AUTOMOTIVE MEDIAMIX

Solitude

MixedMedia / Acrylic on Canvas
on 1.8” / 45 mm Wooden Museum Frame
63” x 43” / 160 x 110 cm

The Solitude racetrack was a motorsport racing venue near Stuttgart which operated from 1925 to 1965. It was named after Schloss Solitude, a nearby rococo palace. It traced its origins back more than 100 years, and hillclimb races were held as of 1903.

 

Following the Second World War, races were held again as of 1949 and the track was brought up to international standards through measures which included a broader course and surface with improved hold and the construction of a start and end tower and pits. The 22 km (later 11 km) long circuit was considered extremely challenging and compared to the Targa Florio in Sicily.

 

The course runs from the start and end tower at the present ADAC training grounds past Glemseck near Leonberg and on to Frauenkreuz. It then continues towards Katzenbacher Hof, passes the Stuttgart district of Büsnau to Schattengrund and through the Mahdental back to the start and finish line.

 

The Solitude was the Formula One venue from 1961 to 1964 for the Grand Prix of Solitude. The winners were Innes Ireland in a Lotus (1961), Dan Gurney in a Porsche (1962), Jack Brabham in a Brabham (1963) and Jim Clark in a Lotus (1964).