AVUS (Berlin) lap with abandoned sections - Onboard & Track Walk POV
In this Circuits of the past video, we do a lap on the full AVUS circuit in Berlin, Germany, with some abandoned and forgotten places.
Today a lot of tourists are wondered about the presence of this old grandstand along the highway near Berlin. It’s a remnant of the AVUS, one of the most peculiar racing circuits of the past.
AVUS stands for “Automobil Verkehrs und Übungsstraße”, which means in English “Automobile Traffic and Exercise Road”. In fact it was an experimental multiple lane highway, in German ‘Autobahn’, which could be also used as race track.
It will be hard to imagine a more simple race track design than the layout of the AVUS. Two five Mile long straights, connected with permanent reverse loops on both sides.
The length of the original AVUS was 19.573 km or 12.160 Miles. The shorter version for motorcycle races was 8.3 km or 5.157 Miles.
A first reconstruction came in 1936 when a new road was planned to the exposition site next to the AVUS. The Northern Loop should make place for this new road, but as compensation they get a new high speed corner.
This new corner was paved with bricks and had a banking of 43,6 degrees! This made the AVUS the fastest race track in the World. The new corner became very famous under the nickname “Wall of death”.
In 1938 the AVUS was connected with the expanding web of the German Autobahns. For this, the original Southern Loop was demolished. There were plans to build a second high banked corner to replace the demolished southern corner. The Works were already in progress, but when World War II broke out in September 1939 the works stopped.
After the war racing on the AVUS continued in 1951 at the shorter version from 8.3 km or 5.157 Miles, which was used before the war for motorcycle races.
In 1954 there was a Formula 1 race on the AVUS which was not counting for the championship.
However, for political reasons the official 1959 German Grand Prix was held at the AVUS - which was in the western zone - to give the people in the by the Russians occupied eastern zone the opportunity to visit a Formula 1 Grand Prix. As a gesture to the East German fans they could pay their ticket in East Marks.
The Saturday before the Grand Prix Frenchman Jean Behra was killed during a supporting sports car race. He slipped at the high banked Northern Corner, flew over the top and crashed into the remains of the foundation of an anti-aircraft gun from World War II.
During the Grand Prix on Sunday everything went well and both heats were won by the British driver Tony Brooks in his Ferrari. It was the only Formula 1 race ever which was driven in two heats.
In 1961 the Berlin Wall was built and Formula 1 didn’t return to the AVUS.
Because the high banked Northern Corner was found too dangerous, the corner was demolished and replaced by a flat version in 1967. From 1975 on, the AVUS was just twice a year closed for racing. The rest of the year it was the motorway who connected West Berlin to West Germany.
In 1989 the track was shortened to 4.879 km or 3.032 Miles. The Southern Corner was reduced to an additional piece of asphalt at the turning point. There was also a chicane built before they entered the Northern Loop.
From 1984 to 1995 a combined event from the German Touring car Championship - DTM - and the German Formula 3 Championship was the annual high at the AVUS.
In 1992 new safety measurements were applied. To reduce speeds the straights were shortened again and the Southern Corner was just a gap in the guardrail to turn.
Despite the new safety measurements a lot of accidents happened during the touring car events, which fueled the discussions about the safety of the semi street course.
After the fatal accident of Keith O'dor in 1995, the AVUS was criticised more and more. New safety measurements were required for the 1996 race, like the chicane. They also removed all bumps here. But the end of the AVUS semi-street circuit came closer when a new permanent race track was built not far from Berlin, the Lausitzring.
The last year the AVUS was used for competition was in 1998. On the first of May 1999 there was a final goodbye event on the AVUS. All historic cars who ever drove at this historic race track were taken from the museum for a final meeting at this most remarkable circuit from the past.
More information about the history of the AVUS in the article on the website:
www.circuitsof... (English)
www.circuitsof... (Nederlands)
Special thanks to Simon Smith for the voiceover. Visit also his channel: / higherplaingames
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#AVUS #Germany #motorsport
6 сен 2024
