Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team dominated Round 4 of the ESET iSeries virtual racing championship. While the first race of the day was won by Josef Záruba, his teammate Michal Makeš then took a victory in Race 2 and he became the sixth winner of the season.
On Sunday, the ESET iSeries championship continued with its penultimate event of the season. The Round 4 took place at Slovakia Ring. Heading into the race weekend, Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra hold the best cards in their hands. The Czech team led the teams’ championship and thanks to Josef Záruba also the drivers’ championship. And the good mood stayed within the team even after the event as they have managed to win both races.
It was Josef Záruba who got the best start. The championship leader set the 2nd fastest time in the qualifying, losing only to Bartlomiej Mirecki, who took this 3rd pole position of the season. Petr Fulín took the 3rd place on the grid.
But at the start, it was somebody else who stormed the frontrunners to take the lead – Antonio Citera. The RTM Motorsport driver had another great start – just like in Race 2 at Grobnik, where he eventually even managed to win – and made his way from 7th place into the lead. Mirecki dropped to the 2nd place, followed by Petr Fulín and Záruba.
However, soon it all turned around for Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra driver. First, he used the opportunity when Mirecki and Fulín went too wide during Lap 1 and took the 2nd place. Just a lap later, Citera also had troubles and Záruba took the lead. And then he did not let anybody to challenge him, winning his 2nd race of the season.
But Jiří Mičánek’s team had even more success as Záruba’s teammate Michal Makeš finished 2nd and the team took a double. He started from 4th place. Also, in the final laps, he was quickly closing on Záruba, but he did not have enough time to challenge him.
Petr Fulín joined both Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra drivers on the podium. All that, despite dropping to 6th position after the problems at the beginning of the race.
Dávid Němček finished in 4th place ahead of Jáchym Galáš and the pole sitter Bartlomiej Mirecki, who did not have the easiest race. It was the 7th position for Jiří Navrátil ahead of Antonio Citera. First points went to Štefan Rosina in 9th and Jakub Knoll crossed the line in 10th place.
Michal Makeš’ speed was no coincidence. While he had to settle for the 2nd place in Race 1, in the second race it was already a well-deserved victory. He made the most important step already at the start when he got ahead of Záruba. The winner of the first race then collided with Petr Fulín and both drivers dropped to the back of the field. That left Makeš without any serious competition and he took his first win in the championship.
He was joined on the podium by Bartlomiej Mirecki and Pavel Gellner. The Vekra Racing driver had a tough race, as he was forced to start from the 20th position after he retired in Race 1.
Tom Beckhäuser finished in the 4th place, ahead of Antonio Citera and Keijo Keke Platzer. Josef Záruba finished only 7th, after a disastrous race. First, there was the accident with Fulín, but later on, he also got into a tight battle with his teammate Jakub Knoll and he left the track again. Jiří Navrátil finished in 8th place ahead of Szymon Ladniak and Jakub Knoll. Petr Fulín did not manage to take any points as the 3-time European Touring Car champion crossed the line in only 12th position.
The Round 4 at Slovakia Ring had also a special guest – Téo Calvet, who drove for Buggyra Zero Mileage team. The French driver races for Buggyra in the European Truck Racing Championship and he is also one of the stars of the European Truck Racing Championship virtual series, where he currently holds 3rd place in the championship. In his ESET iSeries debut, he took the 20th place in qualifying, following by a DNF in the first race and a 15th position in the Race 2.
As the season is coming to its end, it is Josef Záruba who leads the championship with 131 points. Petr Fulín holds the 2nd place with 96 points and he is 35 points behind Záruba. But there are still more drivers with championship-winning hopes. Bartlomiej Mirecki is 3rd in the standings with 92 points ahead of Pavel Gellner with 90 points. The Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team leads the teams’ championship with 198 points, ahead of Vekra Racing Team with 120 points and Fullinrace Academy in the 3rd place with 96 points.
The final race of the season takes place on June 28 at the Czech circuit in Brno.