Mat’o Homola disappointed to miss podium due to broken window

B3 Racing’s Mat’o Homola missed out on a chance to finish on the podium in his first season in the TCR International Series at Spa-Franorchamps after the Slovakian’s front window broke soon after passing WRT’s Antti Buri in Race 2.

The 21-year-old Slovakian had worked his way past the Team WRT Volkswagen Golf TCR of Antti Buri on lap three and was set to chase down the leading pair of WRT Leopard Racing cars of Jean-Karl Vernay and Stefano Comini, before the front-right window on Homola’s SEAT León smashed.

“I’m a little bit sad, I’ve been fourth three times this season,” said Homola to TouringCarTimes. “In Race 2 I was confident of the podium as I knew my pace and my speed.

“I passed Buri but two corners after I had a broken front-right window and I was a bit distracted, as small bits of glass were coming into my helmet and I made a mistake at the following corner.”

After losing ground back to the Volkswagen, chances of a further charge weren’t possible, with tyre wear in the 25 degree heat an issue for the Leóns and Hondas, carrying 30kg additional weight for performance balancing over the Volkswagens.

“My fronts were destroyed at the end of the race and I couldn’t attack,” he added.

After making his World Touring Car Championship debut last year and competing for four years in the European Touring Car Cup with his family run team, Homola is enjoying his first season in the TCR series with the Hungarian-run B3 Racing team, now paired up with former championship rival Dusan Borkovic and rising star 16-year-old Attila Tassi.

“It’s a bigger championship (than ETCC) with more experienced drivers and more cars, so it’s more dependent on the driver and the team and the set-up of the car. We have to work really hard to be good, and we are working really hard. It also has some nice tracks, here for example, Spa is awesome.”