CZK 2,615,000. That was the final sum raised at the auction of the helmet belonging to racer and team manager Jiří Mičánek Jr. of Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra. The record-breaking amount, twenty times the actual value of the helmet, was raised during a gala evening in Brno, where the team also premiered a documentary film covering the past season.
The auction of the Arai GP7 helmet—the same model used by Formula 1 drivers—at the gala evening for Jiří Mičánek’s team partners quickly took on an unexpectedly intense turn, in the best possible sense. “We had anticipated that the final sum might fall somewhere between half a million and one million CZK. Even that would have been an excellent result, considering the helmet itself, with its unique design created specifically for me, is worth around 130,000 CZK. But what unfolded during the auction was simply unbelievable,” recalls Jiří Mičánek, describing the auction that had started at just one crown.
The helmet itself was ultimately auctioned for 750,000 CZK, with the winning bid placed by Jan Polický, owner of the Brno construction company ESOX spol. s r.o. However, his rivals spontaneously decided to donate the amounts they had bid to the Brno Klokánek centre, even without winning the auction. Other guests at the gala soon joined in, and the total proceeds reached 2,615,000 CZK. On top of that, one of the team’s partners, U1 Space Design, contributed furniture worth 250,000 CZK. “I’m incredibly moved. I’m proud that our team has partners like these,” says Jiří Mičánek.
In total, the team’s drivers Bronislav Formánek and Josef Záruba, along with Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra mechanics Michal Šalplachta and Lukáš Veselý, contributed over a quarter of a million CZK. Their combined donation amounted to 30,000 CZK. “It gave me immense joy that even those with standard salaries chose to take part in the auction, which essentially turned into a fundraiser,” added Jiří Mičánek. In total, sixteen people contributed, with the highest individual donation—aside from the winning auction bid—reaching half a million CZK.
For Marcel Bublová, the director of the Brno Klokánek, the total sum came as an enormous surprise. Tears welled up in her eyes as soon as team driver Bronislav Formánek placed the first bid of 200,000 koruna. As the amount began to rise and more guests spontaneously contributed with their own donations, she was almost in shock.
“I can’t put into words what I’m feeling. I deeply appreciate the trust placed in our work. Klokánek, the children it supports, and all the staff who pour their hearts into it truly need this. It also carries a symbolic significance. For the carers who look after the children and dedicate literally half their lives to this work, it is an incredible recognition of their efforts and the fact that someone values them,” said Marcel Bublová. Later in the evening, she even phoned a few colleagues to share the news of the auction’s proceeds. “They could hardly believe it. And even I feel as though I’m dreaming, a dream I need to wake up from.”
Instead of garden landscaping, the renovation of apartments at Klokánek
The proceeds from the auction will be used primarily at the Brno Klokánek to refurbish equipment that has been in use for 17 years. “With such an enormous, almost miraculous sum, my mind is racing with all the things we will now be able to purchase and renovate,” added Marcel Bublová. The facility cares for children who would otherwise have no one to look after them, whether because their parents are unable to provide adequate care or due to unforeseen emergencies within their families. The children live in the facility in groups of four with the carers, who take care of them continuously for a week at a time in separate apartments.
The auction’s winner, Jan Polický, also expressed his appreciation. “For us, it’s a way of giving something back to society, recognising the fact that we are able to run our business here. This isn’t our first act of support, and it certainly won’t be the last,” he said, adding that he intends to visit Klokánek in person. The helmet will now take pride of place at the company’s headquarters, joining other artefacts collected over the firm’s 30-year history.
The auction result also left the evening’s host, Lucie Borhyová, stunned. Having hosted many auctions before, she admitted she was completely unprepared for what happened. “Since the helmet was valued at 130,000 koruna, I thought we might reach 200,000 and then see how it goes. But never in my life did I imagine we’d reach 2.6 million koruna. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a starting bid of just one koruna escalate to such an amount,” she said in disbelief.
Originally, Marcel Bublová had anticipated that the expected proceeds, in the hundreds of thousands of koruna, would be used to revitalise the garden and improve the facility’s amenities. However, the final amount will allow for a far more significant renovation of the entire centre. Klokánek receives only 57 per cent of its funding from the state, with the remainder having to be secured through sponsorship.
The auction took place as part of a gala evening hosted by Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra, which also premiered a new documentary film highlighting the team’s key moments from the 2023 season. “Last year, we produced such a documentary for the first time, but we only shared it online, where it gathered over one hundred thousand views. This year, we decided to extend it to over 20 minutes and screen it for our partners on the big screen,” explained Jiří Mičánek, describing the event held at Kinokavárna Brno. “I believe this will become an annual tradition, both for the film’s premiere and for auctions like this,” the team manager concluded.
Last year, the Mičánek Motorsport team competed in two racing championships – the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe and the FIA CEZ, the Central European zone championship. Alongside several hill climb events, a quartet of Lamborghini Huracán ST EVO2 cars and seven team drivers took part in a total of 34 races, achieving 43 podium finishes.
