From his very first assignments on the Südschleife to overseeing 100 temporary staff: Karl “Charly” Mönig has been part of the Nürburgring for over six decades. He has witnessed Formula 1 races, followed the development of the Grand Prix circuit and ensured everything ran smoothly behind the scenes at more than 650 events. After 62 years of service to the racecourse, the Müllenbach native has now been bid farewell as he enters his well-deserved retirement. An extraordinary story full of memories, little anecdotes and a very special bond with the Nürburgring.
When Karl Mönig began working at the Nürburgring in 1965, the world of the circuit was a very different place. The current Grand Prix circuit did not yet exist; Formula 1 was still racing on the Nordschleife, and on the Südschleife, improvised solutions were part and parcel of everyday life at events. Right in the thick of it: a 14-year-old boy from Müllenbach who checked tickets, helped out with car park duties and even used the family’s tractor to pull vehicles out of the wet meadows surrounding the circuit. “I didn’t have a driving licence yet, but my section manager at the time wasn’t very good at driving a tractor,” recalls Mönig.
What began back then as a first bit of extra work developed into an extraordinary connection. For over 62 years, Karl Mönig remained loyal to the Nürburgring – alongside his actual career and across many generations of colleagues, visitors and organisers.
From car park attendant to manager of 100 staff
After his first assignments on the Südschleife, Mönig initially worked in the car park service around the start and finish lines. From 1971, he worked as a night watchman in the Hocheichen section of the Nordschleife. There, he sold race programmes as well as admission, parking and camping tickets. At major racing events such as Formula 1 or the 1,000-kilometre race, there was sometimes a shortage of staff for race day. Then the night shift would simply turn into a 20-hour shift. His Nürburgring story took a decisive turn in January 1980 – at the Gilles inn in Müllenbach. There, the section manager at the time asked him if he would like to take over his role. Mönig initially declined. The responsibility seemed too great to him. Two weeks later, they met again at the inn. “After a few beers, I ended up agreeing,” recalls Mönig. However, his doubts returned the next morning: “I’ll just give it a go; after three races, they’ll surely kick me out again,” were his thoughts at the time. Things turned out differently. What were supposed to be three races turned into 47 years as section manager.
Initially, Mönig was responsible for the car parks around what was then known as the “Betonschleife”. Following the opening of the new Grand Prix circuit in 1984, he took charge of car park zone C, which he managed for decades during major events.
His work went far beyond simply directing vehicles. Staff planning began for him weeks before an event. Staff had to be allocated, parking and camping passes prepared, and procedures organised. After the events, there were accounts to settle, timesheets to complete and reports to write. At major events, he co-ordinated up to 100 temporary staff. The young volunteer who once kept order on the Südschleife had long since become a fixture in the world of event management.
Over 650 events and plenty of stories
The figures from his career at the Nürburgring are impressive: since 1980, Karl Mönig has worked as a car park manager at more than 650 events. Added to this are numerous other assignments from previous years. He witnessed Formula 1 at the Nürburgring over the course of decades, attended every 24-hour race since 1980, and was involved with Rock am Ring and the International ADAC Truck Grand Prix right from the start.
And, of course, someone who has been around for so long has not only experienced a great deal, but has also contributed the odd idea of his own. Take 1986, for example, when Mönig found the official names of the access roads to car park zone C simply too cumbersome. “So, on my own initiative, I renamed the access roads to the C zone as entrances 1 to 5,” he reports. Later, the numbering system was also extended to other areas of the Nürburgring. He also remembers the inaugural Rock am Ring festival in 1985. Back then, his team was tasked with preventing visitors from camping in the C-zone car parks. It worked at first – until tents suddenly appeared in car park C2 after all. The reason was quickly discovered: the neighbouring campsite was full, and its operator had simply opened the fence to let more guests onto the adjacent area.
It is stories like these that show just how much the Nürburgring has changed over six decades. From improvised procedures and simple torches during night-time car park operations to today’s professional event management. Karl Mönig has not only witnessed this development but has also actively helped shape it over many years.
A special connection to the Nürburgring
What makes Karl Mönig’s story so special is not just the many events and decades involved. It is the matter-of-fact way in which he took on responsibility at the Nürburgring for such a long time and, together with his staff, ensured that everything ran smoothly behind the scenes.
After all, the success of a major event depends not only on those who are on the racetrack, on stage or in the spotlight. It is also the many people behind the scenes who make the whole operation possible in the first place. People like Karl Mönig.
His departure now marks the end of an extraordinary career spanning almost an entire lifetime. Nürburgring CEO Ingo Böder thanked Karl ‘Charly’ Mönig for 62 years of dedication, reliability and loyalty to the circuit. And even though the Nürburgring will have to manage without its long-serving car park manager in future, the many stories from more than six decades will remain. As will the marks Charly has left behind – sometimes even in a very practical way, in the form of numbered entry points.
Become part of Nürburgring history too
Even today, the Nürburgring offers numerous opportunities to become part of the team – whether through an apprenticeship, a temporary role or a permanent position in various areas of the organisation. Full details of current job vacancies, apprenticeship places and temporary roles can be found here.