The original Masaryk Circuit was one of the great pre-war road courses of Europe. At its longest it measured approximately 29.194 km, running anticlockwise on public roads in the outskirts of Brno. The start/finish was located in Bosonohy, with the route heading east past Kamenny, north past Bohunice, and through the villages of Libusino, Kohoutovice, Žebětín, Ostrovacice, and Veselka before returning via fast straights and kinks. Between 1930 and 1937, the Masaryk Circuit attracted leading drivers and factory teams from across Europe.
On 25 September 1949, the circuit hosted the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix, run for the only time as a round of the inaugural Grand Prix motor racing season — the competition that would evolve into Formula One. The race used a shorter 17.800 km clockwise layout, with a crowd estimated at more than 400,000 people attending. Despite this extraordinary turnout, it was the final Grand Prix for cars on the old circuit.
From 1950 onward, the original road circuit hosted the Czechoslovakian Motorcycle Grand Prix, which became a round of the FIM Road Racing World Championship from 1965. The layout was progressively shortened over subsequent decades, reaching 13.941 km in 1964 and 10.921 km in 1975 as the outer road sections were progressively eliminated. European Touring Car Championship rounds visited the shortened circuit in the 1980s. As of 2025, all the public roads that formed the original circuit layouts remain in use as ordinary roads.
The current Brno Circuit is a 5.403 km permanent road racing facility that opened on 18 July 1987. Located north of Kyvalka, it lies within the geographical bounds of the old road circuit but does not incorporate any of the original public roads. The Motorcycle Grand Prix of Czechoslovakia, later the Czech Republic, transferred to the new circuit immediately and quickly regained its world championship status. The circuit has been owned by the Czech company Shakai since August 2023.
The Czech Republic Motorcycle Grand Prix is the circuit's most prestigious annual event. Having run at Brno since 1950, it is the oldest continuously held major race in Czech motorsport history. MotoGP rounds have been held at the modern circuit in 1987 through 1991, 1993 through 2020, and 2025 onward.
Beyond motorcycle racing, the modern Brno Circuit has hosted an exceptionally wide range of international championships. The World Sportscar Championship held a round in 1988. The FIA World Touring Car Championship ran the Race of the Czech Republic at Brno from 2006 to 2011. The FIA GT Championship competed at the circuit from 2000 to 2008, followed by the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2010. The Superbike World Championship held rounds at Brno from 1993 to 1996, again from 2005 to 2012, and in 2018. The A1 Grand Prix series visited in 2006 and 2007.
The Masaryk Circuit occupies a singular place in motorsport history. Its association with the very first year of the FIM Road Racing World Championship, its enormous pre-war crowds, and its unbroken connection to the Czech and Czechoslovakian motorcycle Grand Prix across more than seven decades make it one of the most historically layered venues in European motorsport. The circuit is noted as having hosted more motorcycle world championship events than any other venue except TT Circuit Assen, a distinction that reflects the depth of its racing heritage.