By The first of back-to-back Czech roads season openers, prior to the 300 Curves of Gustav Havel in Horice, it’s this weekend the 21st Stare Mesto (Translated as ‘Old Town’ abroad and additionally known as ‘Slovacky okruh’) edition.
David ‘Datzii’ Datzer on debut last year at Stare Mesto, excelled, finishing easily best newcomer, acquiring a new track record (lap time 1.31.509).
Finally uncorking in 2024, a first IRRC Superbike Championship triumph, his 2025 race season undertakings alongside TT, European roads scene explorations, sees him in the new role of Team Principal of the newly formed ‘#Racestastic4 – Datziii#55 Road Racing Team’, working with:
Austrian, currently second within the European Hill Climb Road Race Supersport and GP 250 Championships, Thomas ‘Uccio’ Altendorfer, prospective Manx Grand Prix newcomer Finn ‘Crazy Chicken’ Chapman and Czech female rider, Kristyna ‘Kiki’ Jakesch.
The Stare Mesto Superbike race field contains Datzer, Altendorfer (fastest German and Austrian event exponents) plus Tomas Toth with Mario Christian Ciullo (fastest Slovak and Italian exponent), Czech aces like Jiri Petrla, Leos Hlavacek, Marek Stibor, son/father duo Petr Vajner Jr / Petr Vajner Sr, one of the main organizers of Kopcany road races, David ‘Predator’ Hanzalik from Slovakia.
Supersport wise in addition to the already mentioned Altendorfer, Hanzalik, Stare Mesto debutant Chapman, headline entrants include:
IRRC Supersport Champion, Stare Mesto Supersport and Super Twins lap record holder Marek Cerveny, German, Italian fastest middleweight class speedsters at Stare Mesto, Wolfgang ‘Wolfi’ Schuster and Matteo Stivanello.
IRRC 2025 participants Petr Najman, Matej Vit, Martin Baca and Daniel Chovanec, Veronika Hankocyova (returning to IOM shores for TT 2025), Wonder Women Racing team-mate Anna Malinova, Ales Sykora, Frantisek Loucka, Martin Hulin, German rider Florian Glashauser.
Names not illustrated yet, tackling other categories, include Super Twin equipped racers Jan Markalous, Jan Nehasil, Michal Vecko, Lubos Konak, Ludovit Krusina, taking on above showcased aces Cerveny, Najman, Hankocyova, Hanzalik.
Matous Ondrusz, Libor Kamenicky, Marek Paul, Daniel Zornweg, Moritz Nestler grace the Supermono class.
The 125 GP/Moto 3 line-up features fresh from a successful Cookstown racing stint, German roads scene adventurer Chris Meyer, Italian Lorenzo Tiveron, Austrian Christopher Eder, Anders Richnau from Sweden, Czech Ultra-Lightweight category stars Patrik Kolar and Oldrich Podlipny.
Norbert Szczepanek will represent Poland in the Open 250 class. James Walker ensures UK representation amongst the yesteryear classics field. Overall, all categories boast large number of participants. Let’s race!
Qualifying/Race schedule, for the Stare Mesto Races, is as follows:
Saturday, 3rd May:
First Qualifying Sessions
(Local time)
8:00-8:20 AM – Classic A (up to 1972) 175/250 + Classic B (up to 1978) 175/250
8:30-8:50 AM – Classic A (up to 1972) 350/500/750 + Classic B (up to 1978) 350/500
9:00-9:20 AM – Classic Sidecars
9:30-9:50 AM – Sport-production 125/GP 125/Moto3+250 Open
10:00-10:20 AM – Classic SBK Open
10:30-10:50 AM – Supersport
11:00-11:20 AM – Supersport 300/Supersport 400
11:30-11:50 AM – Super Twins/Supermono
12:00-12:20 PM – Superbike
Second Qualifying Sessions
1:00-1:20 PM – Classic 175/250/175B/250B
1:30-1:50 PM – Classic 350/350B/500/500B/750
2:00-2:20 PM – Classic Sidecars
2:30-2:50 PM – Sport-production 125/GP 125/Moto3+250 Open
3:00-3:20 PM – Classic SBK Open
3:30-3:50 PM – Supersport
4:00-4:20 PM – Supersport 300/Supersport 400
4:30-4:50 PM – Super Twins/Supermono
5:00-5:20 PM – Superbike
Sunday, 4th May:
(Local time)
8:00 AM – Classic 175/250/175B/250B – 8 laps
9:00 AM – Classic 350/350B/500/500B/750 – 8 laps
10:00 AM – Sport-production 125/GP 125/Moto3+250 Open – 8 laps
11:00 AM – Classic SBK Open – 8 laps
12:30 PM – Classic Sidecars – 20 minutes – regularity
1:30 PM – Supersport – 10 laps
2:15 PM – Supersport 300/Supersport 400 – 10 laps
3:00 PM – Super Twins/Supermono – 10 laps
3:45 PM – Superbike – 10 laps
Photo credit: Thijs Van Der Horst
Words by Jan Vavra
