Photo: TCR Germany

Dominik Fugel bounces back with Race 2 win at Lausitzring

Dominik Fugel made amends for a disastrous first TCR Germany race at the Lausitzring by securing a comfortable victory in Race 2.

The Honda ADAC Sachsen driver started from fourth on the reversed-grid and leapt up to second by the first corner, replicating his superb start in Saturday’s opener.

Unlike Saturday’s race though, the German managed to stay out front once he passed early leader Albert Legutko, eventually coming home 5.114s clear of title contender Antti Buri and points leader Harald Proczyk.

Hyundai Team Engstler’s Laura Kraihamer started from pole but got a poor start off the line as the track remained completely wet.

That allowed Legutko to take the advantage under braking for the first corner, while Dominik Fugel moved up to second. Fugel then seized the lead with a move down the inside of Legutko at Turn 10 as brother Marcel Fugel took third from Kraihamer.

Marcel’s race ended in disappointment for the second race in a row, with the Honda Civic Type-R driver pulling into the pits to retire with just over two minutes left.

Out front, Dominik Fugel began to stretch his margin over Legutko, who came under increasing pressure from Buri and Proczyk who had been making their way through the field from seventh and eighth respectively.

Buri was the first to make it past Legutko, executing a clean move down the inside of the final corner, while Proczyk had to wait several corners before getting by the Honda.

This slight delay cost Proczyk valuable ground and the 2018 TCR Germany champion was unable to launch an attack on Buri’s Team Engstler Hyundai i30 N TCR.

There was far less drama in Race 2, with just Dziugas Tovilavicius and Kraihamer outbraking themselves in the closing stages at Turn 6 and having to navigate around the laborious escape road.

Fugel came home a comfortable winner at the finish, with Buri just over two seconds clear of Proczyk in second.

Legutko clung on for fourth in a drag to the line with HP Racing International’s Jan Seyffert, while Team Engstler’s Nico Gruber was a distant sixth.

René Kircher finished just behind Gruber in seventh, while Kraihamer was eighth.

Tovilavius was ninth, as Marcel Fugel was again the only retirement.

In the TCR Germany points standings, Proczyk’s lead has been cut even more thanks to Buri’s win and second place. The Austrian now takes a slender nine-point margin into the season finale next weekend at Oschersleben.

Behind, Dominik Fugel is 18 points adrift and still very much in contention for the title.