Salzburgring
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| Location | Plainfeld, Austria |
|---|---|
| Time zone | GMT +1 (DST: GMT +2) |
| Coordinates | 47°49′16″N 013°09′34″E / 47.82111°N 13.15944°E |
| Address | Salzburgring 1, 5325 Plainfeld, Austria |
| Opened | 1969 |
| Major events | WTCC, TCR, Histo Cup, ADAC Classic, Porsche Sprint Challenge, Electric Love Festival |
| Website | https://salzburgring.com/ |
| Length | 4.255 km (2.63 miles) |
The Salzburgring is a 4.225 kilometres (2.63 mi) motorsport race track located in Koppl, east of Salzburg.
Key Facts
Track Length 4,255 metres
Bends 12 (6 right and 6 left bends)
Straights 4 (the longest being at start/finish which is 750m)
Incline maximum 3,8%
Decline maximum 1,8%
Altitude difference ca 25 metres
Altitude 648,3 bis 670,6 metres
Boxes 31
History
1968 Groundbreaking ceremony
1969 Opening with a combined car and motorbike race
1970 First Grand Prix of Austria for Motorbikes
1971 First FIM Motorbike World Championship race
2012-2014 Touring Car World Championships
2013 First Electric Love Festival which, in 2018, brought 180,000 attendees to the track
2019 50thanniversary
The race track was first opened in 1969. Lying in a narrow, alpine valley, it has a rather simple layout, with two long straights plus the sweeping and fast "Fahrerlagerkurve" ("paddock turn") at the bottom, and the narrow "Nockstein-Kehre" on the top. In spite of its simple layout, it garnered a fearsome reputation for the high speeds reached on the straights and the "Fahrerlagerkurve". Michael Doohan describes the section between 7 and 10 as his all time favorite piece of racetrack, likening it to "threading a motorcycle through the eye of a needle at 180mph whilst banging fairings with your competitors with armco barriers on each side". He continues "Sure it was fast and dangerous, but also enormous fun. To me it's what motorcycle racing is all about".
The Salzburgring track hosts touring car races like the German ADAC Procar Series, Deutsche Produktionswagen Meisterschaft, Deutsche Tourenwagen Challenge, Super Tourenwagen Cup and the European Touring Car Championship. It was also the home of the Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix from 1971 to 1994, except for the 1980 and 1992 seasons. Giacomo Agostini and Angel Nieto are the all-time leaders in motorcycle Grand Prix victories at the circuit, with six wins apiece. Sidecar motorcycle races were also held at the venue. The track has also hosted the Oldtimer Grand Prix as well as during the last years a "Rupert Hollaus Memorial" organized by Ex-Grand Prix motorcycle and sidecar racer, Wolfgang Stropek. In 2008, the circuit played host to the then one-off European Touring Car Cup, with the event being won by Michel Nykjaer.
Results
Motorcycle Grand Prix
- 1971 500cc: Giacomo Agostini - MV Agusta
- 1975 500cc: Hideo Kanaya - Yamaha
- 1978 500cc: Kenny Roberts - Yamaha
- 1983 500cc: Kenny Roberts - Yamaha
- 1987 500cc: Wayne Gardner - Honda
- 1990 500cc: Kevin Schwantz - Suzuki
- 1994 500cc: Michael Doohan - Honda
