Masaryk Circuit

Brno Circuit

Location	Brno, Czech Republic
Time zone	GMT+1
Major events	Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix Czechoslovakian Grand Prix, A1GP, F3 Euroseries, DTM, FIA GT, SBK, WTCC
Length	5.403 km (3.357 mi)
Turns	13 (8 right, 5 left)
Lap record	1:43.260 (Luca Filippi, Super Nova Racing, Auto GP, 2010)

The Masaryk circuit (Czech: Masarykův okruh) or Masarykring, now referred to as the Brno Circuit, refers two Czech racing circuits located close to the city of Brno. The original circuit was made up of public roads, and at its longest measured nearly 19 miles (31 km). In the 1930s, events such as the Masaryk Grand Prix attracted top teams and drivers.

Racing on the roads ended after 1986, when the current permanent circuit was opened within the bounds of the original roads. The annual MotoGP Grand Prix of the Czech Republic is the circuit’s most important event. The World Touring Car Championship, Formula Two, FIA GT1 and Superbike World Championship also race at the circuit.

The track is named after the first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Masaryk.

Original circuit

The original layout ran anti-clockwise on approximately 31 km (19 mi) of public roads west of Brno, including the villages of Bosonohy and Žebětín. From 1930 to 1937, the Masaryk Grand Prix attracted some of the top drivers and teams.

The renamed Czechoslovakian Grand Prix in 1949 was run clockwise on a shorter 17.8 km (11.1 mi) layout around Kohoutovice. In spite of a crowd in excess of 400,000 people, this would be the last Grand Prix for cars on the old circuit.

Beginning in 1950, the circuit played host to the Czechoslovakian motorcycle Grand Prix, which became a world championship event from 1965 to 1982. The European Touring Car series visited in the 1980s, by which time the circuit had been reduced to 13.94 km (8.66 mi).

Modern circuit

The current permanent road racing circuit was opened in 1987. It lies north of Kyvalka, within the bounds of the circuit used in the 1930s, but not incorporating any of the public roads. The motorcycle race moved to the new circuit and regained its status as a round of the world championship. A World Sports Car Championship race was held in 1988, and a round of the A1 Grand Prix series in 2006.

External links

• Official Webpage
• Maps of the old track
• Trackpedia's guide to driving the Brno circuit
• Circuit info from A1GP
• Track info from race-game.org
• The best place to stand at Automotodrom Brno
• Satellite picture from Google Maps
• Other track in the Czech republic

Coordinates: 49°12′17″N 16°27′02″E / 49.20472°N 16.45056°E / 49.20472; 16.45056