PHOTO: The veterans’ race will head from Prague through Central Bohemia to Belgrade
Challenging now in the 21st century, just like it used to be in the 20th century.
So far, fans of history have remembered a small deal. It was a French-looking allied group that existed in the 1920s and 1930s, uniting what was then Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia (which at the time was known as SHS: Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes). Newly, fans of motoring will also be able to remember, thanks to the repetition of the competition, which is as successful in the footsteps of the former race as possible.
Participants in historic vehicles will set out from Prague via Central Bohemia to the east, while the journey awaits them further: via Bratislava and Bucharest they will head all the way to Belgrade. “The itinerary will follow as much as possible in the footsteps of the original route, the period will also be a time schedule divided into six stages,” said Bohumil Pácl from Autoklub ČR.
Aged cars are waiting three thousand kilometers
From the point of view of the people of Prague and Central Bohemia, the race will be similar to the passage of the participants of the commemorative ride of veterans of 1000 miles of Czechoslovakia, which is meeting with considerable response in the region. Only this time, fans will not wait for news from the route leading to Slovakia, but from the longer gravel to Slovakia. Competitive ride to the Danube 2460 kilometers – measures as a shorter way back to makes a total of 3360 kilometers. Both the events and the main organizer have in common, said Pácl. The autoclub entrusted Miroslav Krejsa, the proven director of the Thousand Miles, with the organization of the competition.
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He does not plan a mass event: he calculates that 25-30 crews will take part in the start. „Competition Small Agreement 2022 – In the footsteps of the competition Prague – Bucharest – Belgrade 1937 is intended for cars and motorcycles up to the model year of production 1939 and their ongoing construction. preserve the authenticity of the original plant as much as possible, “We want Krejsa to see similar machines as 85 years ago. He is already working on the design of the itinerary, not only according to the map: in the third week of November, he drove the entire route.
Roads and hotels are fine
“Passing through all the border crossings that will have to be overcome within the competition was absolutely smooth, as was the condition of the roads in Ukraine, Romania and Serbia,” Krejsa summed up his findings. He also has a tour of suitable hotels with secure parking at destinations. “We are currently working on the propositions of the competition, which we would like to publish by the end of this year, so that those interested in participating can book the date of this event in their diaries,” said Krejsa.
From the point of view of domestic fans, the key dates are September 10, when vehicle acceptances and the program are planned at the Autoklub ČR clubhouse in Opletalova Street in Prague – it will be Saturday – and the following Sunday, when the competition will set off via Kolín to Jihlava and beyond. News about their ride, which also includes Czech villages in the Banat area, should come until Saturday, September 17.
The race also had an overlap in politics
The planned company will not only resemble the largest international motoring competition, which the then Autoclub of the Czechoslovak Republic organized in the interwar period. He will go into history more than usual with events with motoring veterans. The original race was organized as a manifesto of the Czechoslovak-Romanian-Yugoslav alliance, which seems to be of great importance in Europe with the emerging Hitler regime. However history teaches us, how everything turned out in the end…
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The current president of the Autoclub of the Czech Republic, Jan Šťovíček, ensured that his predecessors were always patriots’ organizations who supported national pride. As a continuation of this tradition, the Small Agreement competition is to be repeated in the jubilee year, which at the time was of great importance not only from a motoring point of view. “Today we commemorate it as a tribute to the sports performances of the crews of that time, but also to the high level of the automotive industry at that time,” noted Šťovíček.