Join the Excitement at the Golden Helmet: Support Our Flat Track Racers and Break Free!
The traditional Flat Track Weekend in Pardubice will kick off on Friday, September 19, with the final of the Euro Speedway Championship. On Saturday, September 20, the Junior Golden Ribbon, which is the final event for young riders comes up at 16:00. This is a World Championship specifically for racers who are 21 years old and younger. The main competition, Golden Helmet 2025, will take place on Sunday, September 21, starting at 12:00, with the final race set for 16:20. A host of racers will be present again on the clay-sand track, which features the absolute world leaders competing for the most coveted trophy in the world. For many years, Pardubice has hosted fierce competition, and Czech riders have often proven they are capable of standing alongside the world’s best, achieving wins several times in the past. The renowned Jiří Štancl holds the record with five victories, while the only competitor with more wins is the Dane Ole Olsen, who has two additional titles. This race serves as a significant benchmark for both local and international riders.
A swift race on machines that lack brakes
The motorcycle race known as the Golden Helmet has been a fixture in Pardubice since 1929. Each year, this event draws more than ten thousand spectators to the stadium in Svítkov, where they enjoy a thrilling display of six competitors racing at nearly one hundred kilometers per hour on the oval track using special machines that lack brakes.
Friday’s lineup for the famous flat track weekend will begin with the Euro Speedway Championship final, marking the last race in this four-part series. Once it concludes, a new European Champion will be crowned in Pardubice, along with a racer who will participate in the World Grand Prix Championship series. The flat track stadium in Pardubice is again set to be the venue for the second most prestigious senior individual event of this sport.
On Saturday, the day will feature the traditional inset event for rising junior talents, known as the Golden Ribbon, which is being held for the fifty-first time this year. Many future champions have participated in this competition over the years in Pardubice. Saturday’s events also include the Flat track world championship race, which introduces an exciting new format where classic motorcycles compete with eight to twelve riders on the track.
On Sunday, the concluding final rides of the Golden Helmets 2025 will take place. This iconic event, held in Pardubice since 1929, is the oldest of its kind that occurs regularly worldwide. Competitors are marked by colored helmets, and the colors represent their standings in the race, meaning that riders must “ride” their assigned color. The competing motorbikes are 500cc models. Interestingly, during the races, as the machines lack brakes, the riders use their heels to slow down in the corners. The participants are divided into 4 elimination groups of 6 riders each. Each group will have 3 heats, with riders rotating their starting positions in each heat based on a predetermined system. From each group, the top 3 riders will advance. The quarter-final rounds will feature 12 riders coming from the elimination groups along with 12 pre-seeded racers. In each Semi-final, there will be three heats. The riders finishing in the 1st to 3rd positions of the semifinal will move on to the Final Rides competing for 1st to 6th places, while those finishing 4th to 6th will take part in a different Final Ride for 7th to 12th places. The best two scores from three heats will be used to determine the overall rankings of the individual groups. All heats will feature six competitors on the track at once in any given heat.
The Golden Helmet trophy is crafted from silver – available for viewing at the Lejhanec Jewellery Shop
The Golden Helmet trophy has been awarded every year since the 1990s at Pavel Lehjance’s jewelry establishment in Pardubice. This year’s trophy features six Czech garnets, which honor the six individuals who tragically lost their lives in the motorcycle races—four during the race itself and two while training. Constructing the trophy takes several months and includes various breaks. The helmet is crafted by Mr. Lejhanec and his team using pure silver and then is gold-plated. Its state emblem and inscriptions are made from silver with a purity of 925/000. The weight of the helmet is approximately 1850 grams. The six Czech garnets symbolize the memory of those riders who sacrificed everything in their quest for victory. The trophy is also equipped with white and red leather straps, representing the colors of the Pardubice coat of arms. Its design is modeled after the original helmet shape from 1929. Producing the Golden Helmet at Lejhance has a rich history, as the jewelry shop has been making this trophy since the inception of the race in its very first year!
Each year, the Golden Helmet is displayed in the shop window a week prior to the race at the Klenoty Lejhance store located on Míru Avenue in Pardubice, where it will be officially taken to the stadium in Svítkov on Sunday, September 21 at 11 a.m., accompanied by historic cars and motorcycles.
