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 The name of the trace is
actually the initials of the proper name; Automobil Verkehrs und Ubungs Strasse which
translates roughly to Automobile Traffic and Practice Street. Plans for the circuit were
devised in 1907 as part of a national highway system but was not completed until 1921. The
track was composed of two two-lane roads each 9.78 km (6.08 miles) separated by an 8 meter
(26 ft) grass median strip. At the south end was a chicane while at the north end was a
wide-radius loop later rebuilt with a 43 degree banking. In comparison the banking at
Daytona International Speedway never exceeds 31 degrees! With a vertical concrete
retaining wall at the top of the banking this was definitely a corner that would separate
the men from the boys. Herman Lang's winning 1937 race average was not bested at
Indianapolis until 1967 by A.J. Foyt!
Length:
19.29 km (11.98 miles) |
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Length: 2.79 km (1.73
miles) |
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 Because of the Swiss
ban on motor racing the Swiss Grand Prix is no more but in the 30's it was considered one
of the premier tracks in the world, a real drivers circuit. Situated in a forest and
located North - West of Bern it was scene of many great battles it was organized by a
Monsieur Huber. A special signaling area had to be built on the inside of the track due to
the distance of the actual pits.
Length:
7.28 km (4.52 miles) |
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 The Masaryk Ring near Brno
was the longest circuit used in Grand Prix racing in the 30's. The site of the Czech Grand
Prix was named after their founding President Thomas Garrigue Masaryk. Half the circuit
used the national highway and the other half was on local district roads. The local roads
were narrow and very bumpy. Because of the length of the circuit crowd control was
problematical. In 1937 Herman Lang lost control and crashed into a crowd of spectators who
were standing in a prohibited area.
Length:
29.14 km (18.10 miles) |
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 Donington is
considered the first road racing circuit built in England. Under the leadership of Fred
Cramer and the Derby and District Motor Club the circuit played host to to an
international field in 1937. The European teams required ocean transport to make the event
and both Auto Union and Mercedes set sail on the SS Bremen, the pride of Germany. The
British fans had only just read about the fantastic German cars but nothing could prepare
them for the awesome display of noise and power.
"The British spectators, who had read about these cars and only partly believed what they had read, were struck all of a heap. Even Fleet Street journalist were going about in a daze during the practicing, mouthing and gibbering." Rodney Walkerley - The Motor Length: 5.03 km (3.125
miles) |
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 "For days on end
I went over the avenues of the Principality until I hit on the only possible circuit. This
skirted the port, passing along the quay and the Boulevard Albert Premier, climbed the
hill of Monte Carlo, then passed round the Place du Casino, took the downhill zig-zag near
Monte Carlo Station to get back approximately to sea level and from there, along the
Boulevard Louis II and the Tir aux Pigeons tunnel, the course came back to the port
quayside. Today, the roads comprising this circuit look as though they were made for the
purpose. But then!" This is how the birth of the famous round-the-house
circuit was described by Anthony Noghes, Founder-President of the Automobile Club de
Monaco took place in 1928. In 1934 the Monaco Grand Prix was one of the first races to
award grid positions based on qualifying times rather than a lottery. The race was run
from 1929 to 1938 before experiencing an eleven year hiatus because of money and political
problems. The race, still largely unchanged is now the most prestigious event on the
Formula One calendar.
Length: 3.18
km (1.98 miles) |
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 Built in 1922 by the
Milan Automobile Club it allowed Milan to wrest control of the Italian Grand Prix from the
rival club in Brescia. Situated in an old royal park in the town of Monza just north of
Milan it was reputed to have been built in the space of 100 days. The circuit incorporates
a banked speed bowl with 13 grandstands facing the main straight. During much of its life
it was famous for close slip-streaming racing but in 1934 it was temporarily shortened
with new chicanes added in the hopes of favoring the Italian teams over the new German
race cars.
