This year’s Clio Cup season belonged to two men, namely the experienced veteran Tomáš Pekař and the young newcomer Martin Kadlečík. Both of them dominated the results sheets in their respective categories and celebrated their titles even before the season ended.
The Clio Cup with fifth-generation cars was dominated by the orange color and Tomáš Pekař. He only lost one direct duel, against Jerzy Spinkiewicz in Hungary. The young Pole competes in the European Clio Cup and in the Middle East, making him a serious competitor for Pekař. It should be noted that Pekař won the first Hungarian sprint, but Spinkiewicz defeated him in the second one.
There was one race that Pekař did not win, despite participating in it. It happened at the home Autodrom Most, where he had an innocent accident in the first chicane and had to retire. However, he was dominant everywhere else. Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Wherever he went, he won. Only in the final event in Brno, he did not participate due to a race in Red Bull Ring as part of the Clio Cup Europe.
In the final standings, Nik Štefančič finished behind Pekař. This year’s Clio Cup rookie never finished worse than third place and concluded the series of podium finishes with his first victory in Brno. The Clio Cup became a tremendous learning experience for him after winning titles in the Twingo Cup, and every kilometer driven represented valuable experience. Szabolcs Lantos fought for the title in 2022 but mostly ended up as the third man in the rankings this time. He achieved the desired victories in the first sprint in Brno. The fourth driver to claim a victory this year is Pekař’s teammate and apprentice, Henrik Seibel. The young German triumphed in the first sprint in Most and finished fifth in the final standings, just behind fourth-placed Miha Primožič.
Martin Kadlečík showcased an incredible streak of twelve consecutive victories in the Clio Cup Trophy with fourth-generation cars. Since the Clio IV is faster than the newer Clio V, it was mostly Kadlečík who crossed the checkered flag first. He left no chance for his competitors, and even the overall second-placed Michael Hulm or third-placed Adam Konopka couldn’t match Kadlečík’s speed. The season of the young racer can be summarized as follows: every start meant a victory.
