Last year’s dominant winners of the Central European circuit championship, Jakub Knoll and Josef Záruba, are beginning their quest to defend the Czech national title. At the opening round of the GT Cup Series, they will once again line up for the endurance race under the colours of Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra.
„In the series, we aim to defend last year’s first place in the GTC class for endurance races, which is why we decided to head to the Red Bull Ring, even though it clashes with the GT2 schedule. This meant fielding two teams, but we have the staff and infrastructure to manage it. The Red Bull Ring also suits us and the Huracán well, and both drivers enjoy racing there,” said Jiří Mičánek Jr., team manager of Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra.
Jakub Knoll confirms this, having returned to the team last year and gone on to dominate the Czech championship alongside Josef Záruba. He will take the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán ST EVO2 for Friday’s practice sessions – his first time back behind the wheel in seven months. “Since the end of the 2024 season, I haven’t had a chance to test. It will be important for us to get up to speed and prepare the car, not just in terms of the overall result, but also for the lap times, which provide a benchmark for comparison with other categories,” Knoll explained.
For Josef Záruba, Saturday’s endurance race and the preceding qualifying session will serve two goals. “First and foremost, we want to make a strong start in our quest to defend the title. At the same time, we’ll be measuring ourselves against rivals in GT3 machinery. The Red Bull Ring is all about performance, and we have that. But our priority remains focused on defending the championship,” the 29-year-old driver emphasised.
The opening round of the GT Cup Series takes place alongside a GT2 European Series race, in which Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra is also competing. Unlike last year, the team will not be fielding additional cars or taking part in the sprint races for this first Central European season event. “In the upcoming rounds, we plan to have more cars and driver line-ups on the grid again,” confirmed the team principal.
