Old Hockenheim Today 2023 - Exploring the old Hockenheimring by Foot and by Drone
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ย. 2024
- Old Hockenheim Today 2023 - Exploring the old Hockenheimring by foot and by drone
In this video we explore the site where the old Hockenheimring used to be, by foot and by drone. The footage was filmed on June 11, 2023.
About the Hockenheimring:
Hockenheim started in 1932 as a street ciruit. It was an initaitive from Ernst Christ, an assistant timekeeper and motorsport fan. In 1930 he came up with the idea to open a circuit in his home town Hockenheim.
For this idea he got the support of mayor Philipp Klein, and the German Motorsport Association, who promised to organize races on the circuit. They extended two public roads so a triangular trial could be created.
Because there was not enough money for the surface of the extensions, the first motorcycle race, on the 29th of May 1932, was held on an partly unpaved track. The driving direction of the oldest version of Hockenheim was anti-clockwise.
Today many sources claim Hockenheim was originally built as a test track for Mercedes. But this is absolutely not true! It's one of the many urban myths and misconceptions in motorsport which is repeted by laizy reporters again and again. We made a funny top 10 of these stories. Check here the video: • Top 10 Urban Myths and...
The very first version was modified for the first time in 1938, when a new section was built to cut off a section through the village of Oftersheim.
This new part was the section with the famous Ostkurve. The track had now the famous stretched oval-shape that would exist until the 2002 reconstruction. Also in this version the driving direction was anti-clockwise.
In the 1960’s a new highway was planned. It would cut of the section through the village of Hockenheim. To keep the track operational a reconstruction was neccesary.
A new section was designed by Dutchman John Hugenholtz, who also designed Suzuka in Japan, Jarama in Spain and the lost Nivelles circuit in Belgium. Check here our footage of this lost race track: • Abandoned Race Track N...
Inspired by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway he designed a stadium section named Motodrom, in English Motor-stadium.
In 1964 the construction of the Motodrom started and in 1966 it opened. From that moment on, the Hockenheimring was a full permanent race track. They also changed the driving direction from anti-clockwise to clockwise.
Characteristic for this version of the Hockenheim circuit was the contrast between the lonely long straights through the woods and the twisty section in the crowd packed stadium. During the years, chicanes were built into the fast section through the woods.
With the popularity of Michael Schumacher in the 1990’s and the opening of the new Lausitzring, circuit bosses feared the los of the Grand Prix. So a plan was made to modernize the track.
No it was not Ecclestone or the FIA who required the reconstruction of Hockenheim. The initiative came from the circuit owners self.
A new section, designed by Hermann Tilke, was built. To compensate the felled trees the old track was demolished to plant new trees. The new track opened in 2002.
But the reconstruction was a Financial disaster who brought the Hockenheimring to the brink of bankruptcy. Thanks to government intervention, the track could be saved from downfall. With taxpayers' money, off course.
However old Hockenheim was not very popular by the drivers, fans loved it because of it's high speeds. So today many people are still upset about the loss of old Hockenheim.
More about the history of old Hockenheim on the website:
www.circuitsof... (English)
www.circuitsof... (Nederlands)
If you want to support Circuits of the past, go to: / circuitsofthepast
For single donations and tips you can go to: paypal.me/circuitsofthepast
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I wish I was a billionaire to revive this track to its old glory.
Wish they kept the old track but added the new one as well.
Very informative and thought provoking video, thanks. For me the old track brings back memories of Senna / Mansell / Prost in the 80s / 90s. Seeing how nature reclaimed this land just makes me think of those cars zooming through the forest. Very sad.
Thanks!
It's such a shame that they had to destroy the old circuit and then F1 stopped going there a few years later anyway!
Yes, you speak from my heart. Only the olf one is the real one.
The didn‘t have to but they did.
I was too young to (knowingly) see Jim Clark and appreciate his significance at the time (...tho have paid homage on a couple of occasions by visiting the museum dedicated in his honour) but it goes without saying that he was a true genius who marked a time in history, the like of which will never be repeated. I did witness races in the 70's and watched races into the 80's and 90's until the demise of the glorious old Hock track. Those times were exciting and thrilling with heroic brave drivers, unlike the sterile character-less robots of today. And by all accounts it was possible way back then to actually meet and talk to drivers or even bump into them down at the 'local'' as if they were actually real human beings...... Apologies for the careless grammar / wording of this comment, but it is late / early on a Friday night / Saturday morning....... and be careful everyone not to break any speed limits! Thank you for this video COTP.
You're welcome.
Nice video but would have liked an overlap of the two circuit’s together to see exactly where the old and new now are
Thanks. I will use this suggestion in the next Hockenheim video. In this video I already did so: th-cam.com/video/NfkqZZZ3Si0/w-d-xo.html
I agree needs an overlap
The new one basically is the same as the old one.
They just cut of the most interesting part: the Highspeed forest section.
Это была шикарная трасса! Что-то от старых опасных, быстрых трасс. Жаль😮
I still remember to this day how exciting it was to watch the incredible WSBK races at Hockenheim in 1999 and 2000 on the telly as a kid. And now this...sad.
What’s the WSBK?
I never heard about this racing class
@@rolux4853 World Superbike. 1000cc Superbikes that look similar to 1000cc production sport bikes, except they don't share a single part in race trim. The most spectacular racing.
@@karlmoody4891 wut?
I bought a used version of F-1 Grand Prix on Nintendo 64. It arrived yesterday & I raced the old Hockenheimring. Used to play it in the late 90's.
