DONUT 9: Erik Janković Wins a Dramatic Round at Westgate City
The third round of the DONUT International Cup took place on 30 and 31 May at Westgate City.
DONUT 9 was originally planned as a major night-time event, but an extremely unfavourable weather forecast forced a complete change of plan. The key part of Sunday’s programme was moved forward to ensure the competition could be completed before a severe storm reached Zagreb and the surrounding area.
The revised schedule was only the first of many challenges during one of the most demanding weekends of the season.
A NEW LAYOUT BROUGHT HIGHER SPEEDS
Westgate City featured a completely new track configuration, with higher speeds, longer zones and a different rhythm from the previous rounds in Mičevec and Split.
During Saturday’s practice sessions, the drivers had to identify new reference points, adjust power delivery and fine-tune their car setups ahead of tandem battles in which the gap between the two cars would be minimal.
Qualifying results — Top 3
Erik Janković
Ivo Znaor
Marino Vukelić
Saturday was also marked by an accident involving Adrian Petričević, whose foot was run over by Toma Ostojić’s car.
Despite the pain, Petričević returned for Sunday’s programme and progressed all the way to the grand final.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER STOPS IN THE QUARTER-FINALS
Sunday’s elimination battles delivered several major twists.
Marko Brdek arrived at Westgate as the championship leader and advanced through his opening battle against Ivan Nestić. In the quarter-finals, he faced Peter Brolli.
During his lead run, Brdek lost control and hit the tyre barriers, resulting in a zero score for the run. Although he completed the return run without a major mistake, the deficit was too large to recover, allowing Brolli to advance to the semi-finals.
Elsewhere, Erik Janković defeated Toma Ostojić, Ivo Znaor progressed past Bruno Stergar, and Adrian Petričević overcame Marino Vukelić after one of the closest tandem battles of the weekend.
MECHANICAL DRAMA IN THE FINAL STAGES
In the first semi-final, Janković produced the more consistent pair of runs to defeat Peter Brolli and secure his place in the final.
The second semi-final, between Ivo Znaor and Adrian Petričević, was decided by the narrowest of margins. The judges awarded Petričević a slight advantage, while Znaor’s car developed serious engine problems immediately after the battle.
His team managed to get the car running again only seconds before the third-place battle.
Despite overheating and smoke coming from the engine, Znaor capitalised on a mistake by Brolli and claimed the final place on the podium.
JANKOVIĆ WINS THE FINAL
The grand final brought together Erik Janković and Adrian Petričević.
Both drivers remained extremely close to the opposing car, with the final decision coming down to a small mistake by Petričević during the first run.
Janković remained composed in both the lead and chase positions to secure his first victory of the 2026 DONUT season.
Final results — DONUT 9
Erik Janković
Adrian Petričević
Ivo Znaor
Peter Brolli
A RACE AGAINST THE WEATHER
The weather forecast was the biggest organisational challenge of the weekend.
The planned night-time finale had to be replaced by an earlier daytime programme, requiring rapid changes to the competition schedule, broadcast production, judging operations and visitor communication.
The programme finished shortly before the severe storm arrived.
Alongside the pressure created by the weather, teams spent the weekend dealing with damaged cars, overheating engines, contact incidents and the mechanical strain of three rounds held within only six weeks.
IVO ZNAOR TAKES THE CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
The third round produced the first change at the top of the standings this season.
Znaor’s third-place finish and the points that came with it moved him ahead of Brdek, while Petričević’s runner-up result brought him firmly back into the title fight.
After DONUT 9, the leading positions were:
Ivo Znaor — 235 points
Marko Brdek — 215 points
Adrian Petričević — 198 points
Only 37 points separate the leading three drivers heading into the September finale, meaning DONUT 10 at the Bugatti Rimac test track will directly decide the 2026 champion.
