The choice of name honoured Masaryk's status as the founding father of the Czechoslovak state and reflected the national ambition behind the event. The original configuration was a road circuit using public highways south and west of Brno city, beginning at its fullest extent at 29.194 km. The track was anti-clockwise, starting from Bosonohy and passing through Kamenny, Kejbaly, Libusino, Kohoutovice, Žebětín, Ostrovacice, and Veselka before returning to the start via fast straights.
From 1930 to 1937, the Masaryk Circuit attracted leading cars and drivers for the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix. In 1949 the circuit was used once more for a Grand Prix event, run clockwise on a shorter 17.800 km configuration; this race drew a crowd exceeding 400,000 and remains the sole Czechoslovakian entry on the pre-World Championship Formula One calendar. It was never repeated for cars on the old course.
From 1950 onwards the focus shifted to motorcycle racing, and the Czechoslovakian Motorcycle Grand Prix became a round of the FIM World Championship from 1965. The circuit was progressively shortened over subsequent decades: to 13.941 km in 1964, and further to 10.921 km in 1975. The European Touring Car Championship also raced at Brno during the 1980s while the old road layout was still active. All public roads that made up the various configurations of the original circuit still exist as of the mid-2020s.
The current 5.403 km permanent road racing circuit opened on 18 July 1987, lying north of Kyvalka within the geographic boundaries once enclosed by the old road course but using entirely new purpose-built tarmac. The motorcycle World Championship moved immediately to the new facility and has remained a fixture, with the Czech Republic Motorcycle Grand Prix held here from 1987 onwards (save for interruptions in 1992 and during the COVID-19 affected period).
A World Sports Car Championship race, the 360 km of Brno, was held at the new circuit in 1988. The circuit has also hosted the FIA World Touring Car Championship, FIA GT Championship, FIA GT1 World Championship, Formula Two, the Superbike World Championship across multiple periods, and a round of the A1 Grand Prix series in 2006. The 24H Series ran the 12 Hours of Brno event at the circuit in 2015, 2016, and 2019.
The circuit's unofficial lap record stands at 1:34.700, set by Jérôme d'Ambrosio in a Renault R29 Formula One car in 2010. As of August 2023, the circuit is owned by the Czech company Shakai.
The Masaryk Circuit's longevity — from the road racing era of the 1930s through to the present permanent facility — makes it a particularly significant venue in central European motorsport history. It is noted among the circuits with the most motorcycle World Championship rounds hosted, exceeded only by the TT Circuit Assen. The Czech Republic Motorcycle Grand Prix remains its premier annual event and the most famous motor race in the country.