Lausitzring - The Most Well Known Oval Race Track in Europe

The Lausitzring, or the EuroSpeedway Lausitz, is the racing venue located near the Klettwitz village in Brandenburg region in the Eastern Germany, near the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic.

Pocono Raceway lookalike

This unusual circuit was opened in 2000 and it has stands capacity of 120.000 seats. The thing which makes this track so unusual is its shape, more common for NASCAR races than the races held in Europe. The main track is shaped like an oval, very similar to Pocono Raceway in the United States.

Map of EuroSpeedway Lausitz

Race track built on the remains of a coal mine

The idea of building the circuit was born in 1986, in the time of former East Germany. The authorities wanted an adequate replacement for the magnificent and legendary AVUS track in Berlin and Lausitz was their choice. Finally, in 1995, the project was given a green light.

Video – Discover Lausitzring

Modern and expensive, Lausitzring is ready to earn place in the history of racing

Protests by the residents of the area put the project on hold for a while, but when the disagreements were soothed, works begun and at the end of 1999, the track was finished. The costs of this huge and unique project were big – almost 160 million euros, mainly provided by the state of Brandenburg.

The main stand at EuroSpeedway Lausitz has a capacity of 25.000

Oval track is not the only layout

Superspeedway oval is 3.256 km long and it has three turns. Fastest lap time is 0:34.62 and  the record holder is the famous IndyCar racer Tony Kanaan who did it during the 2001 Champ Car race. Grand Prix circuit is 4.345km long, has 14 turns and the lap time record of 1:32.21 is set by Heikki Kovalainen, during the Nissan World Series race in 2004. The third layout is Motorcycle Circuit, with the length of 4.297 km and 13 turns. All the tracks and layouts at Lausitzring could be connected into one of 11 km long, suitable for endurance races.

Sad year of 2001

Although the track was built to the highest standards, it still has an inglorious history. Former Formula 1 driver Michele Alboreto was killed in a crash in April of 2001, while testing Audi R8 LMP. Later that year one of the track marshals was killed while Alex Zanardi, former CART champion, lost both legs in an accident at the oval.

Alex Zanaradi was lucky to survive the horrible crash at Lausitzring

First few years after the opening were hard and Lausitzring faced bankruptcy, but after some more calculations and cost reductions, things became easier and the track became maintainable. The owners mainly concentrated on the domestic racing events and that proved to be a good move.

This huge venue is also very suitable for the concerts and often local rock stars played in front of more than 100.000 spectators.

The main event at Lausitzring – DTM race

Over the years, racing at the tri-oval became less popular, and some more corrections and modifications had to be made at the layouts. Nowadays, Lausitzring is relatively popular and firmly established racing venue which hosts various racing series, the top event of the year is definitely DTM round. The Lausitzring also hosted races of A1GP, Superbike World Championship, ADAC GT Masters, F3 Euroseries and many others.

DTM at Lausitzring

Getting there and accommodation

Getting there is easy. The nearest international airport is in Dresden, some 60 km from the circuit while the airports in Berlin are approximately 90 minutes by car from Lausitzring. Getting there by car is also easy, as the exit 15 from the Berlin-Dresden highway leads directly to the circuit’s parking that has a capacity of 41.000. Reaching Lausitzring by public transport (bus, train) is also possible as the connections are well organized.

Races at EuroSpeedway lausitz are always well attended

Visitors interested in enjoying racing day at Lausitzring have many hotels and guest houses available at extremely affordable prices in the nearby towns and villages.

Address: Lausitzallee 1, 01998 Klettwitz, Germany
Phone: +49 35754 33733
Website: lausitzring.de

Photo: racingblog.de eco-haw.de faz.net bimmertoday.de