What if the race track at Oschersleben had opened 25 years earlier than it actually did? This Assetto Corsa mod attempts some time travel to an alternative timeline.
It is the summer of 1997. The Formula One circus has set up shop for the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, with fan favorite Michael Schumacher leading Jacques Villeneuve by four points in the Drivers' Championship following the Canadian's British GP win. All eyes are on the high-speed circuit near Heidelberg, one of only three permanent venues in Germany.
Three venues? That certainly was the case back then - until the Grand Prix Friday. Because on July 25, 1997, almost 500 kilometers to the northeast of Hockenheim, Motopark Oschersleben was opened as the fourth permanent racing circuit in Germany, hosting a Ferrari Challenge event. Located near Magdeburg, it would have been behind the Iron Curtain not even a full decade earlier.
International Motorsport was coming to the former GDR, and with the Sachsenring already established between Chemnitz and Zwickau, that number grew to three in 2000 when the Lausitzring was opened north of Dresden.
Image: @Banane.
What if it didn't take until the 1990s to cut the ribbon at Oschersleben, though? That's what OverTake community member @Banane. wondered as well. The result: A 'what if' version of Oschersleben as it could have been in 1972 - 25 years before it actually opened.
Oschersleben 1972 Assetto Corsa Mod: Early Stages
Now, at the time of writing this article, the Assetto Corsa mod is still in its relative infancy in version 0.1, but it is more than a mere ribbon of tarmac already. There is a good bit of vegetation, spectators that somehow managed to smuggle smartphones into East Germany from the future, and a suspicious amount of the same model of camping trailer that seemingly everyone has brought to the track.
The track layout, meanwhile, is the same as it is today, at least for the most part. One significant change has been made, however: The triple-apex left hander in sector 2, fittingly called Triple today, is a long left-hand sweeper instead, fitting a bit better with the rest of the track.
Whereas in today's cars Oschersleben is often regarded as technical and not very exciting to drive, this changes a bit with old-school machinery. Sure, it still doesn't offer much room to really stretch your car's legs, but especially in those cars that don't rely on aerodynamic downforce, four-wheel drifting a bit in the sweeping corners is actually quite a bit of fun.
If you've ever been to the track, this fictional retro version might seem a bit unfamiliar when it comes to its surroundings, however. The 1972 variant looks decidedly forest-y and has quite a few hills surrounding it, though like the current-day spectator areas which are elevated above the track almost all the way around it, they could be man-made for a better view. In reality, the track was built where there was a corn field before, which explains its relative lack of elevation changes.
The road surface feels a bit flat at this point still, but that should change with future updates. There are no external replay cameras, either, so it is very much a work in progress. But at this point, it's more about the idea and the thought about this 'what if' scenario.
Image: OverTake
Racing In East Germany
While racing and cars in general became a big part of West German culture, East Germany is not really known for either. When it comes to cars, it is mostly viewed as a laughing stock for its Trabant vehicles - jokingly said to be made from cardboard, and most regular citizens could only get one after years of waiting. No joke.
But that doesn't mean that there was no racing in the GDR. The Sachsenring was a road circuit, as in public roads, until both countries reunited in 1990, and its history goes all the way back to 1927. It was highly popular for motorcycle racing, and even held the East German motorcycle Grand Prix as part of the World Championship between 1962 and 1972. That meant international superstars like Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood would wow the huge East German crowds on a yearly basis for quite a while.
On four wheels, there was Formula Easter, a single-seater racing series that ran at the Schleizer Dreieck (Schleiz Triangle Course), the Sachsenring, and the Frohburger Dreieck (Frohburg Triangle Course) in the GDR. Other venues that hosted the category included AUtodrom Most (Czechoslovakia) and the Hungaroring (Hungary).
Apart from East German constructors, teams from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania were on the grid when contesting the Cup of Peace and Friendship between 1972 and 1988. Yup, that's what it was actually called.
If that somehow rings a bell, that might be because there are several quality Formula Easter car mods for Assetto Corsa here on OverTake, which we highlighted a few years ago.
Formula Easter: A Peek Behind The Curtain
Image: OverTake
Heinz Melkus was the first winner of the Cup of Peace and Friendship once it was run to Formula Easter rules in 1972 after ditching the previous Formula 3 rules. His son Ulli would go on to be one of the most successful drivers in the category a few years later: Starting in 1978, Ulli Melkus won the title five times, including three times in a row between 1983 and 1985.
Circling back to Oschersleben 1972: Would it have been a good fit for the calendar had it existed back then? Most certainly, we find, as its layout should have worked well with the single seaters that did not have a ton of downforce and power even in their later iterations.
Did you know about the East German racing scene already? What other tracks would you like to see a 'what if' version of? Let us know in the comments below!
