The originalstreet circuit was made up of public roads, and at its longest measured 29.194 km (18.140 mi). The track is named after the first president ofCzechoslovakia,Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. In 1949, events such as theCzechoslovakian Grand Prix attracted top teams and drivers. In 1987, the new (current) circuit was opened. The Brno Circuit is historically one of the oldest circuits, on the place were also held the most motorcycle championships in history after theTT Circuit Assen.[2]
The original layout ran anti-clockwise on approximately 29.194 km (18.140 mi) of public roads in the outskirts of Brno, where the start/finish was located inBosonohy. The circuit went east past Kamenny and then went north past the Bohunice University Campus in Kejbaly, and went through the villages of Libusino, Kohoutovice andŽebětín, out to Ostrovacice, through Veselka and back through a series of fast straights and kinks. From 1930 to 1937, the Masaryk circuit races attracted some of the top drivers and teams.[3]
On25 September 1949, the race was held for the first and the last time in Czechoslovakia as part of theGrand Prix motor racing (later evolved intoFormula One).[4] The Czechoslovakian Grand Prix in 1949 was run clockwise on a shorter 17.800 km (11.060 mi) layout, which turned right at Veselka, bypassed Ostrovacice and entered Žebětín from the south rather than the west. 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 theCzechoslovakian motorcycle Grand Prix, which became a world championship event from1965. The circuit had been again reduced in length to 13.941 km (8.663 mi) in 1964, completely bypassing Žebětín and using a new through-road that went to Kohoutovice quicker. TheEuropean Touring Car series visited in the 1980s, by which time the circuit had been finally reduced to 10.921 km (6.786 mi) in 1975, which exited Kohoutovice from the south and bypassed Libusino and Kejbaly and went right through Kamenny and rejoined the main road back to Bosonohy. As of 2025, all the public roads used for the original circuits are still existing.
The current 5.403 km (3.357 mi) permanent road racing circuit was opened on 18 July 1987.[5] It lies north ofKyvalka, 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. AWorld Sports Car Championship race was held in 1988, and a round of theA1 Grand Prix series in 2006. It was also the location of the24H Epilog of Brno (previously6 Hours of Brno).
The annualMotorcycle Grand Prix of the Czech Republic is the circuit's most important event. It has been held here since 1950 and is the most famous motor race in the Czech Republic. The race is part of theWorld Grand Prix in the years of 1965–1982, 1987–1991, 1993–2020, 2025-2029.[6]
The Czech Republic Motorcycle Grand Prix was more of a promoter event than a profit-raiser itself.[7] Since tobacco advertising has been banned in 2007, it is common among the other MotoGP events. Since August 2023, the circuit is owned by the Czech company Shakai.[8]
The unofficial lap record is 1:34.700 set byJérôme d'Ambrosio inRenault R29Formula One car in 2010. As of September 2025, the fastest official race lap records at the Brno Circuit are listed as:[9]
.svg)
Ingo Gerstl,Toro Rosso STR1,2017,BOSS GP/F1)
Johnny Cecotto,Yamaha YZR500 (0W35),1977,500cc)
Gianfranco Bonera,MV Agusta 500 Four,1974,500cc)
Prince Bira/
Toulo de Graffenried,Maserati 4CLT/48,1949,GP)
Rudolf Caracciola,Mercedes-Benz W125,1937,GP)_between_1930_and_today_combined.png)
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