Lamborghini Super Trofeo at the start: Formánek and Záruba are testing, as they prepare for Imola
The first weekend in April marks the beginning of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe series at Imola. The Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team will be there, with its regular pairing Bronislav Formánek – Josef Záruba. This duo, which managed to finish 3rd in the Pro-AM category last season, is already testing.
A new car and a well-known line-up. Bronislav Formánek and Josef Záruba will be the number one squad of the Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra in the upcoming season of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe series. And their ambitions are to be one of the best on the Pro-AM grid, and maybe even to dominate it.
This prestigious Cup series has undergone some significant changes. All teams have now switched to an upgraded Huracán model EVO2, which brings better aerodynamics and a much improved braking system. “We’ve got a few testing days ahead of us, to get familiar with the new car and prepare for the opening round of the season. I have no doubts that the new specification is faster than the previous, and in the races, it’ll be also important who is going to be better in adapting to the new car and to use its potential,” explains the team manager Jiří Mičánek jr.
As for the team, the lead crew remains a duo Bronislav Formánek – Josef Záruba. Last year, they took their first victory in the Pro-AM category, and they were regularly on the podium throughout the year.
“We were the 2nd fastest crew on the grid and that’s our goal for the new season as well, or to even improve. Let’s wait and see about our competition, but we’ll find out at Imola,” says Josef Záruba just before the start of the testing at Barcelona. Last year, they were beaten in the Pro-AM category by only one crew – Karol Basz and Andrzej Lewandowski. “We’re going to find out more about the others during the test, but that’s not the most important information for us. As for us, we aim to focus on ourselves and to do fulfil our own potential,“ says Bronislav Formánek.
New aerodynamics and new brakes
First, the team is heading for testing in Barcelona. After that, they will visit Paul Ricard. The final testing event is planned at Imola, just before the season begins there. The team has only a few days to get used to the new car – the drivers and the engineers as well.
“While the mechanical grip is set to remain the same, there will be some work with the brakes. They’re completely new, which means a lot of time to get it right. It’d be great if we would get it right at Barcelona already, so at Paul Ricard and Imola we could focus on the driving side of things,” says Josef Záruba, who is also expecting aerodynamical improvements thanks to a new body kit.
For the team, it is also an advantage that the pairing has remained the same. “Both drivers get on well with each other, which is always the best. Throughout the season, we were able to eliminate some errors, that cost us some podium results. This year, we want to be consistent. And if we can also find some luck, that was not in our mix last year, we could even fight for the title,” says Jiří Mičánek.
Kurt Wagner to return to testing, after a one-year break
After a one-year break, a German driver Kurt Wagner returns to the team. He missed out on the last season due to health issues. “Kurt is looking forward to being back behind the wheel, so we’ll see how he’s doing after a year outside. We know that he’s definitely coming back to racing. But how exactly is that going to look, we’ll see,” says the team manager Mičánek.
On the other side, while Wagner is back, Libor Dvořáček it out. The very same driver who had to spend half a year without a teammate and took three podiums in the LB Cup category. “We’ll see with Libor, how soon he can return to us,” adds Jiří Mičánek.
Team principal to take part in a hill-climbing race at Brno
The team principal himself plans to race as well, as he is going to take part in selected hill-climbing events. The first is scheduled for the same weekend as the opening round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series. “It is the traditional Brno Dragon event at Masaryk circuit, which was originally organised by my father. So, I have to take part. It’ll be difficult in terms of logistics, but the car will be ready at Brno, and I’ll be there for the start on Sunday, April 3rd,” confirmed Jiří Mičánek. Apart from the hill-climbing championship, the team is also going to race in selected ESET Cup events in Central Europe. And of course, there are some traditional exhibition events on the calendar as well, including Supermoto at Hrušovany nad Jevišovkou in August.
