Loketské Serpentiny

Loketské Serpentiny at a glance

Location

Loket, Karlovy Vary Region

Type

motocross

Length

1.586 km (0.986 mi)

Surface

stony hard-pack / blue-groove clay

Opened

1995

Owner

AMK Loket

Address

Loketské Serpentiny, Loket

Website

loketmx.com/en

Track map and layout

Loketské Serpentiny climbs the hillside above the gothic town of Loket, a 1,586-metre lap defined by steep climbs and daunting downhills over narrow, stony, slick terrain that has earned it a reputation as one of the trickiest technical tests on the world championship calendar. The track's hard-packed clay surface polishes to a slick 'blue groove' as a race weekend wears on, making starting position and early track position unusually decisive for podium chances. Its hillside setting, winding through switchbacks reflected in the track's own name (serpentiny, Czech for hairpins), gives it a visually dramatic character distinct from the flatter sand tracks common elsewhere on the calendar.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

Loket has hosted the MXGP of Czech Republic since 1995, missing the calendar only in 1996, 2001 and 2020, making it one of the most consistent fixtures on the FIM Motocross World Championship schedule with 29 Grands Prix held there to date. Joel Smets, Stefan Everts and Antonio Cairoli share the record for most GP wins at the venue with four apiece, while Cairoli holds the outright record for individual race wins with ten.

Getting there and parking

The circuit sits in the hills just above the historic town of Loket, in the Karlovy Vary Region of western Bohemia, around 140 km west of Prague. Karlovy Vary Airport is the closest regional airport, with Prague's Václav Havel Airport offering wider international connections a longer drive away.

• Karlovy Vary Airport (KLV) · about 25 min drive
• Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) · about 105 min drive

Parking

On-site and nearby field parking is available for Grand Prix weekend, signposted from the surrounding road network approaching Loket.

Combine a race visit with a walk around Loket's medieval castle and old town, one of the most picturesque settings on the MXGP calendar.

Hotels and camping near Loketské Serpentiny

Loket itself is a small, popular tourist town with limited accommodation that fills quickly for Grand Prix weekend, so nearby Karlovy Vary, a famous spa town with a much wider hotel selection about 15 minutes away, is the more reliable base. There is a camping tradition among motocross fans around the venue for race weekend, reflecting the sport's grassroots following.

Where to look

Karlovy Vary for the widest range of hotels; Loket itself for smaller guesthouses within walking distance of the town and circuit.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

Loketské Serpentiny is used by AMK Loket for club racing, training and organised motocross events outside the Grand Prix weekend; riders interested in track access should contact the club directly for current schedules, as detailed public trackday listings were not available from official sources at time of writing.

Spectator guide

Loket's steep hillside setting gives spectators dramatic sightlines over much of the circuit's climbs and descents from natural grass banking, a layout that has made it one of the most visually striking and well-attended rounds of the MXGP season.

Seating

Natural grass banking follows the hillside around most of the circuit, supplemented by some grandstand seating near the start-finish area.

Best places to watch

The high banks above the steepest climbs and downhill sections offer the clearest overall view of the technical layout.

Weather

• July (typical GP dates): warm central European summer conditions, generally dry with occasional afternoon storms

History of Loketské Serpentiny

Three decades on the world championship calendar

Loketské Serpentiny joined the FIM Motocross World Championship calendar in 1995, when Belgian rider Joel Smets won the venue's first 500cc Grand Prix on the hillside above the medieval town of Loket. What began as a single appearance quickly became a fixture: the circuit has returned to the calendar in every season since, missing only 1996, 2001 and 2020, and has now hosted 29 Grands Prix, making it one of the longest-serving and most reliable venues in the modern history of the championship.

A track that rewards starts

The circuit's steep climbs, narrow lines and stony, slick surface, which polishes into a notorious 'blue groove' as race weekends progress, have made it one of the sport's most technically demanding tracks, placing a premium on strong starts and early track position. That character has produced a roll call of the sport's greatest champions among its winners: Joel Smets, Stefan Everts and Antonio Cairoli each share the record for most Grand Prix victories at Loket with four apiece, while Cairoli's ten individual race wins stand as the outright record at the venue.

A picturesque fixture of the modern MXGP

Today Loket remains a cornerstone of the MXGP calendar as the host of the MXGP of Czech Republic, drawing large crowds who combine the racing with a visit to Loket's striking gothic castle and old town below the circuit. Organised by AMK Loket, the event continues to be one of the most anticipated rounds of the European leg of the championship, prized by riders and fans alike for both its technical challenge and its scenic hillside setting.

Frequently asked questions

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