Golden Helmet of Pardubice
The Golden Helmet of Pardubice (Czech: Zlatá přilba) is a speedway competition hosted annually in Pardubice, the Czech Republic. It is the oldest motorcycle speedway race in the world and is considered one of the most prestigious awards outside of the World Championship. The race has been established by three motorsport enthusiasts František Hladěna, Adolf Trnka and Ladislav Polák in 1929. The first 15 events of the Golden Helmet race was held on the 2400 m long turf racetrack of Velká pardubická Steeplechase in Pardubice from 1929 to 1963. It was not rare that the race was visited by more than 100 000 fans at the time, but also 5 riders suffered mortal injuries competing on this dangerous grassy track.
Since 1964 the race has been moved on the standard flat oval cinder track of the speedway stadium in Pardubice - Svítkov. The wide track of Pardubice - Svítkov stadium enables up to six riders to compete in Golden Helmet heats.
Race Format
Exclusionary groups
Twenty four riders are divided into four exclusionary groups of six riders. Three runs are held in each exclusionary group. Riders change in individual runs according to a predetermined key starting position. Six riders together compete on the track in each single run. Three best riders advance from each exclusionary group to quarterfinal stage of the race. Two best results obtained from three runs are counted into the classification results of each individual group. The rider can skip any ride.
Quarterfinals
Quarterfinal groups consist of twelve riders advancing from the exclusion round and twelve seeded riders. They are divided again into four groups of six riders. Three quarterfinal rides take place in each group. Three best riders advance from each quarterfinal group in the semifinals.
Semifinals
Twelve riders are divided within two semifinal groups of on the basis of the results of the quarterfinal groups according to the rolling keys. Three runs in each semifinal group are held. Riders change in individual races according to a predetermined key starting position.
Finals
Riders of 1 to 3 places of semifinal groups advance to the finals to compete for Golden Helmet. Riders of 4 to 6 position then participate in small finale of 7 to 12 place in the race.
Winners
Year | Date of Competition | Winner | Nation. | Runner-up | Nation. | 3rd place | Nation. |
1. | 29.09.1929 | Zdeněk Pohl | Robert Uvíra | Josef Hájek | |||
2. | 31.08.1930 | Josef Antun Štrban | Hans Hieronymus | Míťa Vychodil | |||
3. | 06.09.1931 | Rudi Klein | Josef Riha | Antun Uroić | |||
4. | 25.09.1932 | Hans Mayer | Hans Winkler | Josef Antun Štrban | |||
5. | 01.10.1933 | Hans Walter Buttler | Erich Bertram | Hans Winkler | |||
6. | 02.09.1934 | Gerrit van Dijk | Hermann Gunzenhauser | Arend Hartman | |||
7. | 15.09.1935 | Herman Gunzenhauser | Erich Bertram | Leopold Killmeyer | |||
8. | 27.09.1936 | Herman Gunzenhauser | Hans Walter Buttler | Erich Bertram | |||
9. | 04.09.1938 | František Juhan | Václav Stanislav | Jan Lucák | |||
The race was not run in 1939 - 1946 due to German occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938 - 1945). | |||||||
10. | 07.09.1947 | Hugo Rosák | Karl Killmeyer | Miloslav Špinka | |||
11. | 04.09.1949 | Fritz Dirtl | Hugo Rosák | Gerrit van Dijk | |||
12. | 09.09.1951 | Jan Lucák | Hans Zierk | Antonín Švarc | |||
The race was not run in 1952 - 1960 due to lack of support to Speedway competitions from communist government in Czechoslovakia at that time. | |||||||
13. | 20.08.1961 | Oldřich Klaudinger | Jiří Jasanský | Ervín Krajčovič | |||
14. | 16.09.1962 | Josef Seidl | Jaroslav Machač | Antonín Šváb Sr. | |||
15. | 15.09.1963 | Antonín Kasper Sr. | Martin Tatum | Ervín Krajčovič | |||
16. | 06.09.1964 | Igor Plechanov | Antonín Kasper Sr. | Boris Samorodov | |||
17. | 12.09.1965 | Farit Šajnurov | Stanislav Kubíček | Antonín Kasper Sr. | |||
18. | 18.09.1966 | Igor Plechanov | Barry Briggs | Boris Samorodov | |||
