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.[1]
 Golden Helmet of Pardubice in 1938 | |
| Sport | Motorcycle speedway |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1929 |
| Most recent champion(s) | Dan Bewley |
| Most titles | Ole Olsen (7 times) |
History edit
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,[citation needed] but also five riders suffered mortal injuries[citation needed] competing on this dangerous grass track.
Since 1964, the race has been held on the standard flat oval cinder track of the Svítkov Stadium in Pardubice.
Race format edit
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.[2] The wide track of Pardubice enables up to six riders to compete in the event instead of the conventional four.
Past winners edit
Statistics edit
Speedway World Champions winning Golden Helmet
Below is a list of Speedway World Champions who have won also Golden Helmet of Pardubice.
| Rider | Nation | Golden Helmets | World Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ole Olsen | 
|
7 | 3 |
| Tony Rickardsson | 
|
3 | 6 |
| Jason Doyle | 
|
3 | 1 |
| Hans Nielsen |
|
2 | 4 |
| Erik Gundersen |
|
2 | 3 |
| Jason Crump |
|
2 | 3 |
| Ove Fundin |
|
1 | 5 |
| Nicki Pedersen |
|
1 | 3 |
| Per Jonsson |
|
1 | 1 |
| Chris Holder |
|
1 | 1 |
Speedway World Champions starting at Golden Helmet but never winning the race
Below is a list of Speedway World Champions that have started at Golden Helmet of Pardubice race but never won the trophy.
| Rider | Nation | Golden Helmets | World Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Mauger | 
|
0 | 6 |
| Barry Briggs |
|
0 | 4 |
| Greg Hancock | 
|
0 | 4 |
| Tai Woffinden | 
|
0 | 3 |
| Jerzy Szczakiel | 
|
0 | 1 |
| Michael Lee |
|
0 | 1 |
| Sam Ermolenko |
|
0 | 1 |
| Mark Loram |
|
0 | 1 |
| Tomasz Gollob |
|
0 | 1 |
Multiple Golden Helmet winners
Below is a list of multiple Golden Helmet winners.
| Rider | Nation | Golden Helmets |
|---|---|---|
| Ole Olsen |
|
7 |
| Jiří Štancl | 
|
5 |
| Leigh Adams |
|
4 |
| Tony Rickardsson |
|
3 |
| Jason Doyle |
|
3 |
| Herman Gunzenhauser | 
|
2 |
| Igor Plechanov | 
|
2 |
| Erik Gundersen |
|
2 |
| Hans Nielsen |
|
2 |
| Jeremy Doncaster |
|
2 |
| Ryan Sullivan |
|
2 |
| Jason Crump |
|
2 |
| Rune Holta |
|
2 |
Golden Helmet by Countries
References edit
External links edit
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