It is a landmark achievement for Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra. For the first time in the team’s modern history, it has claimed outright victory in a race of the prestigious Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe championship. Bronislav Formánek and Anthony Pretorius defeated a field of more than 30 rivals, including professional factory-backed crews, at Spa-Francorchamps.
“It’s something we’ve dreamed about for a long time. We’ve come close on several occasions, but it always slipped through our fingers. I’m incredibly proud of the whole team for finally achieving it. And to do it here at Spa, one of the toughest circuits in the world, in scorching temperatures and in front of the crowds attending the 24 Hours of Spa, makes it even more special,” says Jiří Mičánek Jr., team manager of Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra.
The victory was built on outstanding performances from both drivers. Pretorius made a superb start, climbing into the overall top five within the opening lap despite the mixed-class field. Formánek continued where his team-mate left off, quickly working his way into second place overall before making a decisive move on Patrik Fraboni of Oregon Racing through the legendary Eau Rouge to take the outright lead. Shortly afterwards, Race Control deployed a Full Course Yellow before later sending out the Safety Car. The field remained neutralised until the chequered flag.
The closing moments, however, produced a heart-stopping moment for the team. Formánek entered the pit lane behind the Safety Car while the rest of the field continued on the circuit, meaning several rivals formally crossed the finish line ahead of the race leader. “It certainly took the shine off our celebrations. We weren’t completely sure whether it had been the correct procedure, but thankfully it turned out Broněk had done exactly the right thing,” explains Mičánek. The team finally breathed a sigh of relief around two hours after the finish, once the organisers published the official results.
The Safety Car made another appearance in the second race, setting up a ten-minute sprint to the chequered flag once the field was released at the end of the second stint. In the closing battles for the podium, Pretorius was forced to put all four wheels off the circuit to avoid a collision, eventually crossing the finish line in fifth place. “Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side this time. The important thing is that we leave the weekend with a 15-point lead in the Pro-Am championship,” said the 19-year-old South African driver.
Jakub Knoll and Renaud Kuppens were equally determined to put an end to the run of bad luck that has followed them throughout the season in the AM class. For Belgian driver Kuppens, the Spa weekend also carried extra significance as his home race. The breakthrough finally came in the second contest. Following the late Safety Car restart, Kuppens produced an outstanding drive in the closing sprint, carving his way through the field to finish second in class. “I only needed two corners to move into the class lead, but I’m still very happy with second place. Jakub did an excellent job during his stint, holding both his position and the gap to our rivals, which gave me the platform to attack,” said Kuppens.
Knoll endured a frustrating weekend with very little track time, as every one of his practice sessions was interrupted by red flags. As a result, he only began to build momentum during qualifying and the races themselves. His second outing was particularly strong, handing the Lamborghini Huracán over to Kuppens in fifth place in the AM class and within touching distance of the cars ahead.
Kuppens and Knoll made amends for their disappointment in the opening race with Saturday’s result, following a Friday outing that ended in fifth place after an unavoidable clash with Italian driver Moretti. Kuppens was forced into the pits with a puncture to the left-front tyre, dropping the crew more than a lap behind the leaders. Knoll, meanwhile, spent much of his stint circulating behind the Safety Car, leaving him with no opportunity to influence the outcome.
“We leave Spa with two podium finishes, a more comfortable lead in the Pro-Am championship, and still in touch with first place in the AM standings. I think we can be satisfied and now prepare calmly for the second half of the season, which we will kick off in two months at the Nürburgring,” the team concluded.
