Oerlikon open race track
The open race track Oerlikon is a cycling track in the Zurich district of Oerlikon . It was completed in August 1912, making it the oldest operating sports facility in Switzerland . The world's first prestressed concrete structure was an architectural masterpiece for the time. The track has a length of 333 meters and a curve inclination of 44.5 degrees. The grandstands offer space for around 3000 spectators. On the cycling track competitions in the various disciplines of track cycling held.
history
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The first cycling track in Zurich was on the Hardau from 1892 to 1912; it was 400 meters long. However , the track proved to be unsuitable for the stand-up races that had become fashionable .
In 1912 this line was replaced by the new line in Oerlikon. Track cycling world championships were held there for the first time in 1923 . In 1929, 1936, 1946, 1953, 1961 and 1983 the track was also the venue for world championships. This means that only on the Stade vélodrome du Parc des Princes cycling track, which was demolished in 1967, more world championships took place in Paris than in Zurich-Oerlikon. Between 1988 and 1990 the CSI Zurich was held three times in the open race track.
The facility has been renovated several times since it was founded, including by the well-known racing driver and architect family Schürmann . In the past, the people voted several times in favor of the continuation of the railway. Nevertheless, the future is uncertain, as various interested parties would like to use the site for a new ice hockey stadium (as a replacement for the neighboring indoor stadium ).
In the winter months of 2019/20, the railway was renovated for 4.9 million Swiss francs , but then had to remain closed for the time being due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Successful racing cyclists
Many racing drivers began their careers on the open Oerlikon racetrack. In total, the racetrack has produced eleven world champions, some of them multiple times.
Ernst Kaufmann and Paul Suter ( Steher ) were world champions as early as the 1920s . In the 1940s and 1950s, Oscar Plattner , Hugo Koblet , Ferdy Kübler and Walter Bucher (Steher) were successful local heroes and World Cup medalists. They sparked a cycling euphoria in Switzerland. Robert Dill-Bundi , Urs Freuler and Max Hürzeler (Steher) and Kurt Betschart as well as Bruno Risi and Franco Marvulli provided brilliant sporting achievements by winning multiple World Cup titles in their respective track cycling disciplines.
In August 2012 the open racetrack celebrated its centenary.
Racing
The operation is managed by the Open Race Track Interest Group (IGOR) and its President Alois Iten . The Tuesday evening races are held every week from May to September if the weather is good . The cycling track is also the location for various events such as the “Indianapolis in Oerlikon” spectacle, which was held for the 14th time in 2016 and where historic racing cars and motorcycles are exhibited and demonstrated.
literature
- Peter Schnyder (Ed.): Oerlikon Racecourse. 100 years of fascination with cycling. AS Verlag, Zurich 2012, ISBN 978-3-909111-95-4 .
Web links
- The open cycling track Zurich-Oerlikon is ready for the future on the blog of the Cantonal Monument Preservation Zurich
- Open Race Track Oerlikon on the website of the IG Open Race Track Oerlikon (IGOR)
- New season at the Oerlikon open racetrack . TV report of the consignment Sports News of the Swiss Radio and Television of 19 April 2011 (4.5 min.)
- Arena of Legends . TV report of the show Kulturplatz on Swiss radio and television from May 2, 2012 (5 minutes)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Over 100 year old open race track in Oerlikon completely renovated - but closed. In: limmattalerzeitung.ch. March 26, 2020, accessed April 7, 2020 .
- ↑ Martina Mäder: Oldtimer-News: Indianapolis in Oerlikon - on July 26, 2016 the racecourse will shake again. In: double-declutching. July 26, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2017 .