Length: 6.99 km
(4.35 miles) |
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 The origins of
the Nurburgring can be traced back to the Kaiserpreis in 1907. After the success of this
inaugural race it was felt that Germany needed its own permanent circuit to be
competitive with the French who dominated racing in the beginning of the century. A
location in the Eifel Mountains near the town of Adenau was selected. World War I intruded
and the project never got beyond the planning stages. After the war it was revived as a
way to bring tourist and employment to an area of the country that was in desperate need
of both. The organizers were led by a Councillor for the Eifel District, Dr Otto Creutz.
The original plan as conceived by Dr Creutz was for a 28.27 km (17.56
miles) circuit
consisting of two loops, a Sudschleife 7.75 km (4.81 miles) and a Nordschleife 22.8 km
(14.17 miles). With the support of the government a veritable army of 25,000 construction
workers built a course with 172 corners. With 88 left-handers and 84 right-handers the
circuit rose from 310 m (1017 ft) above sea level to 616 m (2020 ft) at the start / finish
line. A massive pit, grandstand and paddock complex was constructed. The paddock contained
70 garages similar to Gasoline Alley at Indianapolis. The entire complex cost a staggering
14.1 million Reichmarks. On June 18, 1927 150,000 fans saw the first race and the legend
began.
Length: 22.80 km
(14.17 miles) (Nordschleife) |
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 In 1933 a new circuit was built to
replace the original which had been the site of the 1930 French Grand Prix. This new
circuit would join Monaco as another round-the-houses race. The first Pau Grand Prix was
scheduled in February and was promptly snowed out! Moved to April the race was
successfully run for a number of years. In 1938 René Dreyfus upset the Mercedes team with
a victory in a Delahaye.
Length:
2.77 km (1.72 miles) |
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 Pescara was a
triangular circuit which involved two ultra-fast legs and a base that was both twisty and
hilly. The Start / Finish line was along the Adriatic coast to the old fortress town of
Pescara before making a sharp right hand turn and headed inland. Through a series of bends
it went through the village of Spoltore and onto Cappelle sul Tavo, Then came the long
downhill straight to Montesilvano Station, another sharp right-hand turn and along then
Adriatic and the start of another lap. The circuit was used by all of the major car
manufactures in Italy to test their cars and a victory in the Coppa Acerbo was considered a victory above all
others. Length: 25.80
km (16.03 miles) |
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 Organized by the AC de
Champagne, Reims included a massive permanent grandstand as well as permanent pits that
were unmatched in their day. The triangular course utilized the Route Nationale No 31
before reaching a very tight right-hander onto the finish line straight then downhill
again to the village of Gueux. Right turn and uphill the cars would race towards Garenne.
Reims competed yearly for the honour of being the fastest road course in Europe. Length: 7.83 km (4.86
miles) |
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 Still
considered one of the greatest road courses in the world, the circuit is located in the
Ardennes south-east of Liège. The circuit is known for its broad sweeping curves with
numerous overtaking areas which when you are driving a Mercedes W 154 along the Masta
straight at 310 km/h (193 mph) should not have been a problem! The most famous curve in
all of racing, Eau Rouge still reigns supreme, in fact there used to be a hairpin just
after the curve which was eliminated in 1939 allowing a tremendous run up the hill to Les
Combs. Always treacherous because of the unpredictable weather, Spa was the scene of
Richard Seaman's fatal crash in 1937. Length:
14.50 km (9.06 miles) |
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 The Mellaha circuit
home of the Tripoli Grand Prix, used to be one of the fastest
if not finest in the world. Situated on the North African coast, surrounding the Mellaha
salt lake, it opened in 1925. The famous Italian aviator Marshal Italo Balbo was made
Governor of the former Italian Protectorate (Libya). Acting upon a suggestion he combined
the race with a state lottery. More than four million tickets were sold and some of the
money was used to create a world class facility. The covered grandstand could hold 10,000
lucky spectators while the pits rivaled the best that Europe had to offer. The other
famous landmark was the huge white concrete timing tower. The track was described by Dick
Seaman as "The Ascot of motor racing circuits", and its host Marshall Balbo
entertained everyone royally at the palace. The teams would stay at the luxurious Hotel
Uaddan which included a casino and dinner theatre. For these reasons the Grand Prix was
very popular with all of the teams. Much as Monte Carlo is today. Length: 13.14 km (8.14
miles) |
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