Third place, a result as valuable as the previous five victories. In the fourth round of the GT2 European Series, Mičánek Motorsport defended its championship lead despite a disadvantageous BoP, which the series promoter had tightened even further after Thursday’s tests. “This weekend was tough, but we leave it with a solid position at the top of the standings,” said team manager Jiří Mičánek Jr.
25 points. Less than half of what they scored at the previous weekend in Spa-Francorchamps, but perhaps the most crucial points yet in the fight for this year’s European title. With a fifth and a third place, Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra secured its lead in the championship. Of their 47-point advantage over the Calamia–Pampanini duo, the Czech–Slovak pairing of Bronislav Formánek and Štefan Rosina lost just a single point.
It was a weekend where a lot of adverse circumstances came together. It was extremely hot, we had technical issues with the alternator, and at one point we dealt with overheated coolant. It’s not that we were slow, but we didn’t have the usual flow we normally do,” reflected Jiří Mičánek on the weekend.
„It was an incredible battle, but we showed that even when they add extra weight to the car and raise the ride height, we can still put in strong laps and remain competitive,” said Bronislav Formánek.
„I believe this weekend was an important step in the fight for the title. From that perspective, third place was extremely valuable for us. Now we need to focus on finishing races, staying consistent, and avoiding mistakes,” assessed Štefan Rosina.
Two new crews in Lamborghini Huracán ST EVO2 cars joined the championship, significantly shaking up the established order. The Italian pairing Luca Segú–Diego Locanto used their perfect knowledge of the home track to dominate the second race, while in the first race, Shota Abkhazsava and one of the top Lamborghini Super Trofeo drivers, Egor Orudzhev, ruled the field with authority.
„Egor Orudzhev is unquestionably one of the best professional GT drivers today, as we saw last year in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo. Yet we were still able to fight with them, and in the second race, Broňa kept his crew behind us and secured third place,” said Jiří Mičánek.
For Jiří Mičánek’s team, the most important comparison was with the Maserati of Dinamic Motorsport, as they are practically the only crew capable of jeopardising Formánek and Rosina’s title hopes. In the first race, the Calamia–Pampanini duo finished sixth — just behind the Czech–Slovak pairing. In the second race, the teams swapped positions, albeit for the otherwise point-scoring second and third places. In practice, this meant that Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra’s championship lead was reduced by just a single point to 46. With only 104 points still up for grabs for the rest of the season, every point counts.
„For my part, I can say that fifth and third place were the maximum we could achieve. I was driving flat out, we made no mistakes, but there was no way to go higher this weekend,” concluded Bronislav Formánek.
The grid will wait almost two months for the penultimate round of the GT2 European Series, as the championship moves to Spain for the finale. First, the teams will head to Valencia, with the season finale taking place at the Montmeló circuit in Barcelona.
