Jan Černý

 

Jan Černý began his career in rallycross and hillclimb competitions, before switching his focus to rallying in 2007. In 2010, he achieved his first major accolade when he lifted the 2WD laurels in the FIA European Rally Championship, replicating that result in the Czech Rally Championship the same year. He successfully reclaimed both titles in 2012 – adding a third domestic crown to his CV in 2013 – after contesting the inaugural season of the WRC Academy in 2011, tallying a trio of top five finishes from six starts.

In 2014, the Czech ace ranked third overall in the ERC Junior Championship – winning two of the five events he entered – although budgetary restrictions subsequently obliged a return to the national scene. One-off European outings over the subsequent two years yielded third place on Barum Czech Rally Zlín in 2016 in a Škoda Fabia R5, before Černý rejoined the international stage on a more consistent basis in 2017.

In 2020, he returned to rallycross in FIA Euro RX’s Super1600 (now Euro RX3) category, winding up eighth in the standings after reaching the semi-final in both rounds. He embarked upon a full campaign in Euro RX3 in 2021 behind the wheel of a PAJR S.R.O. Škoda Citigo, proving to be the only driver capable of consistently challenging the all-conquering Volland Racing Audis en route to fourth in the title table. Ranking inside the top four in the intermediate classification on all-bar one occasion, Černý progressed through to the final three times out of five, securing a season-best fourth place in Sweden.