ADAC Hockenheim Historic

Hockenheim sits in the Rhine plain between Heidelberg and Mannheim, a circuit that carries specific weight in motorsport history. Jim Clark died here on April 7, 1968, during a Formula 2 race. Every May, when the historic meeting returns to the same track, that context is hard to ignore.

The 2026 edition runs May 8 to 10 and assembles around 500 cars across eleven race series on the 4.574-kilometer Grand Prix layout. Grids span several decades: historic Formula cars, touring cars, sports prototypes, Group C machinery, and GT cars, with the Prototype Cup Germany and BOSS GP adding contemporary open-wheel and LMP competition. Around 45,000 visitors attend across the three days.

Open paddock access throughout the weekend is the main reason to come over a television set. You can stand next to Group C cars between sessions without much ceremony. The Markenclub Areal adds roughly 800 road cars from German brand clubs, a show-within-a-show that works as a pacing break between race sessions. The ADAC Erlebniswelt with simulators and an off-road course caters to a different crowd.

From Switzerland, the A5 northbound keeps you moving through the Schwarzwald foothills for the first hour before the Rhine crossing near Breisach. Freiburg to Hockenheim is around 160 kilometers, with the Ortenau wine road as a reasonable alternative if you leave a day early.