Wednesday 8th February 1939

Rudolf Caracciola established two new D class standing start speed records; 1 km Standing Start: 175.097 km/h (108.800 mph) [20.56 s] and 1 Mile Standing Start: 204.578 km/h (127.119 mph) [28.32 s] in a 3 litre Mercedes-Benz car based on the 1938 GP chassis with fully enclosed wheels and the radiator replaced by internal ice cooling. The runs took place at Dessau, Germany where a 10 km section of highway had been specially prepared for record attempts. The central grass strip had been filled, making the available road 27 metres wide.