Pretorius Emerges As Lamborghini Rising Star
South African racer Anthony Pretorius continues to strengthen his international motorsport credentials, with the 19-year-old earning recognition from Lamborghini Squadra Corse following an impressive campaign in the 2026 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe Championship.
Pretorius, who competes alongside Bronislav Formánek for Mičánek Motorsport powered by Buggyra, has developed into one of the standout young South African drivers racing internationally. His performances have now earned specific recognition from Lamborghini, which recently described the South African as one of the rising stars of its Super Trofeo Junior Driver Programme.
The recognition is significant. Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo Junior Driver Programme is designed to identify and develop leading young competitors between the ages of 17 and 26, providing guidance both on and away from the circuit as they work towards becoming professional racing drivers. Pretorius is one of just 17 drivers selected for the programme globally in 2026 and one of the drivers representing Lamborghini in its European championship.
It is also not his first involvement in the programme. Pretorius was included among Lamborghini’s young drivers during his rookie Super Trofeo Europe campaign in 2025, when he raced in the Pro category for Leipert Motorsport. The pairing achieved its breakthrough victory at Spa-Francorchamps during that season.
For 2026, Pretorius joined Mičánek Motorsport and moved into the Pro-Am category alongside the experienced Formánek. The partnership delivered immediately.
At the opening round at Paul Ricard, Pretorius and Formánek won the Pro-Am category in both races. Pretorius also demonstrated his outright speed by securing pole position during the weekend, providing an early indication that the South African would be capable of competing not only for class honours but towards the front of the field overall.
However, at Spa-Francorchamps in June, the partnership produced its defining result.
Pretorius and Formánek claimed an extraordinary overall victory in the opening race, beating more than 30 competitors and, crucially, finishing ahead of the professional Pro-class combinations. The result marked Mičánek Motorsport's first outright Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe victory.
Pretorius made a strong start and moved into the overall top five on the opening lap before handing the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 to Formánek in contention for the lead. His teammate completed the job during the second half of the race to secure a landmark victory for the Czech outfit.
The South African left Spa with another important prize: an increased advantage at the top of the Pro-Am standings.
“The important thing is that we’ve extended our championship lead to fifteen points over the second Pro-Am crew,” Pretorius said following the event.
His international momentum continued during the championship's summer break. Competing for Mičánek Motorsport in the Central European Zone Championship at Most earlier this month, Pretorius won his class in both sprint races. He finished second overall in Saturday's race and third overall on Sunday while competing against machinery including GT3 cars and prototypes.
The performances reinforce the rapid progression of a driver who came through South African karting and circuit racing before moving into European competition.
Pretorius' international rise is particularly noteworthy when viewed against Lamborghini's broader driver-development structure. He is one of two South Africans included in Lamborghini Squadra Corse's 2026 young-driver programmes. Pretorius represents South Africa among the Super Trofeo Junior Drivers, while fellow South African Jarrod Waberski has been selected for the more advanced GT3 Junior Driver programme while competing in British GT.
For Pretorius, the immediate focus now returns to the championship.
Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe resumes at the Nürburgring from 28–30 August for the fourth of six rounds. Barcelona follows in October before the European season concludes at Monza, which will also host the Lamborghini World Finals.
With a championship to fight for and Lamborghini increasingly taking notice, Pretorius enters the second half of the season with an opportunity to turn an already impressive European campaign into something considerably bigger.
For South African motorsport, he is becoming another name worth watching very closely.
