Race track

When you stand at the starting tower on the starting line, you have to expect a lot of work. One circuit here in Hořice is 5,150 metres long with an elevation gain of 90 metres, and you have to negotiate twenty-six corners in one circuit, 11 times left and 15 times right.

So are we ready? All right, here we go. It’s pretty dry and there’s a lot of spectators around the track. So it’s a good idea to go on the back wheel. But be careful not to pull too hard on the throttle, because we’re going to have an ace on the Gypsy. Riechel knows it well, and Sala also tried the nearby birch tree. We pass the Gypsy and arrive at the house of the Nálevka family. A quick right brings us to the exit from Borek. It’s a matter of the heart. The curve at the Nálevka’s has given a hard time even to such greats as Parus or Gächter. Huboňa punished his unruly Honda there, they literally had to put it out.

From Bork it’s possible for everyone, but at the pub we have to brake hard, because we have to take a sharp right around the corner. If you don’t brake, you’ll tear your overalls on the hedge. Then you pass through the square, which is also the narrowest point of the track. And again, hard on the brakes to pass the Crown on the right and the fire station on the left. Actually right at the Crown, not straight on like Thomas Lucas.

And a short straight, with a fast right at the end, and another straight that brings us to the awkward left at Jablonak. Radek Urbanec couldn’t cope with that one. I hope you have noticed that we are climbing slowly but surely from Koruna, so it requires good gears. We’ve got Jablonak behind us and another sharp right at Vodojem. Necesanek still remembers this turn. The exit can be on the back, so let’s show off a bit.

But beware, Salač had a rough time there years ago. It wouldn’t have been worth the fall down the hillside. We pass Pepík Bareš’s house and climb up to Křížek. Here we can unpack, but slow down in time, otherwise we’ll jump on the horizon and injure our manhood like Javůrek or Preining.

Beyond the horizon we have to keep right at the shore and take a sharp left, a little gas and again on the brakes and we are waiting for the so-called Lukavecký back. If you overdo it here, you can stop in Lukavec like Hlavatka, or end up in the woods like Auinger, or on your back like Seifert last year. But we’re already in the first Dachau ace. People are screaming and waving programs, but our fingers are aching from the clutch and the brake. The steep descent down to the second ace is also heartbreaking. Again, hard on the brakes and hop right and hop left.

Careful on the exit, so our ass doesn’t fly off. We’re gonna accelerate to take the brakes off and swing the machine to the right over the belly button again. And now we can pull up and go for the back if we still have some power in our hands. We’ll have a little rest as we drive to the Curly. And now here’s Curly’s turn. It looks friendly, but watch out for it. You can see the starting tower and the leaning spectators, but the chequered flag is nowhere to be seen, we still have a few laps to go…

Author : Ladislav Kočí

Technical parameters of the track:

• Track length: 5150 m
• Track width: 7 – 9 m
• Number of turns: 26 (11 left, 15 right)
• Elevation: 90 m
• Longest straight:
• Shortest straight:
• Clockwise direction of travel.
• Max. gradient: + %
• Max. descent: – %
• Pole position: On the left side of the starting grid

Line throughput

• 300ZGH
  • 40 motorcycles practice/36 race (32 up to + over 600ccm)
• ČTT
  • 40 motorcycles training/40 race
  • 28 sidecars training/28 race