VEKRA-ČSMS Racing Team achieved great success at the opening race of the Tourenwagen Challenge

Last weekend, the Nürburgring circuit saw the opening event of the German 'Tourenwagen Challenge' series. The VEKRA-ČSMS Racing Team had entered six cars for this race, i.e., three Octavia Cup cars, with drivers Tadeáš Martínek, Laura Hájková and Daniel Skalický, and three Alfa Romeo 147 GTA cars, with Šimon Kubišta, Radek Bareš and Petr Fulín; Petr Fulín was replaced by Ivan Vršínský in the second round.

In the first free practice session, Dan was the fastest of the Octavia drivers, while Šimon excelled with his Alfa Romeo. However, after the third free session, the differences between drivers were very small, and the results suggested that at least one of our drivers stood a chance for a top-three placing. Only Petr and Ivan had poor prospects, because the engine of their car lost power considerably in the course of the practice.

The results of both qualifying sessions confirmed that our drivers were in great shape: Šimon Kubišta took pole position in his category for the first race, while Daniel Skalický came second. And, their team-mates were also doing well in the face of great competition.

The best result in the first race was attained by Radek Bareš, who, owing to his faultless driving style, claimed the second place. Petr Fulín's driving skills on the wet track compensated for the lack of power of his car's engine, earning him the third place despite the fact that he had started from the pit lane, together with Dan and Tadeáš. Daniel was fifth, Laura was sixth, and Šimon and Tadeáš came seventh and eighth respectively.

In the second race, once again, the best result was attained by Radek, who finished in the third place. Ivan Vršínský came fourth, after starting from the pit lane. Šimon was fifth, ahead of Dan and Tadeáš, who came sixth and seventh respectively. Laura Hájková, due to the failure of her car, had to retire from the second race. 'We have met our objectives set for this event. The drivers practised both in dry and wet conditions and fought thrilling battles on the track. They are in great form even before the beginning of the Octavia Cup series, and so I believe that, at least for the first race, they will have an advantage over the other Octavia Cup drivers,' Petr Fulín, manager of the team, said after this weekend racing event.

The team's drivers will meet again on Monday, 28 April, at the Autodrom Most Circuit, where an official testing event for all the drivers involved will be prepared by the company Česká pojišťovna, the promoter of the Česká pojišťovna Škoda Octavia Cup series.