Filip Salac’s maiden Moto2 victory at the British Grand Prix ended an almost 16-year wait for the Czech Republic on Sunday, continuing an unusual trend of long-standing national Grand Prix win droughts coming to an end in 2026.
The 24-year-old became the first Czech rider to win a motorcycle Grand Prix since Karel Abraham triumphed in the Moto2 race at Valencia in November 2010.
Salac’s breakthrough means riders from three countries have now ended waits of at least a decade for Grand Prix success this season, following Malaysia’s Hakim Danish in Moto3 and Japan’s Ai Ogura in MotoGP.
Hakim was the first to break through when he claimed his maiden Moto3 victory at the Czech Grand Prix in Brno in June, becoming Malaysia’s first Grand Prix winner in almost 10 years.
The rookie ended a drought stretching back to Khairul Idham Pawi, who won the 2016 German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring during his memorable Moto3 campaign.
Just one week later, Ogura ended an even longer wait by winning the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen.
The Trackhouse rider became the first Japanese rider to win in the premier class since Makoto Tamada’s home victory at Motegi in 2004, bringing an end to a 22-year drought.
