AVUS

The Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße, better known as AVUS, is a public road that was also used as a motor racing circuit. It is located in the south-western districts of Berlin, Germany, between Charlottenburg and Nikolassee, and is nowadays an important part of the public highway system, as Bundesautobahn 115.

While normal for a road, it is unusually shaped for a race track as it is essentially just two long straights in the form of a dual carriageway, with a hairpin corner at each end. The north curve featured a steep banking from 1937 to 1967. While the original layout was 19 km long, the southern turn was moved several times, to shorten the track to 8.3 km, then 8.1 km without the banking, 4.8 km and finally 2.6 km.

History 1907-1939

The circuit through the Grunewald forest was devised by the Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD), in 1907, as both a motor-sport venue and a testing track for the motor industry. A lack of finances delayed the start of construction for six years, and construction was halted in 1913 for the same reason. During the Great War, Russian prisoners were employed in AVUS's construction, but the track was still unfinished by 1918. The remaining work was financed by business man Hugo Stinnes, and the circuit opened in September 1921.

At the time of opening, AVUS was 19½ km (12 miles) long - each straight being approximately half that length, and joined at each end by flat large radius curves, driven counter-clockwise. In 1926, the track played host to the first German Grand Prix for sports cars (won by Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes-Benz).

Since 1927 the AVUS faced competition from the new Nürburgring circuit. In an effort to make AVUS the world's fastest race track, the 1936 season was skipped and the north curve was turned into a steeply banked turn (43°) made of bricks.^[1] It became dubbed the "Wall of Death," especially as it had no retaining barrier so cars that missed the turn easily flew off it.^[2]

The Silver Arrows of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union raced only once on the banked version, in 1937. As the race did not count towards the championship, non-GP cars were allowed, which permitted the use of streamlined cars, similar to the cars used for high speed record attempts. Hermann Lang's average race speed of about 260 km/h (160 mph) was not beaten at Indianapolis Indy 500 for 3 decades.

For the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, it hosted the cycling road race and the marathon and 50 km walk athletic events.

No major race was held after 1937, as in early 1938, the popular German race driver Bernd Rosemeyer was killed in a land speed record attempt on a straight section of the Autobahn Frankfurt/Darmstadt (today Autobahn 5), and the high speed AVUS was then considered too dangerous for the fast Grand Prix race cars. Also, it was planned to connect the AVUS to the growing Reichsautobahn network by extending it to the south, so the original South Turn at Nikolassee was demolished and replaced by a junction.

History 1947-1967

For post-war racing, the original extremely long straights were shortened by the introduction of a new south turn roughly in the middle (just before the exit at Hüttenweg, where it can still be seen), reducing the track length to 8.3 km (just over 5 miles). After World War II, the Berlin Wall with its Checkpoint Bravo at Dreilinden/Drewitz came no closer than about one mile (1.6 km) to the former South Turn. It is a common yet incorrect belief that the Berlin Wall cut the AVUS in half.

In 1954, this shorter track hosted a non-championship Formula One race, which was mainly a show by the Mercedes-Benz team, as no serious competition was present. In 1959, AVUS hosted its only world championship F1 with the 1959 German Grand Prix, won by Tony Brooks. This race weekend also saw the death of Jean Behra in a supporting sports car race, as his Porsche RSK flew over the top of the north turn banking, as there was no wall or fence. German driver and journalist Richard von Frankenberg had previously walked away from a similar spectacular crash.

After 1961, Grand Prix racing did not race on banked circuits anymore. The banked sections at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry etc. were considered dangerous by international racing standards. They were used in connection with chicanes for some time, then abandoned. The AVUS banking was dismantled in 1967 to give way to an expanded intersection under the Funkturm tower. From the top of this tower, one can see that the AVUS is not perfectly straight.

History 1967-1998

Racing was continued with a flat north turn, but AVUS only held national touring cars DTM and Formula 3 events. The length of the track was roughly cut in half twice in the 1980s and 1990 as racing on straights became unpopular. Also, chicanes were added to reduce entry speed into the North Curve. Yet, some incidents and accidents occurred. The BMW of Dieter Quester rolled over when exiting the last corner, and crossed the finish line sliding on its roof, with sparks flying, for a podium finish. The car of John Winter hit a barrier and exploded into a fireball in North Curve, which he survived.

In 1995, the race 2 of DTM had to be cancelled, after a multi-car pileup blocked the circuit; later that September, British driver Kieth Odor was killed in a Super Touring Car event when his car spun and was rammed sideways.^[3]

After the fall of the Berlin wall, the closure of the AVUS for race events became more and more problematic for environmental and traffic concerns. The last real races were in 1998.

History since 1999

In 1999, a farewell event with veterans was held. From 2000 on, the new EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Brandenburg is considered the replacement for AVUS.

The round race control tower (with prominent Mercedes-Benz and Bosch sponsorship) still remains at the north end, and is used as a public restaurant and motel. The old wooden grandstand is protected as a historic monument.

See also

• List of Formula One circuits

References

External links

• 1936 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 2. pp. 644-7, 682-5, 932-5.
• FORIX about the AVUS track