A home weekend. Hundreds of guests and partners, two Huracáns, four drivers. Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra plans to entertain the fans in Brno, but they also face a tough challenge — to clinch the Central European endurance title once again. Jakub Knoll and Josef Záruba are in charge of defending it.
“Autumn in Brno is a celebration for us. It’s a home race where we want to show our best. We’ll field two cars in both the endurance and sprint races, with Jakub Knoll and Pepa Záruba joined by GT2 European Series drivers Broněk Formánek and Štefan Rosina,” explained team manager Jiří Mičánek jr., outlining plans for the final weekend of this year’s domestic circuit season.
In previous years, the race weekend at the Automotodrom Brno marked the end of the season, but this year the calendar still includes a round at Balaton Park after Brno. “In the Central European Championship, we have a comfortable lead in the GTC class, but nothing is decided yet. We’ll aim to secure the title in Brno and celebrate it at home with our guests,” added Mičánek. During the weekend, more than three hundred partners and fans are expected to visit the team’s garage. “We’re looking forward to it, but at the same time we remain focused on the championship,” said Josef Záruba, the reigning Czech champion who is defending the title alongside Knoll.
This year, the Masaryk Circuit has a new surface, which the drivers are praising. All four drivers will experience the renovated track for the first time during the opening September weekend. “The track had become quite poor, so I’m looking forward to the new surface, even though we won’t have any reference times,” said Jakub Knoll ahead of the race. “I hope we can finish the season in Brno on a positive note, and I also hope to have some battles across the different categories,” he added. “We celebrated the title in Brno over the last two years when the race was the final round of the calendar. This year we’re in a tougher position, but once again we want to successfully close out the championship in Brno,” emphasised Jiří Mičánek.
Knoll and Záruba currently lead the GTC class standings in the Central European Championship with a 14-point advantage over their nearest rival, but nothing is decided yet. “Unfortunately, we made things more complicated for ourselves by not being at our best at the Slovakia Ring,” recalled Záruba, referring to the last race, where Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra finished third in the GTC class due to an unavoidable collision.
The second crew, Bronislav Formánek and Štefan Rosina, will start in the endurance race as part of their preparation for the next round of the GT2 European Series. “After last week, when we returned to the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe in the same way, this will be another opportunity to get ready for Valencia,” said Bronislav Formánek.
While the team will focus on points and the championship in the endurance race, the sprint promises — just like last year — a spectacular show for the fans. Josef Záruba will line up on the grid against Bronislav Formánek. Last year’s battle ended in a tense draw, with each driver winning one sprint race. And this year? “I’m looking forward to it. I believe Broněk will be very motivated to show his best again,” laughed Josef Záruba. “I’m sure we’ll both give it everything, and the spectators will enjoy it just as much as we will. Since this is a non-championship race, it’s less restrictive for me. I’m especially looking forward to the home atmosphere, and seeing friends and family coming to support us,” concluded Formánek.
The first sprint race and the one-hour endurance are scheduled for Saturday, with the weekend at the Masaryk Circuit concluding on Sunday afternoon with the second sprint. In addition to the GT cars, featuring Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra, fans can also look forward to an F1 car exhibition.
