A commanding performance by the duo of Jakub Knoll and Josef Záruba in the penultimate round of this year’s Central European FIA CEZ Championship at the Slovakia Ring sent the Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team back to the top of the standings. In the sprint race, Štefan Rosina battled a strong GT3 field in front of the home crowd, securing second and third places in his class.
„Our goal was to get Kuba and Pepa back to the top of the championship, and we’ve achieved that. We’re just one step away from the title, but the home race still awaits, and we cannot afford any mistakes,” says Jiří Mičánek Jr., team manager of Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra. He is referring to the season finale, held in two weeks at the Automotodrom Brno. Last year, Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra celebrated both the championship and runner-up titles in the sprint category at this very circuit. This year, Jiří Mičánek and his drivers hope to continue that success in endurance racing.
The road to victory in the GTC class – and fifth overall among the powerful GT3 competitors – was anything but easy. “It was extremely hot, and the race was tough on tyres,” explains Jakub Knoll, who took the start in Saturday’s late-afternoon endurance. His teammate Josef Záruba then brought the car home to victory. “Kuba and I worked together in our usual perfect sync. The biggest challenge was the track conditions – many drivers went off, dragging gravel onto the racing line. In the end, it was mainly about surviving and keeping the car on track,” says Záruba.
For the sprint races, Jiří Mičánek entrusted the car to Slovak driver Štefan Rosina, who usually represents Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe series. The experienced racer’s goal was to challenge the GT3 competitors — and he succeeded in doing just that amid a packed grid. On Saturday, he finished third in the open GTX category, followed by second and third place overall in Sunday’s races.
Ahead of him were only Miro Konopka with his Ligier prototype and Adam Konopka in a GT3-spec Lamborghini Huracán. “To finish third with a Cup car in such a strong field is nothing short of a small miracle. I have to thank the team for the fantastic car they prepared, and also the fans who came to support us and created an amazing atmosphere,” said Štefan Rosina, reflecting on a weekend dominated by local drivers on the podium.
„I’m glad that we either won or finished on the podium in every race we competed in. Especially in endurance, this gives us a very strong foundation to finish the season with another title for our team,” said team manager Jiří Mičánek Jr., reflecting on the weekend at the Slovakia Ring.
