calculated the worst possible outcome that would still allow him to retain his lead, and he adjusted his driving style accordingly.
“Of course, I was worried about the result. I had to play with the cards I was dealt, and even though I wasn’t driving aggressively, I was fighting for points. I’m happy that I finished the race safely in third place, earning enough points to maintain my lead. We had some car issues, but I’m glad it held up and that we finished the season, which was quite challenging,” Maťo summarized the weekend’s races.
The Slovak representative extends a huge thank you for the support of his sponsors, family, and, last but not least, the entire Hyundai | Janík Motorsport team, without whom he would not have been able to defend his title from last year.
Mato’s 5th place in the TCR World Ranking highlights his consistency over two seasons and his maturity in racing. Considering that all the drivers ranked above him are factory drivers, this is an excellent result for him.
Mato secured 5 victories in TCR Eastern Europe, along with multiple pole positions and fastest laps. He demonstrated speed and consistency across all tracks on the calendar. It’s clear that the Elantra is an excellent car for various racetracks, and the team, together with Mato, has fine-tuned the car setup to suit his driving style.
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