Track
Moto GP track of Brno - GPS - N 49° 12,569 - E 016° 27,166
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Car racing first stopped in the Csech town Brno when it was a checkpoint in 1904 (!) of a race from Vienna in Austria to Wroclaw in Poland, or simply "Vienna - Wroclaw". This was only 10 years after the very first official car race ever, heldbetween Paris and Rouen.
Later, in the twenties, the climbing race "Brno - Sobesice" was renowned. Finally, the international trend was going more and more in the direction of the real tracks. |
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1930 was the year of the very first version of the Masaryk Circuit of Brno that had its first car race. The section was 29,1 km (!), in other words : even longer than the old Nürburgring with its 22 km that held its first car race 3 years before that. The first 3 years were dominated by Bugati. After that - in 1933 - it was Alfa Romeo's turn to win. The rest of the pre-war years were for Auto Union and Mercedes Benz. |
Nuvolari
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In these years, the most famous winners were Nuvolari and Caracciola. These were also the same heroes that won in 1935 and 1939 the important race at the old Nürburgring.
After Caracciola won the last pre-war race in 1937 with his Mercedes Benz, it would take until 1949 before the Masaryk Track, that was shortened in the meantime to 17,8 km, could organise the Grand Prix of former Czechoslovakia. A lot of top drivers, amongst which the Italian Farina, fought there for victory. A year later, in 1950, he got the first, and with his 39 years literally and figuratively the oldest, Formula 1 worldchampion ever. From 1950, they changed their strategy and it were mostly the motorcycle races that would be the main attraction at the Masaryk Track of Brno. After a humble start, there were real top pilots that were attracted by the Czech track from 1956 until 1964. |
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When the FIM decided to organise a race of the worldchampionship motorracing at Brno from 1965, the Masaryk Track was changed again and shortened again to 13,9 km. During 17 consecutive years, the WC Motor Grand Prix came to this track and legends like Hailwood, Agostini, Read, Ivy, Saarinen, Stasa and Cecotto were there to fight for victory. Despite a lot of efforts of the organizers and another shortening of the track to 10,9 km, Masaryk still could not meet the safety standards that got more and more severe: 1982 was the last year of Moto Grand Prix. |
Giacomo Agostini alias "Ago"
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Meanwhile, future Formula 1 champions like Jochen Rindt and Niki Lauda faught on this track in the Formula Junior and Formula 3 races. Between 1968 and 1986, a race of the European Championship for Touring Cars was held there. Names like Hezemans, Bell, Cecotto, Bellmondo, Winkelhock, Berger and Ravaglia faught interesting battles. People did not let loose. In 1987, the construction of a new track at Kyvalka, near Brno, at about 10 km from the old pitswas built. Since 1991 - with the exception of 1992 where they did not reach an agreement - the Worldchampionship Grand Prix for Motorcycles is again a yearly event on this fantastic track. |
Eddy Lawson
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Gardner, Spencer, Lawson, Kocinski, Doohan, Schwantz, etc.: they all faught there for every meter.
Afterwards, they were succeeded by a new generation of heroes like Biaggi, Capirossi, Rossi, Nakano, Hayden, Pedrosa, etc. Meanwhile, they are lobbying very hard to get the Formula 1 (again) to Brno... and not just for testing like they do now... will undoubtedly be continued.
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