Brno’s Masaryk circuit gearing up for Moto GP race weekend
The prestigious Moto GP series is heading back to Czechia for the first time since 2020. The track at Brno’s Masaryk circuit received a thorough makeover, and will host a full race weekend for the elite Moto GP class, as well as subsidiary Moto2 and Moto3 championships. The meet will start with free practice on Friday.
Re-surfacing Masaryk circuit’s asphalt track was one of the conditions for reintroducing Moto GP, the highest class of motorcycle road racing, to Brno. A project that cost track owner and investor Karel Hubáček 180 million crowns. With the tarmac completed, final touches are now being applied to the circuit’s facilities, ahead of the grand reopening on Friday, says spokesman Petr Boháč:
“At the moment we are still adjusting some of the parking spaces, and installing fiber optic or other sorts of cables where needed. The spectator facilities have already been completely renovated, and we are also finishing up some of the seating on our permanent grandstands,” he explains.
The 21-lap long Moto GP race on Sunday will see 26 of the world’s best motorcycle racers on the planet compete for valuable points in the Moto GP championship season, which just reached its midway mark last week at the Sachsenring in Germany.
Racing legend Marc Márquez came out on top that time, as he continues his hunt to equal Valentino Rossi’s record of seven Moto GP championship titles. The Spaniard currently sits on six, and leads this season’s overall standings, a commanding 83 points ahead of his younger brother Álex in second place.
Marc Márquez already has three victories at the Czech Grand Prix to his name. The 32-year-old was first across the finish line at Masaryk circuit in 2013, 2017, and 2019. Here too, Valentino Rossi’s record is at peril, with the Italian snatching first place on four occasions in the Moto GP era.
South African racer Brad Binder scored his maiden victory in Brno in 2020, making him the last winner before renovations began. He will also line up at Masaryk circuit’s grand return to the Moto GP’s calendar on Sunday, sitting in 12th place in the championship standings.
The only Czech rider featuring in his home race this weekend will be 23-year-old Filip Salač. The native from Mladá Boleslav is part of the Moto2 championship, but already raced in Brno as a teenager in Moto3. As he admits, Masaryk circuit has not quite witnessed his finest performances:
“The last time I raced here was in 2020, which was without fans. If we take the last proper Grand Prix, which was in 2019, I was 17 years old and didn’t handle the pressure very well. It was all a bit too much. I’m convinced that this year I will enjoy the race a lot more, at least that’s the mindset I’m going into the weekend with: enjoy the Grand Prix, and hopefully please the Czech fans,” he says.
Besides home support, the young Czech could draw an advantage from having toured the newly resurfaced circuit already, albeit not on his racing motorcycle. Salač is full of praise for the work that has been done at the track:
“It’s incomparable to the surface that was here before. When I was out on track, I could not feel a single bump. Especially the grip is amazing. It means that we can get to much sharper lean angles without losing any power from the rear wheel,” he lauds.
While it might take the asphalt a couple years to get to an optimal racing state, Salač believes the circuit could already witness a track record this weekend. The Czech racer himself says to have gotten within half a second of the Moto2 record lap, although not in racing conditions. The reference lap for Moto GP racers will be Dani Pedrosa’s blistering 1:56 minutes, set in 2014.
According to organizers, the Brno Grand Prix will welcome up to 200,000 visitors travelling from over 40 different countries. All grandstand seats are reportedly sold out, with only a couple general admission slots remaining. Free practice sessions begin at 9am on Friday, with the main Moto GP race scheduled for lights-out at 2pm.