Me too man! I think that was peak of an F1 race calendar.
bout to get my psp rigged with some n64 games as well...
I'm nostalgic to see these images! Anyway, you have done an extraordinary job ! ❤
Thanks!
That part of the Black Forest used to look lush and verdant, now it looks semi-arid and dry.
Out of curiosity is there any film footage of the track being ripped up?
This was one of the greatest tracks the F1 calander visited it was a tragedy it was cut up the way it has been
Also great narration as well as excellent footage, this will be as close as a lot of us from around the world will come, so thank you very much for your efforts 👍
Thanks. As far as I know there is no footage of the demolition of the old track. Perhaps they already knew what kind of emotions that would evoke.
It’s sad how the track was destroyed by tilke. I would have loved an infield configuration to add complexity but staying true to the old track…
It was not destroyed by Tilke. He initially wanted to modernize the old circuit. But the circuit bosses wanted a compact track. Subsequently, environmentalists protested against the felling of trees for the new section. As a compromise, it was then decided to destroy part of the old circuit in order to plant new trees to compensate.
I was there in 1982 for the F1 race. I remember walking parallel to the track, it being on my right while coming up on the Clark memorial. It was on the left side of the track. Nondescript, rather smallish but on the outside, left side of the track.
Here the large tree is to the right of the new planted different colored trees…strange.
Great vid, thank you for producing it.
San Diego Calif
The tree is also to the left of the newly planted area. I think you mistook the wrong part for the old circuit.
Super cool vid, very relaxing and informative
Thanks!
Oh wow I was here exploring 2 days ago!
I love Hockenheimring ❤️
Na toll. Früher ist man hier mit 320 Sachen durch die Ostkurve gebrettert und heute brüten dort irgendwelche Vögel! Zum Glück kann man mit GP4 diesen geilen Kurs noch immer fahren! Und das werde ich auch tun solange ich körperlich in der Lage bin einen PC zu bedienen!
i like the old full track better.
It’s sad that Germany doesn’t have any better options for top class racing, other than the new versions of Hockenheimring & Nurburgring.
They need something new in my opinion…
Hockenheim lost individuality and historical places by layout changing.
Yes it lost it's own character. Now it's an average track.
Exactly. It has been castrated stupidly.
Is absurde that they decise demolish the old track and grandstands for compense the deforest for build the new track, sure contaminate other places with all those waste remanings. Why not preserve the old track as the nordschleife can't understand....
Id kill for someone to add this or other classic circuits to Gran Turismo. The game sucks now.
I'd love this to be in iRacing. The revised track is a bit benign. This was a monster.
It is not hard to repair the old circuit if they have the will. When they decide to use it even for another car racing events they will transform it in a few months.
Used to love the old track. Shame they dug it up
There also is a part between the Bremskurve and the Nordcurve where a road crosses the old circuit and there is an underlying part of asphalt that I scraped the mud off that still remains of that straight together with some stone poles which I believe have been next to the track on that part all the way. I think I made pictures of it.
Interesting. Is that road that crosses the old track the Ketscher-Weg?
As a local it just hurts to see 😭
5:46 haha funny I can see my hometown from here
Oftersheim?
@@Circuitsofthepast No Leimen it has a White chimney
7:06 isn't that roughly where Patrick Depailler died when his Alfa wrapped itself around the armco barrier in 1980?
Yes, that was at the Ostkurve.
You can feel those 23 years. 🥺
A racing game with all the old layout of circuits
"The Service Roads Of Old Hockenheim" - fixed that title for ya!
Porque a chicane Jim Clark se transformou em um oásis mar de areia?
Não sei.
So this is what will happen to our major streets and cities once it’s abandoned from human maintenance
Great Video. I have a question here why was the old layout demolished ?
It had been demolished to plant trees to compensate for the felled trees for the new section.
@@Circuitsofthepast So any update on the condition of the old layout o as of today since this video uploaded
It is still as it is in the video. The old layout will never come back.
You can still hear the sound of the cars faintly
They cut more trees for the new layout than planted on the old one
And all for nothing. Fans are not happy with the new track and F1 abandoned it.
Up
So sad to see a great track been devoured by the nature.
Unpopular opinion, but: I think, the old track was outdated and needed an overhaul / re-design.
Então Monza também está desatualizada
😢😢
Very sad!
Hockenheim > qatar,saudi arabia,miami and vegas
That Jim Clark memorial needs some renovation and money invested by garbage f1.
Disrespectful how they forgot about it.
Herman needs a new camera
If you support me I maybe can buy a new one ;)
It's a catastrophe for racing that they removed this part of the racetrack.
I went there as there is a museum and then went to explore around the track and didn't know they had shortened it permanently. There was a car park at the Ost Kurve so I went in to look. The old track was still there but the length down to the stadium section had been resurfaced as a new circuit entrance. What mystified me was why they did not leave it in place so it could still be used such as how the old and new Nurburgrings can be linked. I saw a 24hr touring car race on tv using the pits and paddock of the new Nurburgring and using the Nordschliefe.
For the construction of the new section several trees need to be felled. This was met with protests from environmentalists. So as a compromise they decided to demolish the old part to plant new trees.
Never a great track ( modern one is awful ) but I hate to see any race track destroyed. At least it's not been turned into a golf course for fat businessmen to have heart attacks on !!
Actually that would be a good legacy !!
Not the best video sorry
This video is more interesting than the old circuit was. Brace yourselves for dts fans to start crying about bringing it back and banning Monaco 😅