Having joined Target Competition on short notice for the remainder of the 2019 season, Dominik Baumann quickly adapted to the Hyundai i30 N, finishing his first TCR Europe races in sixth and fourth respectively.
Baumann joined the team not long after Dušan Borković was banned by the organisers of the series following the previous event.
Having previously raced in ADAC GT Masters, the Nürburgring 24 Hours and IMSA Sportscars Championship, the Austrian has proven himself to be well-known in the world of GT Racing.
Coming to touring cars for the remaining races in TCR Europe, everything was new to Baumann.
“Hitting the correct position in my box on the starting grid is unusual for me. After I’ve lost two positions at the start of the first race, I was able to hold my position going into the second race. I already felt familiar with the starting procedure”, explained the 27-year-old to TouringCars.Net.
“I managed to avoid major incidents; there were no safety car periods. Still, this race [on Sunday] was more difficult for me as it was hotter and the tyres tended to overheat.
“I decided to go easy with the tyres to be able to attack again at the closing stage of the race. But my plan didn’t work out because it is hard to overtake on the tight Oschersleben track. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun and it’s been a great experience for me.”
The Target Competition driver is now looking forward to the last two rounds in Barcelona and Monza in September and October.
“I will put into practice what I’ve learnt in Oschersleben, having gained trust into the car going into the last four races,” said the Austrian.
“I know both of the tracks well. From the BoP [Balance of Performance] point of view, it will be anything but easy for us. Having a few weeks between each of the race weekends, we will use that time to work together as well as looking into the data and at the videos. There is still a lot to learn, especially from Josh [Files].
“To become part of this [TCR] was a coincidence. I think having a broad established portfolio is an advantage. In the end, you never know what will happen in the future.”