Photos, whether crap or a bit better, are all mine from 2017 to 2021.
The Schleizer Dreieck ranks amongst my favourite real road races here in Germany, because it reminds me to the Isle of Mans’ Mountain Course in a lot of ways. Surely, it is a bit wider here in most places but we’re on a common public country road still in use today.
The length of this counter-clockwise layout today counts 3.8 km, the lowest point at 470m and the highest at 514m over zero, making it a 44m height difference. The lap record on this layout has been set by Markus Reiterberger in 2017 with an astonishing 161.113 km/h, while the record on the longer second layout, in use until 2004, stays at 164 km/h.
The circuit on the frontside reminds to Laguna Seca big time although it may be a bit flatter. You’re running up to a blind crest similar to the Corksrew exiting T1, which would be Buchhübel 1. Similar to the Corkscrew as well, there’s a fallaway into the following right hander
, Buchhübel 2. But this crest is really blind and only provides maybe half of Lagunas Corkscrew run off, which still is a gravel bed. At Buchhübel 1 the road takes a banked shape as well until the Seng chicane.
From Buchhübel 2 another fast lefthander towards the town of Schleiz, Buchhübel 3, follows.
Two light bends continue the fun before a sharp lefthander leads into the Kohlbach-chicane, which cuts off old hairpin in the town of Schleiz these days.
From the exit of the Kohlbach chicane until the place where the old hairpin rejoins, the fast bikes reach speeds up to 280 km/h, which raises up to 330 km/h on the lightly road towards the top of the Seng. The fast bends until the bottom of the Seng allow to keep speeds up to 320 km/h if kept volley.
At the bottom of the Seng there’s a lovely little pub with a terrace so you can watch the bikes flying towards you. Back in 2017, almost opposite the pub there used to be a grandstand built into the high gras bank under a row of shady trees. In 2017 it was already prohibited to be used but you still could go there if you sat high enough so that marshals couldn’t spot you.
In 2018 then, the old Seng grandstand had to make way for a gravel bed run off because of the high speeds.
However, a bit past the bottom of the Seng on the light rise towards the dogleg-style Seng chicane the braking zone starts. At this right hander I’ve seen crashes with bikes going airborne very often as the banking at the apex is rather steep and the road has to make this rise. It often caught younger riders out.
In the map you can see where the old longer layout bended away. I stood slightly left to the cross this year when a SSP300 rider lost it and the bike catapulted straight through the half moonish gravel trap over the circuit and came to rest right in front of me at the upper end of the second gravel trap on exit of the chicane.
Due to the banked nature of this chicane you’ll often get to see sidecar wheelies here.
Out of the Seng chicane the following straight takes a slight rise first and drops lightly again about halfway towards final chicane.
The final chicane, also a dogleg style kink and not the faster S, is also lightly banked to wards the second apex.
From here it is full throttle over start & finish again. Start and finish straight though is a steep uphill climb in some kind of stair style. First step would be the light climb towards pit entry. From here the second steeper step starts before another light rising step completes the run into T1.
I hope you have enjoyed my little walk around the circuit although I’ve not really covered the Kohlbach chicane shortcut. On my first visit I didn’t take much pics there. Well, I did but they were all from right before the lefthander into said chicane. In 2019, I wouldn’t do a trackwalk and this year, owing to the big 150-600mm lens I was carrying around, I didn’t take the other lenses with me.
Maybe there’ll be another chance during the German TT at the end of August.
I hope to do another walk of the old hairpin in Schleiz as at its end there’s a memorial monument of the fastest since 1923. And perhaps, I’ll finally manage to do the long (until 2004) lap. From the Seng chicane towards Heinrichsruh and Oberböhmsdorf. At least, I’ve rode the Heinrichsruh to Oberböhmsdorf section on all my 3 visits so far, as it is the way to the circuit close Buchhübel camp site.
If I make it to the German TT, I’ll update this post. Stay tuned !
Map of the current circuit
Into T1 with a good view on the '3 step stair' start & finish straight
T1 Apex
Into Buchhübel 1, aka the blind crest.
Buchhübel 1 apex
upload pictureBuchhübel 2 apex
Buchhübel 3 apex
The bends towards the Kohlbach chicane. Down there at the bottom the exit into old hairpin circuit is visible.
Exit of the Kohlbach chicane section. To the left old hairpin section rejoins.
Coming around the first of the of the Seng bends
2nd Seng Bend at the bottom. To the right there'd be the pub.
From the pub's terrace.
Having braked for and going into the Seng chicane. I stood a bit left to the porta potty when the SSP 300 rider lost it right here.
Another view towards the bottom of the Seng and the way into the chicane.
Exit of the Seng chicane. You can just gather the banked nature of the chicane.
Final chicane, apex 1
Final chicane, apex 2
