A successful weekend: the historic machine races attracted 16,000 people

The Brno Grand Prix Revival racing weekend at the Masaryk circuit has had a successful premiere. In two days, more than sixteen thousand people came to watch the battles of historic cars. Along with the historical standings, a number of famous drivers returned to the Masaryk Circuit after years.

In two days, 16,579 people visited the Masaryk circuit. "Thanks to the fact that the races were on Saturday and Sunday, attendance was very similar on both days. 8,184 spectators came on Saturday, and 8,395 on Sunday." event manager Jana Božková calculated.

During the weekend, more than two hundred racing machines across the last century were presented on the track. The oldest machine that was presented at the weekend was a replica of the four-cylinder Torpedo V4 motorcycle of the pilot Pavel Malaník, the newest cars were a pair of F1 single-seaters Williams FW08C and Tyrrell 012 from 1983.

In the paddock, the Italian Cisitalia car attracted a lot of attention, which was bought by Czechoslovak driver Antonín Komár at the end of the 1940s and was later driven by artist and author of many posters for the Czechoslovak Grand Prix races and competitor Vladimír Valenta. "Masaryk's circuit would be much more suited to other cars I have, under normal circumstances I would come here with my four and a half liter Talbot. But given how close this Cisitalia is to Brno and the Czech Republic, I had to take her." said Cisitalia owner and pilot Richard Pilkington. The car was probably presented at the Masaryk circuit for the last time, after the weekend in Brno it will go to the new owner in the USA.

Attention was also attracted by one of the two examples of the Škoda 1100 OHC racing car, type 968, which was presented to Czech spectators at the event after many years. It was presented directly by the Škoda Auto museum in Brno.

The fastest car of the entire weekend was the 1982 F1Arrows A4 piloted by Briton James Steve Hartley. He clocked the fastest time with the car at 1:55.235. This is approximately two tenths faster than the absolute Masaryk circuit record for the MotoGP category and just under 12 seconds slower than the official Masaryk circuit record set by an AutoGP single-seater in 2010.

The tradition of motorcycle racing on the Masaryk Circuit was then recalled by a number of legendary riders. During Sunday's race of champions, six-time world champion and winner of the 1965 Czechoslovakian Grand Prix Jim Redman, Austrian pilot and winner of the 1961 Czechoslovakian Grand Prix Rudolf Thalhammer, multiple Czechoslovak champion and participant in the World Championship Peter Baláž, Frank Mrázek, who presented his biggest motorcycle he achieved success in Canadian exile, along with current MotoGP rider Karel Abraham. After many years, Bohumil Staša, the holder of the current best result of a domestic rider on his home track, returned to the Masaryk Circuit. Staša achieved this in 1971, when he finished in second place in the category up to 350 cc.

The visitors also met a number of domestic drivers who were successful in formula races from the 1960s to the 1980s. Václav Lím, who brought the Avia AE3 formula of his own design to Brno, or, for example, Brno legend Otto Buchberger, recently in his 80s, are worth mentioning.

 "The Brno Grand Prix Revival weekend was amazing from my point of view. I am glad that the historic cars returned to the Masaryk circuit in full display and that the weekend attracted so many visitors. Now we have negotiations withsemi-organizers from the Czechoslovak Automobile Club for Moravia and Silesia, but in any case, I believe that both parties will be interested in repeating the race in a year. I hope we started a nice tradition this weekend." the executive director of the Brno Automotodrom, Ivana Ulmanová, evaluated the race weekend.

"The Masaryk circuit has an incredible tradition and I am glad that we managed to commemorate it with this event. This event is the first in which we have established cooperation with Automotodrome Brno after many years, and I hope that it is to the satisfaction of both parties. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I believe that we will repeat the Brno Grand Prix Revival in a year," introduced by Karel Kupka from the Czechoslovak Automobile Club for Moravia and Silesia.

"The Brno Grand Prix Revival racing weekend is very well evaluated by the officials of the individual series and by the pilots. Due to the fact that it was a pilot year, which also coincides with the established Le Mans Classic classic car race, a lot of cars came and we saw exciting battles. If we decide to repeat the race, I have no doubt that the competitors will recommend Brno to each other and in a year there will be even more cars on the starting grid of the Masaryk circuit." stated Michal Velebný, chairman of the F3 Club and member of the Czechoslovak Automobile Club for Moravia and Silesia.