Jakub Knoll and Josef Záruba not only dominated their class in the ESET Cup endurance race at the Lausitzring but also left faster GT3 competitors behind. The race, perfectly launched by Jakub Knoll for the Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team, was brought to a victorious finish by Josef Záruba, who withstood attacks from Dennis Waszek in the BMW. In the two sprint races, Libor Dvořáček finished second in both.
Záruba and Knoll secured their third victory of the season and are aiming to claim the GTC class title by the end of the year. “We confirmed that ambition at the Lausitzring, and if nothing unexpected happens, I believe we will achieve this goal by the season’s end,” says Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team manager Jiří Mičánek Jr. “Overall victory in the ESET Cup, even over the GT3 cars, is a bonus for us. Both drivers delivered an outstanding performance, and what Jakub achieved at the start, Pepa Záruba defended brilliantly,” Mičánek praises his drivers.
The endurance category had to contend with an unusual race weekend format, compressed into a single day, leaving only five hours from the first practice to the race start. “It was very straightforward, and in the end, it posed no real problem. Even though I hadn’t raced on this track for nine years, and on its full configuration for eighteen, I quickly got back into the groove. I was, however, surprised by just how bumpy it was,” Jakub Knoll reflects on his experience.
A very strong pit stop propelled the Lamborghini Huracán ST EVO2 into first place, leaving Josef Záruba to defend it against the pursuing GT3-spec cars. “About fifteen minutes from the end, Dennis Waszek in the BMW Trevor Racing closed in on me. For roughly eight laps, I had to keep him bumper to bumper. GT3 cars perform exceptionally well in corners, so it was tough to make sure he didn’t catch me off guard anywhere,” Záruba recounts the dramatic finale. In the end, he successfully kept the theoretically faster car behind him. “It was fantastic racing—fair, hard, and with a happy ending for our team,” he concludes.
For the Saturday sprints, Libor Dvořáček took the wheel of the Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra Huracán. In the GTC class, he claimed the podium in both races, finishing in second place.
