Round two of the 2026 TCR European Endurance season has officially started: teams and drivers hit the ground running at the Slovakiaring, and with FP1 now in the books, all eyes are on Eric Scalvini and Salvatore Tavano (Cupra Leon VZ). The Wimmer Werk Motorsport pair was the fastest crew out of the box, as they set a blistering 2:13.991 to top the opening session of the weekend.
It was far from smooth sailing for the drivers, however, as FP1 saw cloudy skies and a strong wind that made it difficult for everyone to get up to speed with the circuit. The session was also interrupted twice in its first half due to two red flags, brought out by Caso/Locatelli (Cupra TCR DSG) and Çiftçi/Dalokay (Audi RS3 LMS). This did not stop the reigning champions, as Scalvini/Tavano vaulted to the top of the standings early on and never looked back. Second position belonged to Lisi/Berton (Audi RS3 LMS), while the third overall time was set by the other Wimmer Werk Motorsport entry of Kochendörfer/Klug (Cupra Leon Competicion), who are racing in the sequential category this weekend for the first time. Fourth overall, but quickest in the DSG standings, was the Casals Motorsport duo of Palanti/Carinci (Audi RS3 DSG); behind them, the category’s top-3 was completed by Pezza/Verrocchio (Audi RS3 DSG) and DSG championship leaders Argenti/Serratore (Cupra TCR DSG). Right behind them was the Gen-1 entry of TEXACO Team AMS driven by Kalpaklıoğlu/Göktaş (Audi RS3 Gen-1), while their teammates Çiftçi/Dalokay weren’t able to set a representative lap time after causing the second red flag.
Friday sees teams and drivers very busy at the Slovakiaring. The second free practice session is scheduled to get underway at 14:10 local time, while qualifying starts at 17:40 local time with two 15-minute turns. The two stages, shared on track with GTC Endurance Challenge, will steal the show throughout the rest of the weekend. Stage-1 will take place on Saturday 6 June at 10:05 local time, while the green flag for stage-2 is set to be waived on Sunday 7 June at 11:40 local time. Both stages will be broadcast on TCR TV’s official YouTube channel, with Daniele Spadi providing commentary on both occasions, and also on PitwallTV and Acelera GP’s YouTube channels.
