THROUGH THE LABYRINTHS OF THE PAST WITH VLADA ARSIĆ: The last race around Kalemegdan! (PHOTO)

Foto: staribeograd.weebly.com

In the moment when in the sky above Europe German Stuka dive bombers were humming and unloading deadly cargos, Belgrade was deafened by the unbearable noise of car motor, so strong that some animals from the Zoo had to be moved to the lagums under Tašmajdan.

Despite that the last seasonal race for the Grand Prix on September 3rd 1939 gathered 75 000 thousand spectators (The capital of Yugoslavia had only 350 000 citizens), which made it the mnist visited sport event between two wars.

For the Automobiles Historians the race around Kalemegdan was the predecessor of today’s Formula 1. For some, that actually was Formula 1.

It gathered the fastest cars of the time, the most skilful drivers but also the biggest opponents, Due to the Germany’s attack to Poland only two days earlier, in the last moment, two teams from Britain cancelled, as well as Alfa Romeo and Masseratti teams. Still, the best and the fastest did come - two teams from Autounion (today’s Audi) and Mercedes Benz with the European Champion, Herman Lang, as the leading man.

Foto: staribeograd.weebly.com

The circuit long 2.974m started and ended at the end of Knez Mihajlova Street, where today the building of the City Library stands. First they were driving downhill, towards Dorćol, and then to the lift towards Tower Nebojša, next to the mouth of The Sava to The Danube, and then in the second part of the route the drivers would get to the top of Karađorđeva Street, and afterwards, along a sharp curve, next to the building of the French Embassy, the circle was full.

There were 50 circles in total or just a little less than 150km.

It is hard to imagine the drivers were managing to develop speed up to 200 kilometres per hour on the circuit with extremely sharp curves, constant ascents, downhill and the surface which was changing constantly (from asphalt to cobblestones and dices to tram roads).

Still, the most spectacular was the point of ground zero, where cars would fly 20m into the air just after the abruptly interrupted uphill at the end of Pariska Street.

The spectators cheered loudly but they did not have much choice. The domestic competitor made it the finish line, in the end he came fourth, but he was behind the winner by full 19 round. However, the quiet hopes of the spectators came true.

The Italian, Tazio Nuvolari, was the winner; he was the only one among the German cars drivers who was not a German. The seccond was Manfred von Brauchitsch, and the third was Herman Paul Miller.  

The biggest favourite and European champion Herman Lang finished the race by hitting one of the poplar trees in Kalemegdan.