Formula One had not raced at the Nürburgring since the 1976 German Grand Prix, a race in which Niki Lauda had been seriously injured after protesting the safety of the Nordschleife, and particularly the slow responses of marshals that such a long circuit made inevitable. In an effort to entice F1 back to the venue (the German Grand Prix had moved to the Hockenheimring), a new, shorter layout was proposed to meet the tougher safety requirements that had since been developed. The "GP-Strecke" broke ground on 30 November 1981 and was constructed in place of the old start-and-finish straight and Südschleife over two years. The circuit was chosen to host the 1984 European Grand Prix and, in order to showcase the venue and drum up interest for the return of F1, the concept of a "Race of Champions" was devised.