Brno 1293

Brno

A daunting road circuit with echoes from a previous era, Brno was still visited by the European Touring Car Championship up to 1986.

A daunting road circuit with echoes from a previous era, Brno was still visited by the European Touring Car Championship up to 1986. A new permanent circuit was built in 1987 in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to lure modern Grand Prix racing to the Czech Republic. The original venue was 18 miles of dusty, narrow roads south-west of the town, and was the longest circuit in use when it opened in 1930. Bernd Rosemeyer scored his first Grand Prix win here in 1935, but racing ceased with Hitler's occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1937. A reduced 11-mile circuit opened in 1949; omitting the challenging Ostrovacice section. That year, 200,000 spectators saw Peter Whitehead's victory in the Czech GP. Vaclav Hovorka's Maserati scored a home victory in 1950, but racing did not return until a Formula Junior race was held in 1962. The old pits and barriers still exist, providing a reminder of the past age. Although the new Automotodrom cannot compare to the original, the new track is demanding and a good example of a modern facility.

Circuit

Type

Permanent road course

Length

3.357 (Miles)

Change

Circuit unchanged (Czechoslovakia split into two countries)

Fastest Race Lap

Luca Filippi (Lola B05/52-Zytek), 1m43.260, 117.037 mph, Auto GP, 2010

Type

Permanent road course

Length

3.357 (Miles)

Change

New Automotodrom built

Fastest Race Lap

Luca Filippi (Lola B05/52-Zytek), 1m43.260, 117.037 mph, Auto GP, 2010

Type

Temporary road course

Length

6.789 (Miles)

Change

Eastern end of course bypassed by road from Kohoutovice to the start

Type

Temporary road course

Length

8.663 (Miles)

Change

Link road bypassed Zebetin

Fastest Race Lap

Jochen Mass (Ford Capri RS), 4m59.1, 104.269 mph, Touring Cars, 1972

Type

Temporary road course

Length

11.061 (Miles)

Change

Western section bypassed by the road from Veselka to Zebetin, direction of racing changed to clockwise

Fastest Race Lap

"B Bira" and Emmanuel de Graffenried (both Maserati 8CLT/48), 8m03.0, 82.442 mph, GP, 1949

Type

Temporary road course

Length

18.109 (Miles)

Change

Original circuit

Fastest Race Lap

Rudolf Caracciola (Mercedes-Benz W125), 11m59.3, 90.633 mph, GP, 1937

Latest Races

3,413

Championships

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19,330

Results

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25,216

Drivers

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14,546

Teams

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917

Circuits

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