Opel Test Track 2010 – First visit to the Opel-Rennbahn

The first time I visited the abandoned Opel Test Track (officially named Opel-Rennbahn) was in the summer of 2010. Actually I was shocked about what remained of this old banked test track. In this article I tell you the story of my first visit…

On my way to the Opel Test Track

It was Monday the 26th of July 2010, the First day of my summer vacation. I was underway trough Germany to my holiday destinations Prague, Bratislava and Budapest. Underway I planned a visit to the old Opel test track, close to Russelsheim which is near Frankfurt am Main.

Because of the bad weather conditions that day I was in doubt to change my plans and visit the track on the way back. But when I came closer to Frankfurt the weather conditions improved, so I didn’t need to change my travel schedule.

The abandoned circuit

Arrived at the old Opel Test Track I was disappointed about what I found. I didn’t expected a Sitges Terramar for sure. I expected an abandoned oval, with a lot of overgrowing. But where you could walk a lap around the track, like a sort of ennobled path trough the woods.

But only a small piece of het track was accessible. They cleared this part of the circuit and added a plaque with a short description about the history of the site. They also added some footers, for what I thought a planned statue of an Opel car. A few years later I would discover that it actually were the footers of an observation platform.

But the rest of the Opel Test Track? Just terrible! Trees where growing trough the surface and in fact, the track was a Forrest now. Walking a lap around the circuit? Forget it! Only when I had a bulldozer to clear the way… But than they would arrest me for demolishing the woods.

What’s left of the Opel Test Track?

To see if there was another part accessible I followed a small footpath on the inside of the track. But what I found was even worse than what I saw before! They demolished a part of the banking for a new road. Lonely in the woods I found a piece of stone from what once was the proud of the Opel factory…

At the end I walked around the other banked corner. On the outside you could recognize the banking very well. But on the inside you have to look very well to see a circuit between the trees!

A little bit disappointed I leaved the old Opel Test Track. This was the most abandoned circuit I ever saw! I followed my way to my holiday destinations. And to the next circuit of the past on my agenda, the old street circuit of Brno. You can read that report in my next blog post.

If you enjoyed this report about my first visit to the Opel Test Track, I would appreciate it if you leave a reaction below. Thanks!

If you want to know more about the history of this circuit check the main article “Opel-Rennbahn“.

Herman