1930s Grand Prix: The Nurburgring Gesamtstrecke

The Nurburgring

The legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit is one of the most famous stretches of racetrack anywhere in the world. The punishing 22km layout hosted the German Formula One Grand Prix until 1976, at which point it was dropped from the calendar for being too long and too dangerous. It is still used today by manufacturers for extensive vehicle testing and is the home of several international endurance races. The recent Nurburgring 24 hour GT race, which featured 250 competing cars and several terrifying accidents, is a testament to the uniquely large and hazardous nature of the circuit.

With that in mind, it’s a surprise to many to learn the circuit was even longer and scarier prior to 1939.

Origins of the Nurburgring

The circuit was first planned in 1925 and, despite appearances, was always intended to be a permanent racetrack and not a public road. At the time there were no permanent circuits in Germany which meant the national sporting authority had nowhere to focus their regular racing activities. This also left the country without a regular testing venue for its booming automotive industry.

Local councillors in the Nurburg region identified these shortfalls and came up with the idea to build a circuit. They were able to convince the relevant German authorities to support their proposal because it matched a distinct set of criteria. Their proposed racetrack emulated the look and feel of public roads on which many of the largest races were being held at the time. The circuit featured every type of corner imaginable to ensure it could be used an excellent testing facility, and its construction would be so big that it would generate thousands of jobs during tough economic times.

Plans for the Nurburgring ticked all of the relevant boxes.

It took a massive team of 2500 labourers to construct the circuit in a little under two years.

The Nurburgring Gesamtstrecke

One of the logistical problems presented by the massive Nurburgring layout was that it was too large to use for smaller club races. The sporting authorities had taken this into account, so when the Nurburgring was constructed, it featured a long north loop (the Nordschleife) and a shorter south loop (the Sudschleife). Combined, the two circuits created the fearsome Nurburgring Gesamtstrecke, a massive closed circuit at 28km long.

Today, only the Nurburgring Nordschleife still exists, and it’s a surprise to many when discovering the Nurburgring actually used to feature a southern loop. The full Gesamtstrecke layout was in its heyday during the 1930’s.

The Nurburgring was officially opened in 1927 and the German Grand Prix, along with several other major races, quickly raised the circuit’s profile. Due to its challenging and unforgiving characteristics, the longer Nordschleife section of track quickly became famous. In an effort to take advantage of that growing popularity, race organisers started using just the Nordschleife by itself on a more regular basis, and reserved the Southern Loop for club racing – for which it was always intended.

The full Gesamtstrecke layout was used for the German Grand Prix up until 1929, making it the one of the longest circuits on the calendar. The 1930 race was cancelled due to the countries poor economy, and when it returned a year later it did so on the Nordschleife only.

Of the three German Grands Prix held on the fearsome circuit, Mercedes won two of them. The third was won by Bugatti. The fastest time set on the full layout was a whisker over 15 minutes, recorded in 1929, and was not beaten by any other cars or motorbikes in the Gesamtstrecke’s history.

Other races, including various motorcycles events, used the Gesamtstrecke well into the thirties. The last major race held there was in 1939, although it made a later one-off appearance for an endurance event in the seventies. The southern loop was used by itself inconsistently for small races and testing until the 1980s when large parts of it were demolished to make way for the current modern Grand Prix circuit.

The Sudschleife

The southern loop was 7.5 km long, making it longer than Spa Francorchamps today, and was every bit as dangerous as the Nordschleife. It descended into a valley below the start/finish area (which is where the same one can be found today) before racing its way back up the hill. If it was still around today it would be considered one of the great racetracks, but it just happened to be attached to the side of an even better one.

Sections of the southern loop still exist today and have since been converted into the public roads that surround the modern Grand Prix tack. Many fans driving to the circuit would be unaware they are actually driving on part of the original Nurburgring circuit.

The Gesamtstrecke, and Sudschleife, are easily forgotten pieces of the Nurburgring’s early history.

The new Nurburgring alternates with Hockenheim each year to host the German GP - find German Grand Prix tickets in our dedicated section.

Posted by Martin Porter. - Follow him on twitter @mpondaweb.

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Last Comment Posted »

• That down hill sweeping section is incredible. Some of the old footage is fantastic!
  by Jimmy@enterF1
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