For the first time, Josef Hrdlička stood on the podium. The opening round of this year’s Porsche Sports Cup Deutschland brought a breakthrough bronze result for the driver racing under Jiří Mičánek Sr.’s team banner. Hrdlička finished the second race at Hockenheimring in an impressive third place overall.
“I’m very pleased. It’s a fantastic result,” said Hrdlička after the opening weekend of the season. He first secured fourth place in the opening race before going on to claim a bronze finish in the second encounter. The results came in a 14-car field featuring not only Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 992 machinery, but also Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport 982 entries.
Hrdlička lined up fourth on the grid for both 30-minute races. In each case, the starting order was determined by qualifying times. For the opening race, the grid was based on each driver’s fastest lap, while the second contest was decided by their second-best times from qualifying. Hrdlička maintained fourth place in the first race before improving by one position in the second, capitalising on the retirement of front-row starter Joel Hohmann.
Both races were relatively uneventful from Hrdlička’s perspective. “I had a few small battles here and there, but otherwise the order was pretty much set. I stayed with the pack, but I didn’t really get the chance for any proper racing,” the Czech driver reflected on the course of the weekend’s contests.
Although third place in the second race of the weekend has given Josef Hrdlička a welcome confidence boost ahead of the rest of the season, he remains firmly grounded and far from complacent. “It was my first time back at Hockenheimring after six months away, so I still need to get fully back into the rhythm and keep improving my pace. At the end of last year, I was setting quicker lap times than I am now,” admits the protégé of Jiří Mičánek Sr., the 25-time Czech champion in circuit racing and hillclimbs.
The next race weekend of the season is set to take place at the end of this month. On 30-31 May, the championship field will head to Oschersleben for the second round of the campaign. Hrdlička arrives there sitting third in the overall standings, although he expects holding onto that position over the remainder of the season will be far from straightforward.
“The organisers are already saying the competition in Oschersleben will be even tougher,” says Hrdlička, who has been competing in the Sprint Challenge GT3 category since 2024. He is determined to be fully prepared for the second race weekend of the season.
“Before the season we weren’t able to do any testing because the engine underwent a major rebuild and we got it back relatively late. But between race weekends I’ll definitely be putting in plenty of practice,” assures the Mičánek Motorsport driver.
He will be back on track again as early as 14 May. “We’ll be taking part in the Carbonia Cup at Slovakia Ring and using it as preparation,” he concludes.
