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Cram Motorsport’s Simon Rechenmacher claimed his maiden F4 Central European Zone Championship victory at Slovakia Ring after a thrilling last-lap battle with David Walther. The German driver eventually found a way past the Maffi Racing driver to secure a first win in the series.

The race for Group B and C drivers saw Rechenmacher start from pole position alongside Walther, with Mathilda Paatz and Max Karhan lining up on the second row. Antonio Errigo and Dean Pedersen occupied the third row, while Erik Poulsen and Ella Hakkinen started from the fourth. Francesco Pio Coppola and Aleksandar Bogunovic completed the top ten on the grid.

Paatz made an excellent start and took the lead on the run to Turn 1, with the entire field negotiating the opening corner without incident. However, Walther fought back at Turn 2 and reclaimed the lead.

Later on the opening lap, contact between Alexia Danielsson and Andreas Lo Bue sent both drivers into a spin. Benett Gaspar had nowhere to go and was also caught up in the incident. Unlike Danielsson and Lo Bue, however, Gaspar was able to reverse out of trouble and continue.

The safety car was deployed, with the order at the front being Walther, Paatz, Rechenmacher, Karhan, Pedersen, Poulsen, Errigo, Bruno, Hakkinen and Bogunovic completing the top ten.

Racing resumed with 16 minutes remaining. Walther retained the lead at the restart, while Rechenmacher passed Paatz around the outside to move into second place. Pedersen also gained a position by overtaking Karhan for fourth.

Paatz soon came under heavy pressure from the drivers behind. She was first passed by Pedersen and then had to defend from Karhan and Poulsen. Karhan eventually found a way through to take fourth place. While Pedersen ran comfortably in third, he was placed under investigation for a potential jump start.

At the front, Walther held a comfortable advantage for much of the race, but Rechenmacher gradually closed the gap. With five minutes remaining, the German had reduced the deficit to just two tenths of a second and began searching for a way past. He tried attacks on both the inside and outside lines, but Walther’s defensive driving kept him at bay.

Karhan also made progress, overtaking Pedersen for third place and setting off in pursuit of the leading duo.

The decisive move came on the final lap. Rechenmacher attacked into Turn 1 and briefly took the lead, only for Walther to fight back at Turn 3. The pair ran side by side through several corners in a thrilling battle for victory, but Rechenmacher ultimately held on to claim his first F4 CEZ race win.

Karhan finished third, with Pedersen crossing the line right behind him in fourth. However, Pedersen was handed a 10-second penalty for a jump start, dropping him to 11th in the final classification. As a result, Paatz was promoted to fourth, Poulsen to fifth and Bogunovic to sixth. Hakkinen finished seventh, Errigo eighth, Gorcica ninth, while Treneski rounded out the top ten.

FIA F4 CEZ – Race 2 – Official

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