Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra has reached another historic milestone. For the first time in its modern history, the team has claimed outright victory in a race of the prestigious Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe championship. Bronislav Formánek and Anthony Pretorius beat a field of more than thirty rivals at Spa-Francorchamps, including the professional crews.
“It’s something we’ve dreamed about for years. We’ve come close several times, but it always slipped through our fingers. I’m incredibly proud of the whole team for finally making it happen. And to do it here at Spa – one of the toughest circuits in the world, in extreme heat and in front of the huge 24 Hours of Spa crowd – makes it even more special,” says Jiří Mičánek Jr., team manager of Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra.
Both drivers played their part in the historic result. Pretorius made an excellent start, climbing into the overall top five on the opening lap. Formánek then continued the charge, working his way into second place before sweeping past Patrik Fraboni, driving for the professional Oregon Racing crew, through the legendary Eau Rouge to take the overall lead. Moments later, Race Control declared a Full Course Yellow before deploying the safety car. The field remained behind it until the chequered flag.
There was one final scare for the team. While running behind the safety car, Formánek peeled into the pit lane, whereas the rest of the field stayed on the circuit and officially crossed the finish line before him. “It certainly made the celebrations more stressful. We weren’t completely sure it was the correct procedure, but thankfully it turned out Broněk had done exactly the right thing,” says Jiří Mičánek. The team finally breathed a sigh of relief almost two hours after the race, once the official results had been published.
The second race also featured a safety car, setting up a ten-minute sprint to the finish after the second pit window. Pretorius was caught up in fierce battles and eventually had to put two wheels off the circuit to avoid contact, eventually taking fifth place.
“This time we didn’t have the luck on our side. The important thing is that we’ve extended our championship lead to fifteen points over the second Pro-Am crew,” says the nineteen-year-old South African.
Jakub Knoll and Renaud Kuppens arrived at Spa determined to end the run of bad luck that had followed them through the opening rounds. For Kuppens, it was also his home race. The result they had been chasing finally came in Sunday’s second race. Following the late safety car restart, the experienced Belgian carved his way through the field to finish second in the AM class. “I only needed two corners to get into the class lead, but I’m still very happy with the result. Jakub held his position and managed the gap perfectly during his stint, which gave me the chance to attack later,” says Kuppens.
Knoll spent most of the weekend struggling with limited track time, as every one of his practice sessions was interrupted by red flags. As a result, he only really found his rhythm in qualifying and the races themselves. His second race proved much stronger, handing the Huracán over to Kuppens with only a minimal deficit while running fifth in AM.
Saturday’s podium was a welcome reward after Friday’s frustration. The opening race had ended in fifth place following an unavoidable collision with Italian driver Moretti. Kuppens suffered a puncture to the left-front tyre and had to return to the pits, losing more than a lap. Knoll then spent most of his stint circulating behind the safety car, leaving him with no realistic opportunity to recover.
“We’re leaving Spa with two podium finishes, a much healthier championship lead in Pro-Am and still firmly in contention for the AM title. I think we can be pleased with what we’ve achieved and now focus calmly on the second half of the season, which begins in two months’ time at the Nürburgring,” concludes Jiří Mičánek.
