Mat’o Homola calls for revised Balance of Performance after tough Bahrain weekend

Despite scoring five points for pole position, DG Sport Compétition’s Mat’o Homola failed to finish in the top ten in both races in Bahrain. The Slovakian had put his Opel Astra TCR on pole position, but received a penalty for having changed the engine and started from the back of the grid.

A last-minute Balance of Performance measure also reduced the German cars’ power to 95% of the original value, which saw both he and team-mate Pierre-Yves Corthals struggle during the races.

“I had some goals I wanted to achieve in Bahrain and I’m sad that it didn’t work out,” said Homola after the races. “I did everything I could, I tried to push as much as possible, but it simply wasn’t enough. The car’s dynamics have improved since Georgia and the suspension started to work as I wanted.”

Issues with the engine changed shape to the entire weekend for the Opel driver: “This time it was the engine that gave us problems. It overheated in free practice, we had to change it and the new unit was weak in the races after a great qualifying. The car didn’t have enough power and I couldn’t be competitive at all. The speed is crucial on the straights of this circuit, and you simply need engine power for that. Unfortunately we missed just that this weekend.”

Although Homola is sure the team will make progress, the Slovakian calls for a revision of the current BoP, as he feels the Opels can’t compete on par with the other cars.

“Let’s see how the Balance of Performance evolves because this way we have no chance”, said the Slovakian. “I hope it will change soon. On the other hand, I’m at least happy for the pole position, which was the first one for Opel in TCR. It was the first five points I took for the championship, but I want to take 25 for a win very soon. I don’t think I’m in a position to fight for the championship, although I feel it’s where I belong. We are going to do everything we can to be competitive again.”