It was meant to be a farewell to the hill-climb season, the team’s home circuit and the Lamborghini Huracán. However, an unexpected event has changed Jiří Mičánek’s plans for the race weekend at the Masaryk Circuit: the birth of his daughter, Julie. His younger brother Tomáš will therefore take his place at the start of the Brněnský drak hill-climb event.
“I think that’s just about the best possible reason to miss a race,” says new father Jiří Mičánek with a smile. He was there for the birth of his first child, daughter Julie, on Thursday evening, and will head to the maternity hospital at the weekend to bring both his partner Nela and their newborn daughter home. “Julie has timed her arrival almost perfectly, slotting it in between two Lamborghini Super Trofeo race weekends and ‘only’ clashing with the hill-climb event. We knew this was a possibility, but we also didn’t want to deprive our fans of their last chance to see us racing at home this year. So we’ll still be there for the weekend, just with my younger brother Tomáš driving instead of me,” Jiří explained.
Like his older brother, Tomáš has retired from competitive racing and now combines his business interests and flying with coaching racing drivers. “I last tested the Huracán two years ago, but you don’t forget how to drive a car like that. I was a little disappointed at the thought that I might never get to drive it again, especially with the team switching to the Lamborghini Temerario next year. I’m glad it’s worked out this way,” says Tomáš Mičánek. He did return to the wheel of a racing car this year, competing in a Cupra Leon in the TCR touring car series at Most.
At Brno, Tomáš will be looking to build on his older brother’s impressive results in this year’s hill-climb events. Jiří has competed in three rounds so far and finished on the podium in all of them. His best result came at Ecce Homo, a round included in the European Hill Climb Championship calendar, where he finished second. “We’ll see what the competition in our class looks like and what the weather has in store. Brno could suit us,” says Tomáš Mičánek.
Fans can also enjoy the hill-climb weekend alongside the team. The paddock will be open to visitors, with admission costing CZK 200. Cars will head out on track from 8 am, with running continuing until late afternoon. The hill-climb course starts at its lowest point, at the Schwantz Corner, and follows the circuit in its normal direction of travel.
