On Wednesday afternoon, more than a hundred vintage cars gradually descended on the center of Prague in front of the Autoclub building in Prague’s Opletalova Street. From there, the 1000 Miles of Czechoslovakia race will start on Thursday morning. Among them are cars such as Aero, Praga, or racing Bugatti, including foreign cars. Last year, the race was affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The participants are fully vaccinated.
117 cars are registered for this year’s race. According to Krejsa, the race director, it was necessary to reject some of the applicants because the maximum capacity of the race would not be enough. The unsuccessful applicants have been promised a start next year.
Dozens to hundreds of enthusiasts admired them in Opletalova Street. Some stopped by the cars on their way from the main station. Others arrived on purpose for the vintage car show. In addition to the car show itself, the organizers also prepared an accompanying program in the form of a fashion show of clothes from the 1920s and 1930s and an educational program with traffic lessons for children on the grounds of the J. A. Komenský Pedagogical Library.
Historical cars produced before 1939 will race in six categories according to the number of cylinders. The race will have three stages. The first will run between Prague and Bratislava, followed by the Slovak stage, and the third stage will lead back to Prague in front of the National Technical Museum. On the way back, the drivers will have a test of skill. The race is not run at maximum speed, as it was originally during the First Republic, but as a regularity ride with the task of getting as close as possible to the average speed of 45 km/h.
This year’s event is being held to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of car racer Bohumil Turek, whose career was ended in 1935 by a crash in the 1000 Miles of Czechoslovakia race.