“I would describe my start into the season as somewhat bumpy”, says the Austrian Simon Reicher, who competed at the Czech circuit near Most last weekend from April 27 through 29. For the first time in its 12-season existence, the ADAC GT Masters raced on the 4,212 meter long Autodrom Most. The ADAC TCR Germany traditionally took place in the weekend’s supporting program. This premiere along with perfect weather offered fantastic racing conditions for both the participants and fans.

The Kirchberg-native and his team YACO Racing used Friday’s first free practice session to find the right set-up for the weekend. Reicher placed in a promising fifth position in the second practice session and finished Friday’s qualification in fourth place. “We worked hard. My mechanics did a great job. I am very happy with the result”, reports Simon Reicher, adding “Most is a narrow, but nonetheless really cool circuit. The long, fast corners are a lot of fun. Only the hairpin at the back-end of the track takes the swing out of things. But once you are back on the straight, the fun continues. At first, the individual sectors in Most don’t look too difficult, but the combination is trickier than one may think. One corner needs some braking, the next requires you to lift the throttle a bit, the last can bravely be driven flat-out – Most offers quite a mix. Here the driver wins, not the set-up of your car.”

Reicher’s first race of the weekend, finishing in fourth place, met the 18-year-old’s expectations. “It is a positive confirmation for the team and myself that we can race and constantly compete on eye-level with the front of the pack. We showed a similar competitive performance last time in Oschersleben, but then faced bad luck in the final race. Fourth place in the first race shows that we are on the right track; now it is only a matter of time until that last bit of luck is on our side for a podium finish”, summarizes the youngster.

But will the eighth-grade student be granted that “last bit of luck”? Is motorsport calculatable like that? Simon Reicher confidently states: “Well, at the beginning of the season we clearly set ourselves a goal to compete for the championship. As of today, we are on the right path. If we diligently collect points by placing in the top 5 each race, we have the potential to be championship contenders. But YACO Racing and I want even more, our ultimate goal: we want to win.” Unfortunately, a technical issue in Reicher’s 350 hp Audi RS3 LMS would draw a line through his optimistic plans just hours later. Sunday’s final race had a sour surprise ready. “When turning into the first corner, you usually switch down into first gear. But a technical error caused my car to jump into neutral. By the time most of the field went past me, I was able to fix the problem and play a race of catch-up. But more than 17th place was not possible. A real shame, but simply everything must fit together for a win. Now we must analyze the issue, if I did something wrong or the car played a trick on me. Either way, the focus now lies on my home race,” says the sympathetic YACO Racing driver.

Simon Reicher’s home race takes place June 8-10 at the Austrian Red Bull Ring. Just a stone’s throw away from his grandparents’ house, the ADAC TCR Germany will visit Styria for its third race of the season.