Michal Makeš inherits Race 2 win as Sebastian Steibel gets penalty

TCR Eastern Europe delivered another race full of surprises at the Slovakia Ring, that eventually ended in the bag of Michal Makeš, who crossed the finish line in second position and inherited the win after Sebastian Steibel was given a 10-second penalty for jump start that dropped him to fifth. With Tomáš Pekař finishing eighth, Makeš has stretched his leadership in the standings to 25 points ahead of the season finale in Brno.
The grid for Race 2 saw Steibel on pole, ahead of Petr Čižek, Radim Adámek and Zarko Knego. Yesterday’s winner, Jonas Karklys was in P9, while Pekař started from the back of the grid, having solved the technical issues that prevented him to take part in Race 1. Giacomo Ghermandi started from the pits after a liquid leak was discovered in his car.
At the start, Čižek and Sanel Ćehić stalled. This allowed Steibel to pull away, while Karklys was already second at the end of lap 1, followed by Makeš, Adámek, Carol Wittke and Pekař, who would climb to fourth one lap later. 
In lap 3, the race was red-flagged because Zarko Knego’s CUPRA rolled at the exit of turn 2; the driver walked away, but the car was destroyed and the barriers damaged. Knego was sent to the medical centre for checks.  
The race resumed with 13 minutes left. Steibel took a good start again, with Makeš seizing second from Karklys, while Pekař was challenged by Bartosz Groszek and Wittke. Nothing much happened until the last three minutes, when Pekař went off onto the gravel of the last corner while trying to attack Makeš; he rejoined in eighth position. 
Steibel took the chequered flag, but his penalty meant that Makeš, Karklys and Groszek stepped on the podium.
The championship will come to an end at Brno, September 3/5.

Slovakia Ring – Race 2
1. Michal Makeš (Mičánek Motorsport, CUPRA), 8 laps
2. Jonas Karklys (Nordpass Jutaracing, Hyundai i30 N), 4.806
3. Bartosz Groszek (Horňák-Aditis, Audi RS 3 LMS), 7.790
4. Carol Wittke (Fullinrace Academy, CUPRA Leon Competición), 7.873
5. Sebastian Steibel (Steibel Motorsport, CUPRA), 10.000

Championship points
1. M. Makeš 183 pts; 2. T. Pekař 158; 3. C. Wittke 103

Picture: TCR Eastern Europe/Petr Frýba