19. | 10.09.1967 | Ove Fundin | Barry Briggs | Antonín Kasper Sr. | |||
20. | 20.10.1968 | Leif Enecrona | Ove Fundin | František Ledecký | |||
21. | 18.09.1969 | Genadij Kurilenko | Valerij Klementěv | Miloslav Verner | |||
22. | 27.09.1970 | Ole Olsen | Miloslav Verner | Vladimir Gordeev | |||
23. | 19.09.1971 | Ole Olsen | Jim Airey | Hans Jürgen Fritz | |||
24. | 01.10.1972 | Ole Olsen | Ivan Mauger | Genadij Ivanov | |||
25. | 22.09.1973 | Milan Špinka | Ole Olsen | Ivan Mauger | |||
26. | 22.09.1974 | Jiří Štancl | Ivan Mauger | Genadij Ivanov | |||
27. | 05.10.1975 | Ole Olsen | Ivan Mauger | Jiří Štancl | |||
28. | 03.10.1976 | Jiří Štancl | Ole Olsen | Ivan Mauger | |||
29. | 02.10.1977 | Ole Olsen | Jiří Štancl | Aleš Dryml Sr. | |||
30. | 01.10.1978 | Jiří Štancl | Michael Lee | Ole Olsen | |||
31. | 30.09.1979 | Ole Olsen | Michael Lee | Jiří Štancl | |||
32. | 28.09.1980 | Ole Olsen | Aleš Dryml Sr. | Bobby Schwartz | |||
33. | 27.09.1981 | Jiří Štancl | Aleš Dryml Sr. | Viktor Kuznetsov | |||
34. | 26.09.1982 | Jiří Štancl | Roman Jankowski | Aleš Dryml Sr. | |||
35. | 25.09.1983 | Dennis Sigalos | Jiří Štancl | Ole Olsen | |||
36. | 23.09.1984 | John Davis | Lance King | Jiří Štancl | |||
37. | 22.09.1985 | Erik Gundersen | Antonín Kasper Jr. | Simon Wigg | |||
38. | 21.09.1986 | Erik Gundersen | Kelvin Tatum | Sam Ermolenko | |||
39. | 27.09.1987 | Hans Nielsen | Kelvin Tatum | Per Jonsson | |||
40. | 02.10.1988 | Per Jonsson | Roman Matoušek | Jeremy Doncaster | |||
41. | 24.09.1989 | Jeremy Doncaster | Roman Matoušek | Tony Olsson | |||
42. | 30.09.1990 | Jeremy Doncaster | Antonín Kasper Jr. | Zdeněk Tesař | |||
43. | 29.09.1991 | Antonín Kasper Jr. | Ronnie Correy | Jeremy Doncaster | |||
44. | 27.09.1992 | Tony Rickardsson | Antonín Kasper Jr. | Mitch Shirra | |||
45. | 03.10.1993 | Tony Rickardsson | Leigh Adams | Armando Castagna | |||
46. | 11.09.1994 | Simon Wigg | Chris Louis | Tony Rickardsson | |||
47. | 04.09.1995 | Tony Rickardsson | Tomáš Topinka | Hans Nielsen | |||
48. | 29.09.1996 | Tomáš Topinka | Simon Wigg | Chris Louis | |||
49. | 05.10.1997 | Ryan Sullivan | Tony Rickardsson | Mark Loram | |||
50. | 04.10.1998 | Hans Nielsen | Tony Rickardsson | Brian Andersen | |||
51. | 03.10.1999 | Leigh Adams | Tony Rickardsson | Ryan Sullivan | |||
52. | 15.10.2000 | Leigh Adams | Greg Hancock | Todd Wiltshire | |||
53. | 07.10.2001 | Leigh Adams | Marian Jirout | Mark Loram | |||
54. | 06.10.2002 | Jason Crump | Matej Zagar | Lee Richardson | |||
55. | 27.09.2003 | Ryan Sullivan | Jason Crump | Lee Richardson | |||
56. | 26.09.2004 | Leigh Adams | Aleš Dryml Jr. | Hans N. Andersen | |||
57. | 02.10.2005 | Scott Nicholls | Nicki Pedersen | Aleš Dryml Jr. | |||
58. | 17.10.2006 | Jason Crump | Hans N. Andersen | Nicki Pedersen | |||
59. | 10.10.2007 | Andreas Jonsson | Rune Holta | Kenneth Bjerre | |||
60. | 05.10.2008 | Nicki Pedersen | Leigh Adams | Matej Ferjan | |||
61. | 04.10.2009 | Rune Holta | Grzegorz Walasek | Davey Watt | |||
62. | 03.10.2010 | Nicki Pedersen | Fredrik Lindgren | Andreas Jonsson | |||
63. | 02.10.2011 | Rune Holta | Antonio Lindbäck | Piotr Pawlicki | |||
64. | 14.10.2012 | Grzegorz Walasek | Fredrik Lindgren | Hans N. Andersen | |||
65. | 29.9.2013 | Darcy Ward[1] | Greg Hancock | Przemysław Pawlicki | |||
66. | 05.10.2014 | Chris Holder | Fredrik Lindgren | Jurica Pavlic | |||
67. | 20.09.2015 | Jurica Pavlic[2] | Troy Batchelor | Martin Smolinski | |||
68. | 19.09.2016 | Emil Sayfutdinov[3] | Rune Holta | Martin Smolinski | |||
69. | 01.10.2017 | Václav Milík Jr.[4] | Rune Holta | Max Fricke | |||
70. | 30.09.2018 | Jason Doyle | Martin Vaculík | Václav Milík Jr. | |||
71. | 06.10.2019 | Jason Doyle | Andžejs Ļebedevs | Patryk Dudek | |||
72. | 04.10.2020 | Jason Doyle | Jan Kvěch | Brady Kurtz |
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 | |
Nicki Pedersen | 2 | 3 | |
Ove Fundin | 1 | 5 | |
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 | |
Nicki Pedersen | 2 | |
Rune Holta | 2 |