Notes:
"Kalevi Suursõit" means "Kalev Big Race" in Estonian - a traditional cars and motorcycles racing event, held from 1959/78 on race tracks in Estonia- at the time part of URSS, mainly at Pirita circuit, but also at Ojaküla-Vanamõisa near Tartu, and Vana-Võidu near Viljandi. Kalev is the name of Estonian sport society that organized these events and of which many famous Estonian racing drivers were the members.

In sight of the 1980 Olympic games, the usual Pirita-Kose-Kloostrimetsa circuit in Tallinn was out of order: all the open sea boating races were scheduled in Tallinn, and already in 1978 they started to build new roads and houses for athlets, and also a new bridge along the track of Pirita-Kose-Kloostrimetsa. So the 1978 Kalevi Suursõit was held at Viljandi circuit of Vana-Võidu: the 4.570-kilometer circuit was built in public roads, lined by pine trees and embankments. Thousands of people gathered on the track to watch the races without order, everybody walking or sitting everywhere. Beside the track there were some "milk stands", wooden platforms of about 2 meters high, where farmers put their containers with fresh milk, very close to the road.

Drivers had no opportunities for testing the track and the road surface was very rough. One of the Soviet formula champions, Toivo Asmer refused to race after he made a testing lap on Saturday, 01 July 1978, because he had no time to find the setting for his car in that very difficult course.

Came race day and on 10th lap of the Formula Easter race a pack of five cars were dicing for the lead. At the exit of a tight bend they found a competitor's car with engine problems parked on the inside in front of them, and another backmarker's car which was to be lapped, travelling in the middle of the road. The Estonian driver Mart Kongo lost control of his Estonia 18M - Lada - or, according to different sources, an Estonia 19 - Lada -, and crashed into one of the milk-stands on the roadside. It was packed of people and several persons suffered injuries in the crash.

One of the injured spectators, Sirje Bebenina Kukk was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital. A 23-year-old pregnant woman, she was a worker in one of the Viljandi county collective farms. She was buried in Rakvere cemetery on 08 July 1978. Another old man had his leg amputated in consequence of the accident and was reported to be in critical condition.

It has not yet been clarified the correct number of people who died from the injures suffered in the accident, or at hospital after the crash. The most likely conclusion based on the available sources is that only a woman lost her life. Different accounts reported that even ten persons were killed and almost 40 injured in the accident, but this has not yet been confirmed.

After the tragedy the race was stopped on lap 18 of 24. The driver Mart Kondo who was unhurt, was charged and convicted of manslaughter and sentenced for his part in this accident. He was disqualified from racing for a long time.

The first official race at Viljandi street circuit of Vana-Võidu was organized on 20 September 1964 and for many years it was a regular track in the Soviet Union cars and motorcycle championships' calendar. The first fatality at the track occurred in September of 1968, when motorcycle rider Enn Karineem lost his life. The race course was abandoned in 1989.

• Newspaper Tee Kommunismile (Viljandi, Estonia), issue unknown, year 1978 [R1].
• Website AUTOSPORT → Forums → The Nostalgia Forum, thread "Crowd safety - then and now!", posting by "Alexey Rogachev", message http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?postid=2095485#post2095485 .
• Website AUTOSPORT → Forums → The Nostalgia Forum, thread "kalevi track", page http://forums.atlasf1.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64762 .
• Website Sakala, page http://sakala.ajaleht.ee/131004/esileht/5012841.php .
• Website Gdecarli.it by Guido de Carli, chapter "Circuits", page http://www.gdecarli.it/php/circuit.php?var1=2459&var2=2 .
• E-mail by Tarmo Riisenberg, dated 30 December 2006, citing [R1].
• E-mail by Alexey Rogachev, dated 02 January 2007.