Libor Milota reminds John Surtees a bit. His career began in motorbikes, but soon he moved to race cars and now, he is making a step forward every year, looking for new challenges and opportunities. And in 2019, his challenge will be a Mercedes-AMG GT3.
This year you will be racing with a Mercedes-AMG GT3. How are you looking forward to this new challenge? Have you already tested the car?
I see it as a new chapter of my story and I’m excited to deal with all the obstacles along the way. I’ve tested the car by the end of last year at Brno and I have only positive things to say.
You raced a Porsche 911 with a rear-wheel driver last year, now you have a Mercedes with a front engine. Is that going to be a big jump for you? What will be different?
Porsche was a big challenge. I always heard how difficult it was to drive it quickly and how difficult is a rear-wheel drive. Also, our Porsche did not have any electronics, which made it even more exciting for me. If Porsche had a car these days, that would be competitive in the cup racing or in the overall ESET V4 Cup series, I would definitely be interested to continue with the manufacturer. However, that’s not the case, so we went in a different direction. What’s the difference? There‘s none for me, but it’s another challenge and I’ll do my best to get the results.
Why have you chosen Mercedes?
That car is technically almost perfect, it’s fast and it has big respect across the racing series in the world. Also, I’m a big fan of the brand and it has come along with some interesting business opportunities. And probably I don’t even need to mention that but it’s currently the best looking GT3 car.
Do you have a mentor? Someone who is sharing their experience with you?
Yes, I have! Already in 2018, I got help from Miroslav Budík of MN Motorsport team. He is a very experienced guy, with a great attitude and he’s also a member of a team that’s giving us technical support.
What are your goals for this season?
I want to give my best. Once the season ends, I want to feel satisfaction from doing a good job as a team throughout the whole year. And if we can get a trophy from time to time, it’ll be great.
Which track on the calendar do you consider the best for you and the car?
I’ve always been a fan of highly technical circuits, like Hungaroring or Grobnik. We’ll be looking for a good set-up and if we find it, we will be fast.
What can you tell us about your racing career so far? Your bikes, cars?
My racing career on big circuits has started when I was 18 with motorbikes. I saw the precision, the speed and driving on the limit – for the driver and the machine. But I also admired it and felt respect. First, I did some endurance races in CEC, then went to the Czech Championship and Alpe Adria Cup. After that, I moved to cars in Carbonia Cup and to Slovak Circuit Cup, before participating in some ESET races last year. I can say, that I know how to win as I’ve managed to do so sometimes in those series.
