Two races didn’t go according to plan, but then came the third, which crowned Bronislav Formánek and Štefán Rosina with victory in the PRO-AM class during the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe weekend. From the Catalan F1 circuit, Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra brings home strategically valuable points in the fight for the title, as well as top-ten overall finishes for both of their cars.
„It was a weekend full of ups and downs, but with victory in the third race we turned things around in the best possible way,” reflects team manager Jiří Mičánek jr. In Catalonia, the team’s Lamborghini Huracán duo faced an additional race on Sunday evening, as one of the Le Mans events had been cancelled for safety reasons.
The team had to wait until Sunday evening’s race to celebrate the weekend’s best result. Bronislav Formánek and Štefan Rosina claimed victory in the PRO-AM class, finishing eighth overall. The juniors, Jáchym Galáš and Matěj Pavlíček, also broke into the top ten overall and secured eighth place in the PRO category.
The most successful third race was immediately impacted by a heavy multi-car accident. Following the incident, the safety car came out, and the entire first stint was run with the field lined up behind it. The first decisive moment came during the pit stops, as most of the grid headed into the pits at the same time. Formánek-Rosina capitalised on the chaos in the pit lane, gaining two positions. After the race restart, Štefan Rosina fought through the battles on track to reach eighth place. “Having both cars in the top ten is an excellent result in Super Trofeo, where up to fifty cars take part,” praises Jiří Mičánek.
Although Štefan Rosina is still gradually getting used to the new Hankook tyre compound, he was able to fight hard and gain position after position in the overall standings. “The race was greatly affected by accidents, but when I see how balanced the starting field is, I’m surprised there weren’t even more. In any case, Broněk laid a great foundation and I just finished it off,” says the Slovak matador modestly.
Even more valuable than the trophies for first place are the 15 points both drivers earned. These points are crucial in the fight for the PRO-AM title. The Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra crew currently leads the championship by 14.5 points and will carry this advantage into the final November round in Jerez.
Jáchym Galáš and Matěj Pavlíček also confirmed their excellent form in the third race, despite starting from the back of the grid due to a poor qualifying result at Le Mans. Although Pavlíček spent most of his stint behind the safety car, he managed to gain nearly twenty positions during the first half-lap, setting up a strong starting position for Galáš at the race restart. “It was more like a weekend trip to Lidl, but that half-lap of actual racing made up for it. There were battles, crashes, and I even had to drive over the grass…” Pavlíček recalls.
With yellow flags and the safety car circulating, Galáš then took his stint, and after the restart, he capitalised on his position, ultimately finishing tenth. “I’m disappointed part of the race was behind the safety car – otherwise I probably could have achieved even more,” he reflected.
In the two “standard” races, both crews were mainly plagued by bad luck and, to some extent, their own mistakes. Formánek was most disappointed with qualifying, where he lost both fast laps due to exceeding track limits. Although he made a strong start and moved up through the field, an unavoidable collision sent him into the barriers. With a damaged car, the duo could only bring it home, finishing seventh in the PRO-AM category.
In contrast, Štefan Rosina delivered an excellent qualifying performance and started the second race from fifth position. However, once again, a penalty for exceeding track limits dropped the duo from second to fourth place.
The junior duo Galáš – Pavlíček finished the first race in tenth place and the second race in seventeenth in the top-tier PRO category.
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe series will remain in Spain, with the final round of the season set to take place in a month at the Jerez circuit. Formánek and Rosina will be defending their 14.5-point lead at the top of the PRO-AM standings. “We had hoped that with a bit of luck we could head into the final round with a more comfortable margin, but unfortunately the first two races didn’t go as planned, so everything will be decided in Jerez,” concludes Jiří Mičánek jr.
