"Algimantas" (algimantas)
12/31/2015 at 06:56 • Filed to: None
1
0|
"Algimantas" (algimantas)
12/31/2015 at 06:56 • Filed to: None | 1
| 0 |
Historic footage of a road racing championship that was held in 1961 in Kaergin, Lithuania (my hometown) has been recovered from Soviet archives. In the video, you can see races of multiple classes, starting from 500 cc in the open-wheel format, to the faster, bigger-engined classes. For the Junior class (1300cc, starting around the 4 minute mark), the race consisted of 30 laps (162 km, or ~100 miles). Winner of one of the faster classes averaged 110 km/h over the race.
The race itself drew a crowd of a 100.000 people, which probably would be considered amazing by even today’s standards. The largest race in Lithuania, the 1000 kilometer race, gathers a comparable crowd in the city of Palanga.
Currently, the town where this race was held is the home of the Nemunas ring, the only dedicated racetrack in the country.