1929: The first Golden Helmet

Motor sport is an important aspect of motoring, and Pardubice has always been renowned for its motorcycle races. The first motorcycle race was held in 1903, on a route from Pardubice via Vysoké Mýto and Hradec Králové to the finish line in Pardubice.
During the inter-war period, two motorcycle races became particularly popular. The first was the Golden Helmet, first held in 1929 at Pardubice’s racecourse. The event was the brainchild of František Hladěna (1903–1942) alongside Adolf Trnka and Ladislav Polák. The first-ever Golden Helmet featured 52 riders, and the winner was Zdeněk Pohl (1907–1986). The Golden Helmet is the oldest regularly held speedway event in the world; it was only interrupted by the Second World War (in which František Hladěna died) and a hiatus from 1952 to 1960, caused by the hostile attitude of the communist regime. The Golden Helmet is considered one of the most challenging speedway events in Europe, and winning it is a much-prized achievement among professionals. Today it is held at the stadium in Svítkov.

The other popular motor racing event in Pardubice was first held in 1932 at the athletics stadium built for the Exhibition of Physical Education and Sport (1931): it was the Jiří Kristián Lobkowicz Memorial, in honour of a racing driver (1907–1932) who died tragically in a crash. The race was held on a cinder track. The last pre-war Lobkowicz Memorial was in 1938. After the war the race was held only once (1947), and unlike the Golden Helmet, its continuity has not been preserved.