After years of complaints over safety concerns, Prievidza, Cigelsky Okruh, is closed down.
Prievidza, Cigelsky Okruh (Cigel circuit), is shut down after years of criticism and safety complaints.
Probably one of the most exciting of the Slovak tracks, reminiscent of Spa, with trees, 220 ft (67m) elevation and super-fast corners. Unfortunately, it was built in a mining town and what it had in addition was a railway crossing going from the mine. A portion of the track going through the village was a rough mixture of tarmac, brick and concrete leading up to a bridge where in 1972 there was a fatal racing accident. The accident brought criticism of the tracks surfaces and safety concerns of the riders, but what really finally stopped racing was there was mining machinery along the track. Just a small concern.
Built in a mining area, between Prievidza and Cigel, it was originally organized in 1964 to give some entertainment to the miners. What started as a local event quickly attracted international motorcycle racing and the CzechoSlovak F3 (Czechoslavokian Championship) in 1968. Car racing ended in 1969 when one driver lost control after the finish and crashed injuring 32 spectators.
Prievidza was 3.2 miles (5,175m) long with some parts barely 20 ft (6m) wide.
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