‘Frank’ revealed as top prize for winning R1 in Praga Cup 2022
Monday 29th November 2021, Prague/Manchester – Praga has confirmed its intent that the owner (team or individual) of the winning R1 to compete in the Praga Cup 2022 will receive Praga’s hero R1 known as ‘Frank’ as the season’s top prize – a unique level of reward at this level of motorsport.
With strong residual values, the car is currently valued at £150,000 with its bespoke racing livery designed by world-renowned car designer Frank Stephenson. This R1 has become an iconic image of the Praga brand while competing in the Praga Class of the 2021 Goodyear Britcar Endurance Championship, driven by Supercar Driver’s Miles Lacey and automotive influencer, Mr JWW.
The livery features distinct aspects that mark it as uniquely Praga, such as the gold lion on the nose cone, the ‘Genius of Victory’ graphic of Praga’s historic bonnet ornament on the central fin, and the 2021 brand motto, #winninginstinct, located on the rear wing’s lower surface.
The colour scheme of the livery has also been carefully thought out to pay homage to Praga’s historical home, the Czech Republic. Combining blue, white, and red with the gold and carbon areas reflects the Czech Republic’s national colours and the high-class materials used in the production of the R1.
‘Frank’ has been displayed at automotive events throughout the year and will continue to take pride of place at the company’s global brand centre in Cheshire, and appear at the UK’s leading car shows and all 2022 Praga Cup races.
Mark Harrison, Managing Director, Praga Cars UK, said: “We’ are fully committed to ensuring the first one-make Praga series is a huge success. By committing to there being at least 16 cars on the grid in 2022 and 2023 and giving a car away that has turned heads all season we are making our intentions clear. ‘Frank’ has certainly raised the profile of the brand and is instantly recognisable as a Praga, but I will understand if its new owner personalises the livery to reflect their team colours and sponsor requirements. We are seeing strong demand for Praga R1s ahead of the 2022 race series, so we may have to sell this car, in which case the winner will receive a 2022 season used factory car – not a bad alternative!”
Praga Cars and Britcar have confirmed provisional dates for the inaugural Praga Cup in 2022, with Round 1 appropriately debuting at Silverstone, the UK’s home of motorsport, on March 12th and 13th.
The Praga Cup 2022 will be the first one-make Praga R1 race series, featuring a grid of at least 16 of the lightweight, aerodynamic racers. In addition to the top prize, ‘Frank’, the successful teams and drivers will win seats at an end-of-season endurance race, entry into the 2023 season and Praga karts, with a prize pot of over £200,000 across teams and drivers in 2022.