“Where does the European hot rod and kustom scene meet in Germany, and what is actually allowed to run there?”
Eighth-mile in the Schorfheide.
On a former military airfield north of Berlin, twice a year. Eighth-mile sprints, vehicles up to model year 1976 only.
The short answer
- Race 61 runs on the grounds of the Finowfurt aviation museum in the Schorfheide, a former East German military airfield north of Berlin.
- Racing is over the eighth mile on one of the airfield runways; only vehicles up to model year 1976 are admitted.
- There are two dates a year - the one-day Season Opening in May and the bigger June edition, both under the Roadrunner's Paradise event brand.
Most classic car events in Germany sort by marque or by era. Race 61 sorts by model year, and the cut is 1976. Anything built later stays outside. That sounds strict, and it is exactly why the crowd travels in from Scandinavia and Britain.
What runs
Eighth-mile sprints - 200 metres - on a runway of the old airfield. No corners, no laps: two vehicles, one set of lights, one straight.
Alongside it runs a display area of hot rods, customs, bobbers and café racers, and Race 61 doubles as an international gathering of the custom bike scene. The organiser has historically run two races side by side - Race 61 and Race 76 - and gives model year 1976 as the limit for the event.
Only vehicles up to model year 1976 are admitted. That is not a recommendation, it is the entry rule.
The place
The Finowfurt aviation museum sits in the Schorfheide north of Berlin, on a former East German military airfield. The address is Museumsstraße 1, 16244 Schorfheide.
That is the real appeal of the thing: you are not racing on a circuit built to look like a circuit, you are racing on concrete poured for MiGs. Add the party hangar - an aircraft hangar where rockabilly, rock'n'roll, punk and stoner rock run in the evening.
Two dates a year
| Date | What | On record |
|---|---|---|
| May | Season Opening, one day | 2025: 10 May · 2026: 9 May |
| June | the bigger edition, a weekend | 2026: 26–27 June |
The Season Opening is the one-day curtain raiser: racing, display, live programme in the hangar, done by evening. The June edition is the festival with an overnight stay. Dates for 2027 had not been published at the time of writing; the Season Opening has sat reliably around 9 to 10 May in recent years.
Getting there
By train: RB60 from Eberswalde, about 15 minutes to Finowfurt station. The museum is some two kilometres north of there - walkable, less so with luggage.
By car via the A11. From central Berlin it is a little under an hour depending on traffic.
Day tickets are available on site and in advance at race61-finowfurt.de. The organiser is Race 61 together with the Finowfurt aviation museum; Roadrunner's Paradise is the event brand.
What to bring
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Ear protection | Unsilenced V8s over 200 metres of concrete |
| Earplugs for the tent | The party hangar does not stop at 10pm |
| Cash | Club and museum grounds, card payment is no guarantee |
| Rain gear | An airfield means no shade and no windbreak |
| A wide lens | The vehicles stand close together; wide beats long here |
Where it sits
Germany has three events that take American racing culture seriously, and Race 61 is the one with the broadest mix. The Hindenberg Speedway runs oval racing on sand with vehicles up to model year 1959 - older, rougher, smaller. NitrOlympX at Hockenheim is a European championship drag racing round: modern engineering, 500 km/h, 47,000 spectators. Race 61 sits between them: real racing, but with a display, bands and a scene gathering around it.
If you plan one date a year for the pre-war and fifties corner, take Hindenberg. If you want to meet the scene, take Finowfurt.
FAQ
When is Race 61 in 2027? The dates were not fixed at the time of writing. The Season Opening fell on 10 May in 2025 and 9 May in 2026; the bigger edition ran on 26 and 27 June 2026.
Which vehicles can take part? Only vehicles up to model year 1976.
How long is the strip? An eighth of a mile, about 200 metres, on a runway of the former military airfield.
Where does Race 61 take place? On the grounds of the Finowfurt aviation museum, Museumsstraße 1, 16244 Schorfheide, north of Berlin.
Can I get there without a car? Yes. The RB60 runs from Eberswalde to Finowfurt in about 15 minutes; the museum is roughly two kilometres north of the station.
Is this cars only? No. Race 61 is also an international gathering of the custom bike scene, with bobbers and café racers both in the display and on the strip.