Salzburgring truly is a circuit of old. Most of it is flat-out, after all. It’s basically 2 straights connected by a couple of slow corners. Well, not quite, but you’ll see what I mean.
A Lap Around Salzburgring
I recently finished a lap around Salzburgring in RaceRoom Racing Experience in the Opel Calibra DTM 1995. The combo feels like it was meant to be, here is the video.
As you can see, the circuit is quite simply built.
Build in 1969, the circuit only had 2 major changes. The corner combination called “Schikane” (German for chicane), was introduced in 1976 to make the final sector a bit more technical. In 1986, an optional T1-chicane, the predecessor to the “Emco-Schikane” was built for motorcycle racing. This would be adapted in 1998 and since then has been the only big layout available.
You may spot a greyed-out shortcut before the Emco-Schikane, but that has not been used in decades at this point and serves as a memory for the previous “National Layout”.
What’s Racing There?
Although the circuit has not seen much use in recent years, 2024 was the first time in a while in which international motorsport activities came back to this classic circuit.
TCR Europe, TCR Eastern Europe and the Czech Formula 4 championship all made their way to Salzburg. This may be a far cry from the days of old, but a return of racing is always welcome.
Previously, the circuit held huge international events. Most notably, Grand Prix motorcycle racing came to the circuit a grand total of 20 times between 1971 and 1994. This was before it was called MotoGP, even.
Additionally, the circuit regularly hosts track days where anyone can race their personal car around the circuit. Furthermore, the circuit is used for testing, safety trainings and club racing.
What Could Salzburgring Host in the Future?
Without a large amount of rework, there is no chance motorcycles could return. The run-off it way too little in many places and the back-straight is too dangerous for motorcycle racing.
More realistically, other series like touring car series could join the circuit. Most notably, TCR World Tour comes to mind. A bunch of additional single-make series like Renault Clio Cup or Suzuki Swift Cup would be spectacles to enjoy.
Potentially, even GT3 racing would be possible at the circuit. Especially Germany-centric series like DTM or ADAC GT Masters could potentially race here.
The tracks, however, doesn’t lend itself to prototype endurance racing very much. The biggest problem here would be the size of not only the circuit, but also the pits. There is not too much space to feature the largest grids and the circuit is not as wide as it could be. Additionally, safety amenities to protect not only the drivers but also spectators in parts are not as extensive as they could be. So, for larger series to come to Salzburgring, major reworks would have to be done.
Salzburgring in Sim Racing
In the digital world, Salzburgring only officially features in RaceRoom Racing Experience. There, it is even slated to get an update to 2024 specifications soon! If you get the chance, I would very much recommend giving the circuit a try in RaceRoom.
Additionally, there are mods available for both Assetto Corsa and rFactor 2. Both of these are quite faithful to the original.
If you are interested in more unique and obscure racing circuits, check out our section on those here!