Dieter Braun returned to the Sachsenring on this historic date

“Don’t forget the old masters,” one is tempted to shout when you bump into Dieter Braun again at this year’s Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. After all, 11 July is always a special date at the iconic race track near Hohenstein-Ernstthal. It was on 11 July 1971 – a race Sunday back then – that West German rider Dieter Braun won the 250cc class race at the GDR Grand Prix, narrowly ahead of the British riders Rodney Gould and Phil Read. However, this was no ordinary Grand Prix victory; it was blown out of proportion by various parties and turned into a political issue. As a result, two camps went absolutely berserk. On the one hand, there were the East German racing fans – who were effectively confined – and those not exactly ardent admirers of the GDR, who were elated by the victory of their ‘fellow countryman’, albeit from the other side of the Iron Curtain; and on the other hand, there were the race organisers, backed by stubborn party bigwigs.

The final race on the programme for that 11 July 1971 was the quarter-litre class event. The race, scheduled for 15 laps totalling 129.270 kilometres, got off to a less than encouraging start for Dieter Braun and his supporters. Coming out of the first lap, the rider who had qualified third was only in tenth place as he climbed the Queckenberg and passed what would later be the finishing bend. Then he launched a furious chase.

After five laps, the tall Yamaha rider was already within striking distance of Phil Read and Rodney Gould, who had pulled slightly ahead at the start. On lap ten, Dieter Braun’s bright orange helmet appeared at the front for the first time, causing the ‘fair-minded’ East German sports officials to get cold feet at the prospect of having to play the West German national anthem. So they ordered race director Hans Zacharias to take the unwelcome West German out of the race on the pretext that he had crossed the white track boundary line at the exit from the forest. Hans Zacharias, however, refused to play along with this dirty trick, for which he soon paid the price and was removed from his long-held post.

Dieter Braun, of course, was completely unaware of any of this and drove the race of his life. No matter how hard Phil Read and Rodney Gould tried, they could find no way past Dieter Braun in the remaining laps.

Dieter Braun gewann 1971 in Sachsen den 250er-WM-Lauf

Foto: Günter Geyler motoarchive

Nevertheless, it remained extremely tense right up to the end, until finally Dieter Braun thundered over the finish line 0.5 seconds ahead of Rodney Gould and 1.6 seconds ahead of Phil Read, bringing relief to the fans, some of whom had by now bitten their fingernails to the quick.

The West German national anthem had to be played, though this was only the case at the start and finish line, where the podium ceremony was also held and where the international officials were present. At all other points along the 8.618-kilometre course, the loudspeakers were switched off and the cheering crowd was led to believe there had been a technical fault.

Whilst some publications still claim to this day that the ‘Deutschlandlied’ was sung by thousands of voices despite everything, a few lesser-known eyewitnesses still dismiss this as a myth. Firstly, after the finish, there was an oversized, highly visible police presence; and secondly, even back then, the proportion of state agents not immediately visible to the public was considerable and even harder to gauge. Thirdly, GDR citizens were not very familiar with the words of the anthem, and group karaoke was not yet in vogue.

Be that as it may, 11 July 1971 was also a very special day in Dieter Braun’s life, one that made him a lifelong idol at the Sachsenring and for which he is literally feted during his numerous, almost regular visits to Hohenstein-Ernstthal for both major and minor events.

Speaking to SPEEDWEEK.com, he has now reiterated his recollections of his extraordinary Grand Prix victory, which he has expressed in this or a similar manner on several occasions: “I’ve been back to the Sachsenring so many times now; I always meet lots of good old friends here, but time and time again I’m asked about my 1971 victory. Of course, it’s unforgettable for me too, but I’m always made fully aware of it whenever I come to the Sachsenring. Those were crazy times, and it’s just as well they’re over. Over the years, I’ve made some really good friends here and formed some lovely friendships.”

Moto4-Pilot Robin Siegert: Doppelsieg auf dem Sachsenring

Foto: Thorsten Horn

An interesting side note: yesterday, Saturday – exactly 55 years to the day after the German national anthem was played for Dieter Braun at the Sachsenring – Robin Siegert, the youngster from the Ore Mountains, won the first of the weekend’s two support races, the Moto4 Northern Cup, in commanding fashion. Race 2 on Sunday, held ahead of the Moto3 Grand Prix, also went to the talented German rider.