Right through Neuwied
The motorcycle race across Neuwied was first held on September 8, 1946. It was one of the first motorsport events in Germany after the Second World War . Günther Wels , then 21 years old , received approval for the road race from the French military government.
All well-known German racing drivers were at the start, such as Hermann Gablenz from Karlsruhe , the old master H. P. Müller , Kurt Nitschky , Karl Bodmer , Gert von Woedtke, Roland Schnell , J. Kraus, Thomas Seppenhauser and Josef Faistenhammer . Around 20,000 visitors already came to the training. On the day of the race, over 70,000 spectators attended the 5.2 km long race track in downtown Neuwied . There were races in different classes from 125 cm³ up to sidecars with 1200 cm³. There were also many local drivers at the start. In 1949 there were 15 Neuwied drivers, four of whom were drivers in the sidecar class.
The classes up to 125 cm³, up to 250 cm³, up to 500 cm³ and the combination classes up to 1200 cm³ were used. Depending on the class, the races lasted five to twelve laps. At the start there were machines from BMW , Norton , Zündapp , DKW , Saroléa , Velocette , Moto Guzzi , Rudge and also various self-made ones.
Because of the great interest in this race, the Motorsport Association Rhineland-Hessen-Nassau (MSV) was founded on October 10, 1946 in Neuwied . Its chairman Emil Scholten and the honorary president, Neuwied Mayor Wilhelm Schweitzer , were responsible for hosting the races in the following years. At her instigation, the first Eifel Cup races were held at the Nürburgring in 1947 and the first Nürburgring Grand Prix started in 1949. From 1947, the race in Neuwied, which was now moved to April, was the opening race of the German motorsport season. The course of the racetrack changed every year.
In 1950 the race across Neuwied was held for the last time. The reasons for this were the increasing traffic and the ban on racing events in built-up areas.
As part of the Neuwied Deichstadtfest , reliability drives for oldtimers , which also drive across Neuwied, are carried out in memory of the races .
Memorial event
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the first racing event in 1946, motorcycles that took part in the races at the time will be shown in Neuwied on September 4, 2016. There will also be a trip on the old route through Neuwied.
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- Archive F.-W. Copper in the Neuwied district media center
- Anniversary event on September 4, 2016, accessed on August 25, 2016