Ładniak scores a double win in TCR Germany season finale

Szymon Ładniak ended another triumphant season for Engstler Motorsport in ADAC TCR Germany by scoring a double win in the season finale at Hockenheim. The Polish driver led both races from the lights to the flag, while his teammate Martin Andersen who had secured the title in the previous event at the Sachsenring finished twice on the podium, second in Race 1 and third in Race 2. Jessica Bäckman was runner up in Race 2 and retained the second place in the standings.

Race 1 – Jonas Karklys had set the pole ahead of Ładniak in a wet Qualifying, but the Lithuanian made a slow start and Ładniak led the field. Behind the Pole there was a tough fight for P2 that saw Kakrlys passing Vincent Radermecker and Robin Jahr before being ordered by Race Control to drop behind Jahr following a track limit infringement. This meant that Andersen, who was fifth on the grid, moved into second ahead of Radermecker, Jahr and Karklys. The race became processional as gaps opened; nothing changed until lap 10, when Jahr made a mistake and dropped from fourth to eighth.

After starting from P12, as she had failed to clock a Qualifying time due to a technical issue, Bäckman elbowed her way through the field and passed René Kircher for fifth, but four minutes to the end she spun with a broken rear suspension. The safety car was deployed and circulated until the chequered flag. Ładniak scored his second win of the season ahead of Andersen and Karklys, while Radermecker lost third place when his Holden Astra stopped during the last lap. 

Race 2 – At the start, Ładniak made good use of the pole position to lead from Bäckman who was third on the grid but moved ahead of Andersen for second. Ładniak pulled away, while Radermecker who had had a slow start from P4 was recovering and made contact with Kircher. The Belgian then began chasing Karklys who was running in fourth place, and they swapped positions a couple of times until Radermecker passed for good. Up front, Ładniak kept Bäckman and Andersen at a safe distance and took the chequered flag with a one-second margin.

Hockenheim – Race 1

1. Szymon Ładniak (Team Engstler, Honda Civic Type R), 17 laps

2. Martin Andersen (Team Engstler, Honda Civic Type R), 0.504

3. Jonas Karklys (NordPass Juta Racing, Hyundai i30 N), 1.111

Hockenheim – Race 2

1. Szymon Ładniak (Team Engstler, Honda Civic Type R), 18 laps

2. Jessica Bäckman (Comtoyou Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS II), 0.926

3. Martin Andersen (Team Engstler, Honda Civic Type R), 1.442

Championship points

1. M. Andersen 420 pts; 2. J. Bäckman 313; 3. S. Ładniak 311

Picture: ADAC Motorsport/Gruppe C Photography