Two wins in the Pro-Am class, topped by second place overall. That marks the best result in the seven-year history of Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra in the prestigious Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe. In the second race, Bronislav Formánek and Anthony Pretorius finished ahead of the entire thirty-car field, bar one exception, sealing a historic achievement.
“From the perspective of our season targets, the key points are the two wins in Pro-Am and the extra point for pole position. The best-ever overall result is a great bonus for us,” reflects team manager Jiří Mičánek Jr.
Until now, the team’s best overall finish had been third. The story of this breakthrough result began on Saturday morning, when newcomer Anthony Pretorius secured pole position. He held the lead after the start in a dramatic battle.
After a few laps, Pretorius settled into second place behind Simon Iaquinta, who was competing in the Pro class and therefore posed no threat in the Pro-Am standings. “I struggled a bit with the front tyres at the start, but from the middle of the stint it was good,” describes Anthony Pretorius. He then maintained a crucial gap to Serbia’s Miloš Pavlović, second in Pro-Am.
Bronislav Formánek rejoined the race just behind Pavlović’s team-mate Andrea Ruffini, but Ruffini made a mistake within a few corners and spun. “I only just avoided him and lost contact with the overall leader because of it. I still had him in sight, but I didn’t want to push over the limit and risk the Pro-Am win,” explains Formánek. He confidently held second overall against professional drivers and secured a historic result for the team. “It’s a combination of many factors. Anthony took pole, the team did a great job, the car worked perfectly, and we made no mistakes in the pits,” he adds.
The duo had already impressed on Saturday, when Formánek started the race. Running among professional drivers, he held his position well and handed the car over to Pretorius in fourth place in Pro-Am. The South African then delivered a strong charge, closing in on the three cars ahead in class with around ten minutes to go. A few laps before the finish, he fought his way into the lead, although not without light contact. “He tried to squeeze me off the track, and with the tyres already overheated there wasn’t much I could do,” shrugs Pretorius. Race control deemed the incident a racing incident. Pretorius then built a safe gap and crossed the line as Pro-Am winner, sixth overall, later promoted to fifth after a penalty for a rival.
The pairing of Jakub Knoll and Renaud Kuppens came together only days before the race, leaving the experienced Belgian with plenty of work to adapt to the car. “The car felt good straight away. Only the brakes were a bit aggressive at the start. I adapted quickly and showed it in qualifying — pole in AM and twelfth overall,” says Kuppens.
In the first race, started by Knoll, the car was running second in class before moving into the lead after a rival’s mistake. Their charge was halted by a broken driveshaft — despite being new, it failed under heavy kerb usage. Even so, they secured second-place points, having completed more than 75 per cent of the race distance.
“It’s frustrating. Otherwise we would almost certainly have won AM and finished around the top twelve overall, which would be a great result for an AM crew,” notes Knoll. He had shown strong pace throughout Friday practice and qualified just three places behind Formánek.
On Sunday, Kuppens once again led the AM class after a strong start, but an incident not of his making changed everything. “I started twelfth and was right behind the group fighting for sixth to tenth. Then I got hit from behind — one of the Pro drivers went for a suicidal braking move,” says Kuppens. The contact destroyed his left-rear tyre; he limped back to the pits on the rim before rejoining. Knoll later brought the car home in third place in AM. “I couldn’t find my rhythm. Looking back, I’m almost glad the incident happened — otherwise we would have been losing positions in my stint,” admits Knoll.
Despite the setbacks, the pair remain well placed in the AM title fight after the opening weekend. “Normally we should have had two wins and at least one top-ten overall. Instead we have second and third in class. It’s frustrating, but at the same time I have a great feeling with the team. The car is good, the mechanics are working very well — everything is functioning perfectly,” says Kuppens.
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe season continues in Italy at Imola on the second weekend of May. “Our goal is clearly to build on Paul Ricard. As we said before the season, Anthony and Broněk are among the best in their categories, and with the experience we have as a team, we can aim for nothing less than repeating these results,” concludes Jiří Mičánek. “We can’t expect anything other than fighting for title. There will be pressure on us, but I believe we can deliver again,” adds Anthony Pretorius.
