Unscheduled winning double: Knoll and Záruba confirm lead in endurance, Jiří Mičánek was chasing them
It was a surprise - two Lamborghini Huracáns from the Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team took the start of the endurance race in the second round of the circuit FIA CEZ Championship. The crew of Jakub Knoll and Josef Záruba, who are aiming for the championship title, were joined by Jiří Mičánek and Libor Dvořáček.
The "permanent" crew of Knoll and Záruba emerged victorious from the duel of the two Lamborghinis, with Jiří Mičánek and Libor Dvořáček finishing right behind them. "We waited to decide to start with two cars to see if the whole weekend would go smoothly. After all, it was our sixth race weekend in a row, so we didn't want to add any more work for the team," explains Jiří Mičánek, addressing the surprising two-car start.
The team confirmed its dominance in the GTC class, with Jakub Knoll and Josef Záruba finishing third in the overall standings. They could not fight for the victory due to the misfortune of a full-course yellow just when Jakub Knoll pulled into the pit for a change. The other competitors changed only under yellow flags, causing the Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team to lose several tens of seconds. The team was about forty seconds away from the first position.
"It was basically a free pit stop for our opponents. I believe that if it hadn't been for that, we would have been one position higher in the overall standings," says Jakub Knoll. Josef Záruba also confirms this. "For next time, at least we know that we can think about the top places," adds his teammate. "We set up the car perfectly, even if it meant that we left the guys to screw things up for three hours instead of letting them rest. But it got a result, and I have to thank them."
Jiří Mičánek agrees. "We are going for the sixth weekend in a row and thanking the whole team is not just a phrase now. Everyone did a great job; we brought back a trophy from every weekend, and it's a great demonstration of how strong a team we are," says the team boss. He ended the six-week marathon with a shower of champagne on stage with his teammates.
"I had a great race, enjoyed a lot of overtaking, and we finished second in the GTC class," he says of his unplanned trip behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán ST EVO2. He also praises the performance of the other crew. "Jakub Knoll surprised me in a good way. He drove very good times and confirms that in this form he and Pepa can think about the title," added Mičánek.
Libor Dvořáček entered Sunday's sprint race in the colors of the Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team. A good start to the first race was interrupted in the second corner by an uncaused contact with a rival, after which the team's Huracán headed for the pits. The second race also saw unintentional contact.
"I had the steering wheel turned about 60 degrees after that, but I told myself that I owed it to the team to finish," says Dvořáček, who eventually finished fifth in race two. However, he had already enjoyed the podium celebrations on Saturday with Jiří Mičánek after the endurance race. "I believe that I delivered a nice ride to Jura, and he was able to move up a few more positions and put us right behind Jakub and Pepa," says Dvořáček.
With the end of the six-week tour, the team now has three weeks to rest and prepare their techniques for one of the highlights of the season. In an unusual midweek start, the third round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe will be part of the race program for the legendary 24 Heures du Mans.
