Golden Helmet of Pardubice

The Golden Helmet of Pardubice (Czech: Zlatá přilba) is a motorcycle speedway competition hosted annually in Pardubice, the Czech Republic. It is the oldest motorcycle speedway race in Europe and is considered prestigious.

History

The race was established by three motorsport enthusiasts František Hladěna, Adolf Trnka and Ladislav Polák in 1929. The first 15 events of the Golden Helmet race were held on the 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long turf racetrack of Velká pardubická Steeplechase in Pardubice, from 1929 to 1963. On several occasions the event attracted more than 100,000 fans, but also five riders suffered mortal injuries competing on this dangerous grass track, including Luboš Tomíček Sr..

Since 1964, the race has been held on the standard flat oval cinder track of the Svítkov Stadium in Pardubice.

Race format

In the first round, 24 riders are divided into four groups of six. Three riders advance from each group to the quarterfinal stage, where they join 12 seeded riders. In the quarterfinal, the same format sees three riders from each group progressing to the semi final. In the semi final two groups of six riders race three times with the top three riders from each group progressing to the final. The wide track of Pardubice enables up to six riders to compete in the event instead of the conventional four.

Past winners

Statistics

Multiple Golden Helmet winners

Below is a list of multiple Golden Helmet winners.

Golden Helmet by Countries

Speedway world champions winning Golden Helmet

Below is a list of Speedway World Champions who have also won Golden Helmet of Pardubice.

External links

• at www.speedwaychampions.com