Szymon Ładniak doubled up in the final ADAC TCR Germany meeting of the year at the Hockenheimring, winning Sunday’s final race ahead of Jessica Bäckman.
Ładniak had on Saturday evening put his Honda on pole position by over eight tenths of a second from Liqui Moly Team Engstler team-mate Martin Andersen, laying down a clear statement of intent to go for second in the drivers’ championship.
But Comtoyou Racing’s Bäckman had qualified her Audi in third, and at the start of the race she vaulted 2023 champion Andersen into second.
That result was enough to secure the Swede second in the standings – which was just as well, as Pole Ładniak was clearly the quickest man, posting the fastest lap and not ever being challenged thereafter for his third win of the season.
Bäckman was ultimately less than a second behind, but finishing as runner-up in the race also meant she hung on to the runner-up spot in the championship.
Dane Andersen brought his Honda home in third, just half a second behind Bäckman but without pressuring her unduly.
Ten seconds further down the road, Maurer Motorsport’s Vincent Radermecker brought his Holden Astra home in fourth for his best result of the season.
In fact, the Belgian provided some of the most entertaining driving in the entire race. Although he had qualified in fourth, Radermecker dropped to eighth after a poor opening lap.
He took two places back on the next lap when Max Gruhn and Robin Jahr were battling into the Turn 6 hairpin, and four laps later he had caught René Kircher’s Hyundai for fifth.
On lap seven he tried to pass Kircher into Turn 8 but contact between the duo saw Radermecker slide and drop back, but almost a lap later he performed a late move at the hairpin to secure fifth.
Three laps from the end of the race, Radermecker caught Jonas Karklys, passing the Hyundai driver with another cutback move exiting the hairpin to claim fourth.
Karklys was thus fifth, ahead of Kircher in sixth. Tim Rölleke followed his ROJA motorsport team-mate in seventh.
Gruhn ran in seventh early on before pulling his Audi off track on lap eight with technical issues, whilst Robin Jahr pulled into the pits four laps from the finish with car issues of his own.
Race result
| POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 21 |  |
Szymon ŁADNIAK | Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 18 | 33:07.848 | 1:48.591 | 1 | |
| 2 | 26 |  |
Jessica BÄCKMAN | Comtoyou Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 18 | 0.926 | 1:48.966 | 3 | |
| 3 | 19 |  |
Martin ANDERSEN | Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 18 | 1.442 | 1:48.982 | 2 | |
| 4 | 11 |  |
Vincent RADERMECKER | maurer motorsport | Holden Astra TCR | 18 | 12.145 | 1:49.117 | 4 | |
| 5 | 27 |  |
Jonas KARKLYS | NordPass | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 18 | 14.770 | 1:49.748 | 6 | |
| 6 | 8 |  |
René KIRCHER | ROJA Motorsport by ASL Lichtblau | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 18 | 16.249 | 1:49.857 | 8 | |
| 7 | 44 | |
Tim RÖLLEKE | ROJA Motorsport by ASL Lichtblau | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 18 | 18.712 | 1:49.834 | 7 | |
| 8 | 34 | |
Patrick SING | RaceSing | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 18 | 41.538 | 1:50.882 | 10 | |
| 9 | 9 | |
Roland HERTNER | Liqui Moly Team Engstler | Honda Civic Type-R FK7 TCR | 18 | 42.104 | 1:51.195 | 11 | |
| 10 | 17 |  |
Michael MAURER | maurer motorsport | Holden Astra TCR | 17 | + 1 LAP | 1:58.750 | 12 | |
| 11 | 22 | |
Robin JAHR | ROJA Motorsport by ASL Lichtblau | Hyundai Veloster N TCR | 14 | + 4 LAPS | 1:50.158 | 5 | |
| R | 13 | |
Max GRUHN | Gruhn Stahlbau Racing | Audi RS3 LMS TCR II | 7 | DNF | 1:49.901 | 9 | |
| NS | 77 | |
Albert LEGUTKO | Albert Legutko Racing | Honda Civic Type-R FK2 TCR | – | DNS | N/A | – |