The Lamborghini SuperTrofeo crew, Josef Záruba and Jakub Knoll from the Mičánek Motorsport team, claimed the GTC category title in this year’s ESET Endurance series. How well did this duo, racing together for the first time in five years, perform this season? Josef Záruba shares his thoughts.
You and Jakub Knoll dominated the GTC category in endurance racing. How would you sum up this season?
It was definitely a success. Not just professionally, but on a personal level too, I think we had a lot of fun and now have plenty of great memories to look back on.
How well did you work together as teammates in the same car?
Although Kuba and I had a bit of a break between our last SuperTrofeo races in 2019 and this year’s ESET Cup, I think we found our rhythm right from the first race. The whole Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra team was fantastic, and Kuba trusted me with the car’s setup, so it was a joy to be a part of it all.
If you had to pick the toughest race of the year, which one would it be and why?
Lausitzring – it was unbearably hot after just the first ten minutes in the car. On top of that, I unintentionally did an undercut on Dennis Waszka with his GT3, and when I found myself in the overall lead, I thought it might make the team happy if I managed to hold onto it. I’m not sure how long Dennis was right on my tail, but it felt like forever.
And which race did you enjoy the most this year?
I really enjoyed Lausitzring, but I think the most fun was at Brno. Jiří, as usual, put on a great show at his home circuit, and it’s fantastic to be part of that. Plus, Broňa Formánek and Filip Sládečka were racing too, so there was plenty of good competition. We even connected our radios, so I was laughing for most of the race – apologies to our Spanish engineer, who had no idea what was going on!
What do you think was your strongest point as a team?
Experience, the team, and consistency. We’re not exactly juniors anymore, and I think that’s a definite advantage, especially in longer races. We know when it’s worth taking a risk, but also when to hold back and not get into any unnecessary action, which I believe is crucial in endurance racing.
Have you learned any valuable lessons this year that you’ll carry forward?
A friend of mine once told me that you should learn at least one thing every day. I try to live by that, so I’ve picked up quite a bit. In terms of racing, I’ve learned Balaton Park, Lausitzring, and that I really shouldn’t get into a Twingo again…
