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My experience
at Hockenheim
When I think about Hockenheim I think about long straights trough the woods. I
think about impressive top speeds. I think about the fights on the straights,
and sometimes beside the straights like Piquet and Salazar in 1982. And I think
about the late braking manoeuvres at the chicanes. Many times I drove on the
motorway beside the circuit where I saw the grandstands and the start/finish
straight. Every time I thought, "when I have more time I will have a look
there". I had to wait until 1999 when I had time and visited the circuit for the
first time. I asked to the possibility to drive at the circuit and they told me
you could drive at the club circuit every Thursday evening during the summer. In
2002 in planned to my holiday trip to Hungary a visit at Hockenheim. On a
Thursday off course!. Because it was on the club circuit, only the motodrom and
a connection behind the grandstands, that my expectations of the track where not
much high. Although the circuit was not difficult to learn and the corners where
not really fast it was more fun to drive than I expected. Even when I drove
there for the first time (There where also two Lotus Elise's) I was the quickest
on the twisty track with my VW Scirocco 1.8!
The first corner is one of the best from the circuit, it's a middle fast corner
which opens at the end. After a short straight (At the old GP circuit this was
the one mile straight with the highest top speeds of the Formula 1) follows a
slow right hand corner which is leading to the connection behind the
grandstands. After this you accelerate on a straight to the most beautiful
corner from Hockenheim which is ironical a part of the connection and only used
for the club circuit. It's a real fast left hand kink and almost full throttle,
immediately after this corner you have to break really hard for a slow 90° right
hander followed by a chicane which brings you back to the Grand Prix circuit. It
was at this point that I overtook someone on the inside, the right side. Later,
after my holiday, a was reading the rules at the backside of the ticket (See the
pictures above and below) and saw that overtaking was only allowed on the left
side, just like on the public roads in Germany!
I also
read that driving at race speed was forbidden. Sorry I didn't know that. On the
other side, I don't come to a circuit to drive like a tourist and watch the
grandstands! Back on the Grand Prix circuit you're accelerate to the fast corner
which brings you into the Motodrom. At this version of the circuit you can take
this fast right hander full trotlle. Not everyone had the balls to do this, or
maybe they did read the rules, because I overtook here different cars on the
outside, which was on the left side. Than you have to brake hard for the left
hand hairpin in the stadium. Than you accelerate trough a glowing S curve which
is full throttle but makes you don't see the next corner where you have to
brake. This part looks so easy on television but is was more fun than I
expected. Finally a double middle fast right hander brings you back to the
start/finish straight.
After my
ride on the circuit I looked around, at this time they where rebuilding the
circuit, and made some pictures from the circuit where was a session for
motorcycles now. Until than I was hoping there would stay a connection between
the old and the new circuit to keep racing at the old track possible ...
That
hope was gone when I saw a gravel trap and a guardrail at the site of the first
new corner. And no connection to the long straight! Later I heard they
completely demolished the old part to plant trees to compensate the trees they
cut down for the new circuit. With this they sacrificed a very typical circuit
and replaced it by an average modern circuit which could be everywhere in the
world. Which circuit will follow?
© Text en pictures: Herman Liesemeijer Ticket: Hockenheim-ring
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