To be part of the legend: Jiří Mičánek's Huracáns are waiting for a weekend together with 24H Le Mans
Half a million fans and the atmosphere of the most iconic race in Europe. This is what awaits the Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team at the third race weekend of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe series. The prestigious cup championship will start at the legendary twenty-four hour race at Le Mans.
Perhaps as many as sixty identical Lamborghini ST EVO2s are in for an absolutely exceptional weekend. They will take to the same track as the cars of the most famous endurance race in motorsport history, and in front of a record number of fans. "We have never raced in front of so many people and in such an atmosphere. It's a motorsport festival and to start this race is a dream come true for us," says team manager Jiří Mičánek Jr. ahead of the weekend, which is the biggest motorsport event in Europe.
On the other hand, he knows that an extremely difficult task awaits him and his four charges. Due to the busy schedule of the weekend, they will have only one chance to practice before qualifying on a track that they, like their opponents, don't know. The Huracáns, like the endurance cars, will run on a 13-kilometre track that runs partly on normal roads and shares only one section with a closed modern circuit.
In addition, 55 cars are entered for the race, and there may end up being as many as 60 cars at the start. However, on a 13 km track almost twice as long as the second longest circuit in the championship - Spa-Francorchamps - the starting field could be spread out.
The line-up remains the same for the third race weekend - in the Pro-AM category, Bronislav Formánek and Štefan Rosina will be looking to extend their lead at the front of the championship, which they hold by five points. In the PRO category, the junior duo of Jáchym Galáš and Matěj Pavlíček will take part.
"For me, this will be one of the most interesting weekends in my career. I'm curious how the whole weekend will be organised, we have never ridden as part of such a huge event," says Bronislav Formánek. He is still preparing for the track at least on the simulator. Štefan Rosina is in a similar position. "The track looks very fast on the simulator, I'm really looking forward to it. I am glad that together with Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra we will represent Czechoslovak motorsport at such a world event."
Jáchym Galáš has to divide his attention between the car and preparing for his state exams during the race week, but he also found time for the simulator. "The circuit gives me a strange feeling, there is often a wait for something," he mentions the long straights. But he adds in the same breath that the reality, when that "waiting" means driving at speeds of up to 290 kilometres per hour, will probably be different.
The team, like their rivals, must prepare for a big time crunch. On an unfamiliar track where it is impossible to test during the year, they will have to "get their bearings" in a single free practice session; that's all the organisers have given the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series. "We will all be there for the first time, so it will depend on how quickly we find the ideal set-up," states Matěj Pavlíček, co-pilot in the PRO class.
The whole format will be unusual for Super Trofeo Europe. Free practice will be held on Wednesday, with the first race on Thursday. The latter will then usher in the 24H Le Mans race weekend itself, with the Huracáns competing in front of a quarter of a million fans on the morning before the start of the 24-hour race.
