Sachsenring 2026

The history of Sachsenring dates back to 1927, when on May 26 a so-called Badberg Square Race was held on an 8.618-kilometer road course near Hohenstein-Ernstthal. The track led over public roads and directly through the town, quickly becoming a public attraction in Saxony. It wasn’t until 1934 that the international breakthrough came with the Grand Prix of Germany as part of the Motorcycle European Championship, although the early years were overshadowed by tragic accidents with fatal outcomes. The circuit finally received the official name Sachsenring in 1937.

World War II interrupted racing operations until 1949. Already the following year, the German Motorcycle Championship attracted nearly half a million spectators, and even as part of the GDR, Sachsenring developed into a thriving center of motorsport with international standing, with motorcycle racing remaining more popular than automobile racing for a long time. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the track initially entered a difficult phase, makeshift wooden grandstands and low safety standards led to serious accidents once again. In the mid-1990s, the ADAC took control of the facility and drove forward the rebuilding effort decisively.

In 1995, a completely new, modern race track was built south of the historic layout and opened in 1996, incorporating parts of the old course while fully complying with contemporary safety standards. A short track section at the famous mountain curve was created specifically to bring international motorsport to eastern Germany and strengthen the region in the course of reunification. Further modifications in 2000 made the circuit more suitable for automobile racing, before renowned architect Hermann Tilke gave Sachsenring its final polish in 2001. Since then, the track has been regarded as a modern, technically demanding circuit.

With a length of approximately 3.645 kilometers and 14 turns—four right-handers and ten left-handers traversed counterclockwise—Sachsenring ranks among the most demanding layouts in the German racing calendar. Characteristic of the track are the undulating elevation profiles with a maximum grade of 12.8 percent, which makes the circuit unique in the DTM calendar. The numerous tight left-handers and high-speed sections challenge both drivers and machinery alike and create a special driving dynamic.

Since 1998, Sachsenring has been the permanent home of the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany, after the first MotoGP race on the closed circuit already took place in 1988. In addition to motorcycle racing, the track has also regularly hosted the ADAC GT Masters and the FIA GT1 World Championship, and DTM has also been a guest here before occasionally switching to other eastern German venues like Lausitzring. For 2026, DTM is now returning to Sachsenring after a 21-year hiatus, once again putting the storied circuit in the spotlight of the motorsport world.