Today in motorcycle history, May 9, 1956

  Supercross racing is born.

 

 I know, I know, Supercross is our "baby", it was born right here in the U.S. of A., oh, really...

 

 On May 9, 1956 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, 80,000 fans filled Strahov Stadium to watch the "Great Victory Day Race" (Great Victory Day marked the liberation of the Czechoslovakian Socialist Republic from Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union).

  Off-road motorcycling had already become a major sport in post-war Czechoslovakia, so there was plenty of interest in such an event, and plenty of talent to thrill the fans.  But there wasn't adequate public or personal transportation to take great throngs of people into the countryside, so the idea of staging a race for people to enjoy in comfort in the very center of Prague was only logical.  In addition to motocross in the infield, the fans were treated to speedway races around the perimeter oval.  The motocross course twisted over a half-mile circuit that included a steeple-chase type water crossing and seven or eight jumps (sound familiar?), which were created by piling dirt on wooden ramps.           

 

   But because of the political nature of the holiday, only Czechs and riders from neighboring Iron Curtain countries were allowed to participate, and only motorcycle brands from the region, (i.e. ESO, Jawa, CZ, MZ and Junak), were to be raced.

   Due to state-controlled communication on both sides of the Curtain, Western riders and motocross fans had little knowledge of or interest in the event.  However, Czechoslovakia was not the only nation of the Cold War era to come up with the idea of taking racing to the people.  British world champion Jeff Smith recalls participating at international meets held in soccer stadiums in Belgium at night under piss-poor lighting.

 

  16 years later, at Daytona International Speedway, the "first" Supercross race would be held.