The MotoGP race where the riders were paid in crystal instead of cash

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The Czech Grand Prix returned to the MotoGP calendar in 2025 after four seasons away. It was a welcome return for Brno, one of the most iconic circuits in the sport.

MotoGP, or the Road Racing world championship as it was known then, first visited Brno in 1965. Only Assen in the Netherlands has hosted more Grands Prix.

The local authorities took the decision to withdraw from the calendar in 2022 due to losses associated with the pandemic. But it signed a new five-year contract ahead of the 2025 season.

When you think of MotoGP, what is the circuit that comes to mind?

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Ducati rider Marc Marquez beat Marco Bezzecchi to victory in the July race. Marquez delivered one of the greatest pole laps ever at Brno in 2019, beating the field by 2.5 seconds.

MotoGP riders used to be paid in crystal at the Czech Grand Prix

The Czech GP, or the Grand Prix CSSR as it was known at the time, took place behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.

Speaking during TNT Sport’s coverage of the opening practice session at Brno in the summer, Gavin Emmett explained that riders who raced in that era would be paid in crystal. They could then exchange it for their own currency before they left.

Giacomo Agostini won the race four times at 500cc level, and three times in the 350ccs, between 1968 and 1973. Britons Mike Hailwood and Phil Read also enjoyed success at Brno in that era with five wins apiece.

“Behind the Iron Curtain, the riders got paid in crystal, and they would exchange it at the border for money,” Emmett said.

“Amazing history at this place, but it’s sewn into the very fabric of the society here. It’s wonderful to come back here. It does [feel] like a bit of time travel.

“The old pit building is still the same as it has been since they built the circuit in 1987. Still, you go around the roads that formed part of the original race track. There is that feel of ‘I am travelling back in time here to a bygone era.'”

Which circuits have hosted the most MotoGP races?

It would take at least a quarter of a century to dislodge Assen from the top of the leaderboard. With an interrupted streak from 1949 until just before the pandemic in 2019, it has hosted 76 races.

Brno can boast 52, while Spa in Belgium – best known as a Formula 1 venue – is tied for third with Jerez (40).

Mugello and the Sachsenring come next on 39, just ahead of Le Mans and Catalunya.

MotoGP’s European ‘heartland’ venues may come under increasing threat in the years ahead. New owners Liberty Media are bound to try and diversify the calendar in an attempt to repeat their lucrative success in F1.