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Just got back last night, I went to @horice to watch the raing and then had a weeks holiday. Hopefully I will be back next year.
We flew to Prague, stayed for a few days and then up to Horice, and hour and half on the direct bus, £3. We stayed in the Hotel Královský Dvur, £40 a night bed and breakfast. Right in the middle of the town square and was only about 200 yards from the circuit, plenty of restaurants at good prices about the place, but if you like shopping beware, it is like most of central europe with the shops closing at 11:00 am on the Saturday and all day Sunday, but never mind I knew that before I went and anyhow I wasn't there for the shopping.
On the Saturday morning of the practice while having my breakfast I watched the people walking past the hotel, cool boxes in one hand and sun cream in the other, the sun was splitting the trees and I thought I was at Skerries. When I walked up to the circuit I knew I certainly wasn't,the width of the roads here make the Horice circuit look like a motorway, with the only white lines being a zebra crossing and the camber running the right way on all the corners. Having bought my programme and entrance for the weekend, 96 page programme with plenty of photos etc. £2.50 and entrance for the weekend £5,I walked completly around the course, I must have viewed the practice from twenty or thirty different places, I couldn't make my mind up where to watch on the Sunday, would I have to keep under the trees to keep the sun off me or would I be able to stand in the open, but what was to come on the Saturday night changed that, there were a few thunder claps, not unusual with the hot weather and I thought that would be it, but the rain started and continued all night and when I was having breakfast the people walking to the course looked like they were going to Dundrod, waterproofs, umbrellas, themos flasks etc. But the rain didn't put them of me off, it was heavier than the Ulster last year, we stood for about four hours waitng for the first bikes to come past. Not speaking Czech I didn't know what was really happening from the speakers that completly covered the circuit, but was told by locals that it was being delayed and hoping for better weather, this never arrived.
The club mus tbe congratualted for running the race in those conditions,the riders for going out in it and the marshalls for keeping the water of the circuit, the spectators are as determined as here, men, women and children standing their ground for hours in the pouring rain, soaked to the skin but still smiling. When I got back to the hotel I had a shower, I was drier standing the shower than I was at the side of the road.
The race seems to a family day out as it is here, with everyone from babies in pushchairs to the very old, not as in England were it seems to be nearly men only. There are beer and food vans and tents all around the circuit but no drunks. I would really recommend anyone to go next year, or later to watch the Horice TT, pity I didn't get a chance to meet anyone of the other forum members but hopefully next year. Best wishes to VG, he was going well in practice and fourth when he past me on the first lap of the race, the corner he came off would be about the slowest on the circuit. The right hander at the top of the hill coming into the town looks really scarey, maybe not when if you are riding, the noise and view coming through the trees towards to the start/finish would put Sams tunnel to shame, and the twisty bits through the forest to Dachovey, awesome. I hope someone will be in touch with some of the riders to bring them over here.
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