The Automobil Verkehrs und Übungs-Straße, better known as AVUS, was a motor racing circuit on the south-western outskirts of Berlin, Germany, between Charlottenburg and Nikolassee. Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, autosport or motorsport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Charlottenburg palace Charlottenburg is an area in Berlin, formerly a borough, now part of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. ...

Nowadays, it is an important part of the public highway system, as Autobahn A 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 German and Austrian autobahn sign The Swiss autobahn sign Autobahn (pronounced in IPA) is the German word for a major high-speed road confined to motor vehicles and having full control of access, similar to a motorway or freeway in English-speaking countries. ...

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. Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD) is Germanys oldest automobile club, founded in 1899. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars, was a world conflict lasting from August 1914 to the final Armistice (cessation of hostilities) on November 11, 1918. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Categories: People stubs ... Look up September in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

At the time of opening, AVUS was 19.5 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). A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... A mile is a unit of distance (or, in physics terminology, length) currently defined as 5,280 feet, 1,760 yards, or 63,360 inches. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The German Grand Prix (Großer Preis von Deutschland) is an automobile race (as well as motorcycle races), and since 1951 part of the Formula One World Championship. ... Rudolf Caracciola Rudolf Caracciola (b. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ...

Since 1927 the AVUS faced competition from the new Nürburgring circuit. In an effort to make AVUS the world's fastest race track, the north curve was turned into a steep banking (43°) made of bricks. The Silver Arrows of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union raced only once on the banked version, in 1937, using streamlined cars as in their high speed record attempts. Hermann Lang's average race speed of about 260 km/h was not beaten at Indianapolis Indy 500 for 3 decades. The Nürburgring (Nuerburgring) is the name of a famous road circuit for autos or motorcycles in Germany, of which there are several configurations. ... Silver Arrow – 1939 Grossglockner hillclimb Silver Arrows was the name given by the press to Germanys dominant Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union Grand Prix motor racing cars between 1934 and 1939, and also later applied to the Mercedes-Benz Formula One and sports cars in 1954/55. ... 1936 Auto Union Wanderer Auto Union was a joint venture of four German automobile manufacturers, established in 1932 in Zwickau, Saxony, during the Great Depression. ... Hermann Lang, born April 6, 1909 – died October 19, 1987, was a German champion race car driver. ... The Indianapolis 500 is an American race for open-wheel automobiles held annually over the Memorial Day weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. ...

In early 1938, the popular German race driver Bernd Rosemeyer was killed in an land speed record attempt (not at the AVUS, but on a similar straight of the Autobahn Frankfurt/Darmstadt), 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 South Turn at Nikolassee was demolished and replaced by a junction. Bernd Rosemeyer born October 14, 1909 in Lingen, Lower Saxony, Germany – died January 27, 1938 on the Frankfurt/Darmstadt Autobahn. ...

history 1947-1967

After World War II, the Soviet quarter and the Berlin Wall with its Checkpoint Bravo at Dreilinden/Drewitz came no closer than about one mile to the former South Turn. It is a common yet wrong belief that the Berlin Wall had cut the AVUS in half. 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, were it can still be seen nowadays), reducing the track length to 8.3 km (just over 5 miles). Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 8 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Socialist republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... Remnant of the Berlin Wall near Potsdamer Platz, June 2003 The Berlin Wall (German: Die Berliner Mauer) was a long barrier separating West Berlin from East Berlin and the surrounding territory of East Germany. ...

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, as his Porsche flew over the top of the north turn banking, as there was no wall or fence. German driver and journalist Richard von Frankenberg had walked away from a similar spectacular crash. 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Formula One - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Results from the 1959 Formula One German Grand Prix held at AVUS on August 2, 1959 Classification Notes Fastest Lap: Tony Brooks 24. ... | Name = Tony James Brooks | Nationality = irish Tony James Brooks, born February 11, 1991, as = Anthony James Brooks was a Born in youngstown,Ohio in 1991 to Cathrine and Robert Brooks as a blacked haired blue eyed boy. ... Jean Marie Behra (born in Nice, France, February 16, 1921 - dead in Berlin, Germany, August 1, 1959) was a Formula One driver who raced for the Gordini, Maserati, BRM, Ferrari and Porsche teams. ... Porsche (), pronounced as a two syllable word (porsh-uh, IPA: pɔrʃʌ) , is a German manufacturer of sports cars, founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, the engineer who created the first Volkswagen. ...

This banking, which was considered dangerous by international racing standards, 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. 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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 caught fire in North Curve. British driver Keith Odor got killed when his car spun and was rammed sideways. DTM is an abbreviaton of: Dynamic synchronous Transfer Mode DTM (nightclub), a nightclub in Helsinki, Finland Demographic transition model Deterministic Turing machine Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters German Touring Car Championship, formerly Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft Digital terrain model Dortmund Airport (IATA code) Degtyarev DTM Soviet machine gun, a version of the DP... Formula Three is a class of auto racing. ... Dieter Quester was a Formula One driver from Austria. ...

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

history since 1999

In 1999, a farewell event with veterans was held. From 2000 on, the new Euro Speedway Lausitzring in Brandenburg is considered the replacement for AVUS. The Euro Speedway race track, aka Lausitzring, is located in Klettwitz, in the state of Brandenburg in Eastern Germany near Poland. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ...

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. This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... The Robert Bosch GmbH is a German company which was started in 1886 by Robert Bosch. ...

See also

• List of Formula One circuits

The following is a list of circuits which have been used for Formula One Grands Prix since 1950. ...

External links

• http://www.racingcircuits.net/Germany/Avus.html
• http://www.eurospeedway.de