The 60-year history of MSC Teutschenthal (1966–1971)

A few days ago, MSC Teutschenthal celebrated its 60th anniversary with a grand gala. Six decades of MSC Teutschenthal have been characterised by passion and unwavering commitment to motor sport at the very highest level.

Over the course of its 60-year history, the Teutschenthal Motorsport Club has, through a constant stream of innovative ideas, established itself as the premier destination for motocross in Germany and is now an integral part of the Motocross World Championship.

The end of the Halle-Saale loop

The Halle-Saale Loop, to the west of the town on the Saale, became a magnet for tens of thousands of motorsport enthusiasts as early as the 1950s and 60s. On the road racing circuit, drivers such as Hans Stuck in Formula 2 and Heinz Melkus in Formula Junior competed in front of more than 100,000 spectators. The future motorbike world champion Ernst Degner and MZ works rider Horst Fügner enjoyed success on the road racing circuit. Road races, as well as grass-track races and even motocross events, were held on the Halle-Saale-Schleife circuit. Go-karting (known at the time as ‘K-Wagen’) also experienced a considerable boom during this period.

Local hero Joachim Jahnke from Halle

A young go-kart driver, Joachim Jahnke, was a successful local hero in the city of Halle. He won at the Halle-Saale-Schleife, but by the mid-1960s the engines were to fall silent for good on his home track. The circuit, which ran partly through residential areas, was no longer fit for purpose, and to the west of the track, Halle-Neustadt was built – a new housing estate for the large chemical plants Buna and Leuna. Joachim Jahnke was tasked with finding alternatives. He met his wife, Karin, in Teutschenthal and moved in with her. In the area around Teutschenthal, he found what he was looking for near a disused coal mine.

Joachim Jahnke startete auf der Halle-Saale-Schleife

Foto: Jahnke Privatarchiv

The Teubner brothers from Halle

In the GDR of the 1960s, mopeds and motorbikes were not lifestyle accessories, but practical means of transport and everyday items. In 1966, Paul Friedrichs won his first world championship title in the 500cc premier class of motocross, and this had a huge impact on young people. Motocross tracks sprang up like mushrooms. During this period, three brothers made a name for themselves through their success in motocross and other disciplines, both nationally and internationally: the Teubner brothers – Heinz, Gerhard and Joachim – from Halle an der Saale.

Gerhard Teubner war CZ-Werksfahrer und Mann der ersten Stunde

Foto: Teubner Privatarchiv

Founded in 1966

The Teutschenthal Motorsport Club was founded on 26 September 1966. Just 19 days after the club was founded, on 15 and 16 October 1966, the first race took place in the former coal mine at Teutschenthal, and the winner was Paul Friedrichs. There was neither a starting grid nor the distinctive finish line building that still characterises the valley basin today. The race started with a flag.

The first starting system

In total, there were four different starting points and starting machines in the valley basin, which were repeatedly adapted to the requirements of international events. At that time, promotional flags from the Orwo film factory in Wolfen served as track markers.

Die erste Startanlage im Talkessel

Foto: Thoralf Abgarjan

The first buildings in the valley basin

The first barracks were erected, and the start-finish building – designed by the Kali Kombinat for the World Championship venues – was also among the early construction projects in the valley basin. Paul Friedrichs, who had already secured his second World Championship title in 1967, was delighted with the hard-surface track. With the new starting facility and the paddock situated right next to the track, the valley basin was brought up to world-class standard in no time at all.

Das Start-Ziel-Gebäude prägt den Talkessel bis heute

Foto: Thoralf Abgarjan

Dominator Paul Friedrichs

Paul Friedrichs, who cemented his place in history with his third world championship title in the premier 500cc class, went on to win every race and became the crowd’s undisputed favourite.

Paul Friedrichs dominierte die ersten Rennen im Talkessel

Foto: Copyright Free

First World Championship round in 1971

In the first three years since its foundation, MC Teutschenthal had established itself as one of the best organisers of the motocross events so popular in East Germany, and this did not go unnoticed. MC Teutschenthal was commissioned by the ADMV (Allgemeiner Deutscher Motorsport Verband, the GDR’s motorsport federation) to organise its first World Championship round on 4 July 1971. It was the eighth round of the 250cc World Championship. The entire world elite lined up at the start: the Belgian motocross legends Joel Robert and Sylvain Geboers, the Swedish superstars Hakan Anderson and Olle Pettersson, the Finn Heikki Mikkola, Guennady Moisseev and Vladimir Kavinov from the Soviet Union, the Czechs Jaroslav Falta, Miroslav Halm and Okatar Toman, and the first KTM works rider, Siegfried Lerner from Austria. It is said that here in the valley basin, on the fringes of the Grand Prix, initial contacts were made between KTM and the Soviet delegation, thereby paving the way for KTM’s first World Championship title, which Guennady Moisseev was to secure three years later.

The debut was a success, with the future world champion Joel Robert winning on a Suzuki, securing victories in both 40-minute races. The young Helmut Schadenberg put up a valiant fight in the battle against the dust and heat, finishing twelfth.

Das Programmheft des ersten WM-Laufs 1971

Foto: Thoralf Abgarjan

A crowd-puller from the very start

Even back then, the valley was almost overrun by spectators. The rush was so great that, at one point on Sunday, tickets are said to have even run out.

First – and, for the time being, last – World Championship round in 1971

Despite its successful debut, the 1971 World Championship round was to remain the last for the time being. As early as 1969, the SED Politburo had passed a resolution on competitive sport, which placed the sole focus of sports funding on Olympic disciplines. The ADMV decided to stop hosting World and European Championship events from 1973 onwards. At the same time, GDR athletes were no longer permitted to take part in competitions in capitalist countries.

But for the three-time world champion, that was out of the question. Paul Friedrichs ended his active career at the end of 1972 at the age of 32. However, MC Teutschenthal was not deterred by this, and racing in the valley continued nonetheless – international, top-class and thrilling, just a little bit different.