Marszałkowski gains 10 places in Brno Clio Cup round
The 2026 Clio Cup Bohemia season reached a critical phase at Brno Autodrom, where Polish driver Oskar Marszałkowski of JTS Racing Team scored eight points across the penultimate round. His performance in the second race proved particularly impressive, as he climbed from 16th on the grid to finish sixth—a gain of ten positions.
Marszałkowski's weekend began with challenging conditions during Saturday's qualifying session, held in wet weather. The 18-year-old, who celebrated his birthday before the Czech round, initially showed strong pace on the slippery surface and ran near the top ten for JTS Racing Team. However, a red flag caused by a rival's accident cut short his final qualifying attempt. With only one lap remaining and 29 cars on track simultaneously, changeable conditions and heavy traffic worked against him; he was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and qualified 18th.
The first race offered little opportunity to demonstrate his pace. Real racing lasted only two and a half laps before the safety car deployed, and a serious accident shortly after the restart brought out the red flag again. Marszałkowski managed one overtake and lined up 16th for the second start.
Race two told a different story. Marszałkowski made an excellent start and gained five positions on the opening lap alone, breaking into the points-scoring top ten by lap two. He continued climbing the order consistently thereafter. However, another incident approximately five minutes from the finish brought out the safety car again, neutralising the field to the chequered flag and preventing further attacks. He crossed the line sixth, securing eight points and maintaining sixth place in the championship standings ahead of the season finale.
"I'm genuinely proud of my performance in the second race," Marszałkowski said. "Starting from a distant position, I had good pace from the beginning and managed to gain a lot of ground. Five positions on the first lap gave me an excellent foundation, and then I could focus on further attacks. It's a shame about the neutralisation at the end, because I felt we still had a chance to fight for a higher position. Sixth place after starting 17th is definitely a result I can be proud of."
The Clio Cup Bohemia season concludes in Budapest on the final weekend of October. Marszałkowski's next outing comes much sooner, however—this week at Spa-Francorchamps, where he will join the Clio Cup Series grid in his first appearance for JTS Racing Team in the European cup. He plans two Clio Cup Series starts this year: after Belgium, he will compete in the November round at Portimão.