The sixth event of the ESET GT series at the Brno Circuit marked the end of the 2023 season, which was quite contrasting in terms of title battles. The GT3 category had already been decided before Brno, while in the GTC category, we had to wait until the very end.
Let’s start by focusing on the GTC category. In this category, teammates Jáchym Galáš and Matěj Pavlíček from the Mičánek Motorsport team fought for the laurels. Their colorful Lamborghini dominated throughout the season, with only one defeat by Dennis Waszek in Most. However, in Brno, the young duo, particularly Jáchym Galáš, once again asserted his dominance. Galáš held a slight points advantage over Pavlíček and was just one step away from the title. When he won the first sprint, he could celebrate double victory. Not only did he secure first place, but he also claimed the championship title in the GTC category. On Sunday, he added another winning trophy to his collection, making it a total of seven for this season. Pavlíček won four, and Waszek won one. The Lamborghini SuperTropheo cars completely dominated, while the Porsche cup cars remained in the distance. Only Franz Lahmer was the lone representative of the German brand to reach the podium in Austria.
While the outcome of the GTC category was still undecided before Brno, the GT3 category was already decided after Slovakia. Filip Salaquarda may not have fond memories of the Slovakia Ring due to issues with his Audi R8 LMS GT3, but he still celebrated the title and solidified his dominance this season with victories in both the sprint and endurance races in Brno. Libor Milota finished second in both races, and it marked his final appearance with the red and white Mercedes. From next year onwards, he will compete in GT Open with ISR Racing, where he will share an Audi with Filip Salaquarda. Petr Kačírek finished third in both sprint races.
In his debut season, Pavel Sovička with KTM GTX from the RTR projects team not only achieved his first victory in the opening sprint but also secured the title in the GTX category. Antal Zsigo had the same success with the BMW M4 GT4, clinching the title in the GT4 category in both the sprint and endurance races.
As mentioned earlier, Filip Salaquarda also became the champion in endurance races. Petr Brecka secured the GTC title, although he didn’t start in Brno. His biggest rivals, the Kurt Wagner-Josef Záruba crew, had an accident early on, and their Lamborghini flipped over in the final corner. Fortunately, Wagner, who was behind the wheel, was unharmed, but it was clear that the title slipped through their fingers.
Wagner had an accident with Petr Lise, who was supposed to share the KTM GTX with Pavel Sovička. Since Lise also had to retire, Václav Janík had a clear path with his KTM GTX to not only claim his third victory of the year but, more importantly, secure the endurance title in the GTX category.
