Race 1 at Porto with no scratch

His car without any scratch, Michal Matějovský claimed the excellent fifth place in Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, at the difficult, 4770m-long circuit laid out in the narrow streets of the city of Porto, Portugal.

This was Michal's first race at the Porto city circuit. He gradually acquainted himself with the track in the free practice sessions, and kept improving his lap times. As opposed to the drivers who had the advantage of the experience of this circuit from the previous years, Michal was a complete newcomer here. He decided for the no-risk strategy for the Saturday race because, at this circuit, even a minor mistake may result in a collision with a concrete barrier and early retirement from the race. Michal's strategy worked very well. After taking the fine sixth place in the qualifying on Saturday morning, he managed to move up by one spot in the afternoon race. This placing earned him a very good grid position for the Sunday race.

'I am very much satisfied with my results at this circuit up to now. This experience is completely new for me. Cars are running at a high speed here, close to concrete barriers. No mistake, however small, is tolerated. My car was running perfectly, and I am glad that I have secured a good grid position for tomorrow's race,' said Michal Matějovský on Saturday, after crossing the finish line of the city circuit at Porto. On Sunday, he will start from the second row of the starting grid.