Antti buri closed the points gap to ADAC TCR Germany leader Harald Proczyk with a comfortable victory in race one at the Lausitzring, as pole-sitter Proczyk lost out at the start with a poor getaway.
Proczyk had started from pole after being easily the quickest driver in qualifying, but the HP Racing Hyundai driver bogged down significantly at the start of the race, dropping to eight within the space of three corners.
It was the Honda of Dominik Fugel who briefly took the lead at the first turn, although he then went wide and Buri slipped into the lead.
The Finn would then lead the rest of the race with ease, opening up an advantage of over ten seconds to take his second consecutive win, and third of the season.
It means the Hyundai Team Engstler driver has closed the points gap to Proczyk to 13 points with three races left to run.
Proczyk recovered from his dire start to claim second, including comfortably passing the Honda Civic of Albert Legutko on lap six to take second, although by this stage Buri was significantly further up the road already with a near ten-second lead.
However, Legutko would hold on to claim third and his first podium of the series, having kept reasonably close to Proczyk after the Austrian got past.
Nico Gruber was fourth in the second Engstler-run Hyundai, ahead of the leading Volkswagen Golf of René Kircher in fifth.
Guest starter Laura Kraihamer was sixth after a relatively quiet race on her début in touring cars, ahead of HP Racing’s Jan Seyffert in seventh. Seyffert had dropped to the very back of the pack on the second lap when he went down the escape road at Turn 8, forcing him to come back onto the track via an access track.
Skuba Racing’s Dziugas Tovilavicius was eighth, although the Lithuanian was involved in contsct with Marcel Fugel’s Honda on lap ten at the last corner, breaking Fugel’s front-right suspension and forcing him to retire.
Dominik Fugel was the last of the classified finishers in ninth, the title contender seriously lacking pace around the circuit.
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 13 | Antti BURI |  |
Hyundai Team Engstler | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 15 | 15 LAPS | 2:11.292 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | Harald PROCZYK |  |
HP Racing International | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 15 | 12.139 | 2:11.527 | 1 |
| 3 | 17 | Albert LEGUTKO |  |
Albert Legutko Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FK2 TCR | 15 | 13.531 | 2:11.720 | 7 |
| 4 | 97 | Nicolas GRUBER | |
Hyundai Team Engstler | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 15 | 15.396 | 2:11.580 | 4 |
| 5 | 8 | René KIRCHER |  |
Volkswagen Team Oettinger | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 15 | 23.872 | 2:12.007 | 9 |
| 6 | 103 | Laura KRAIHAMER | |
Hyundai Team Engstler | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 15 | 51.771 | 2:12.921 | 8 |
| 7 | 98 | Jan SEYFFERT | |
HP Racing International | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 15 | 55.957 | 2:12.471 | 3 |
| 8 | 92 | Dziugas TOVILAVICIUS |  |
SKUBA RACING TEAM | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 15 | 1:08.998 | 2:14.516 | 10 |
| 9 | 88 | Dominik FUGEL | |
Profi Car Honda ADAC Sachsen | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 15 | 1:28.452 | 2:12.757 | 5 |
| R | 55 | Marcel FUGEL | |
Profi Car Team Halder | Honda Civic Type-R FK8 TCR | 9 | DNF | 2:14.534 | 6 |