Racing memories: Škoda Pick-up and Octavia Cup

Riding passions and enthusiasm for motorsport are often hereditary, and it was no different in the family of Petr Majer, who was invited by Vláďa Rožánek for an interview. Together they reminisced about the Škoda Pick-up and Octavia Cup, which roamed Czech autodromes, including the one in Most.

Mr. Majer, how do you remember your racing beginnings? Did you race before starting in Pick-ups?
Only as a co-driver in the rally. Two seasons with the Škoda 110 and then the 120 in the Czechoslovak Championship in 1981-1982.

I mentioned the Škoda Pick-up circuit races, how did the idea of participating in this series come about?
This arose from a situation where I was opening a new Škoda dealership and we were approached by the car manufacturer that was supporting and starting this cup. I saw it as an opportunity to support our new dealership and also to utilize the technical and human potential of our company.

The most interesting moment of these races was the comparison of private drivers with very balanced technology at the time. Who was your biggest rival on the track?
I didn't have any specific main human rivals in pickups, but the biggest rival was our lack of knowledge of race car preparation, unfamiliarity with the environment and circuits.

Experience: Try driving a circuit Octavia for yourself

Do you still have any racing friends with whom you sometimes reminisce about these nice car races?
I have many friends from the races and most of us were connected by the same business we did. I can name Petr Kolář, Petr Levíček, Josef Michl, David Kostruh, Radim Kůrka and many others.

After the Škoda Pick-up, another milestone came, namely the Škoda Octavia Cup races, i.e. the number one version. Was this technique also balanced and how do you remember this series?
It was a bit more professional and mature racing. In the first years, the technology was very balanced and still affordable. The cars were also very well built, fast for the cost, and technically it was a big step forward compared to the pickup.

What race or award do you value most in your riding career?
I remember two races the most. One was one of the first races in a pickup truck, when in heavy rain I managed to overtake the entire starting field, and thanks to the weather, I was able to erase our lack of technical knowledge and finish in second place overall.
The second such race was in the Octavia Cup in Brno, when I was supposed to start from first place, but due to a delayed start due to rain and my late approach before the start, I was not allowed and had to start last from the pit lane. As the only one in the field, I took a risk and started on dry tires, when it was still raining. During the first lap, I went off the track due to a large amount of water on the track. Nevertheless, I managed to get back to the race track from the ditch, when in the meantime the entire field of drivers had moved more than half a lap away from me. During the next two laps, the rain stopped and the track began to dry quickly, and during the following laps I overtook almost the entire starting field and when approaching the penultimate lap I was second. When I passed the 9th lap, the race, which was originally for 10 laps, was ended prematurely, and I lost a certain first place.

Then came the end of racing and the family helm was taken over by son Petr Majer, but now in hillclimbing. What were you racing at that time and how did you like hillclimbing?
Since I had great memories of the pickup, and we also knew this technique, the choice was clear. In the end, this decision turned out to be quite correct, because the weight of the pickup was always its strong point, and also the clear driving characteristics helped us to place ourselves at the top of the category right from the start. But the circuits were closer to us.
Petr Majer jr : For me, hillclimbing was my first racing experience and I made sure that I enjoyed racing and would like to do it. However, I was sure that hills were not the right thing for me and I was drawn to circuits and lap-to-lap competitions rather than against the stopwatch. When the situation allowed, I joined the Mičánek Motorsport team and started the Clio Cup as part of the ESET Cup. I chose this cup because of the same technique, just like the Octavia Cup. The first year was about learning for me with occasional top placements, but also many mistakes. The second year I managed to win the Czech Championship overall. After these complete seasons with the Clio, I decided to test other racing machines. I liked the Norma M30 prototype of the LMP3 category the most, which I tested at the Janík Motorsport team. From time to time, as conditions allow, I will ride it as part of testing, or possibly an individual race. Last year, for example, in Most endurance with the KTM Xbow GTX from Janík Motorsport.

After years without a racing wheel, don't your hands itch a little to try out some racing gear from time to time?
After these cup races, I tried many types of racing machines from Superturismo, DTM, to racing tractors, but these races were already at such a professional level that the right atmosphere that I experienced when we were there as a group with my colleagues from the company and it was also relaxing for us disappeared for me.

As we learned from you, you still have a nice and functional Pick-up racing car. With it, surely remembering the good racing times is a worthwhile experience?
Yes, my son has it with him and keeps it ready for use. From time to time he takes it for a ride out of nostalgia. Thank you for your time and willingness to talk about the old racing days and sometimes, perhaps, at the racetrack.

Text+photo: Vláďa Rožánek and Petr Majer