Also see Sachsenring AG, named after this race track, for the former maker of the Trabant car.
The Sachsenring
(German: Sachsenring
) racing circuit is located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany. Among other events, it features the annual German motorcycle Grand Prix of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship.
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SACHSENRING TICKETS
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History
The first race was held on
26 May 1927 on an 8.7km layout on public roads, running also through the village of
Hohenstein-Ernstthal itself. It was dubbed "Sachsenring" in
1937.
The
East German motorcycle Grand Prix was held there from 1962 to 1971. The local
two stroke MZ bikes of
Zschopau were competitive during this time. The quickest lap was achieved by 15 time World Champion
Giacomo Agostini on a
MV Agusta with a 180 km/h average. After West German
Dieter Braun won in 1971 and the East German fans sang the
West German National Anthem in celebration (as is the case in sport, the winner's National Anthem is played after the event), the event was limited to East European entrants for political reasons.
In 1990, with faster Western machinery now available, racing through the village became too dangerous with some fatalities (this can be compared with the
Isle of Man TT).
To accelerate redevelopment of eastern Germany in the new unified Germany, a 2.9 km (1.8 mile) short track at the westernmost
Queckenberg
corner was built in the 1990s to bring international motorsport to the newly freed eastern part of Germany. In
1995, IDM motorcycle racing and the
ADAC Super Tourenwagen Cup resumed racing here. The
DTM raced here in 2000, with
Klaus Ludwig winning at age 51, but the DTM did not return, preferring international venues.
Since 1998, the
German motorcycle Grand Prix moved to the Sachsenring from
Nürburgring. In recent years, the track has been made faster and longer again, with the length now being 3670m.
Spectators at the MotoGP since 1998
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