In 1921, Germany's first motorsport track, the Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungsstraße ('Automobile traffic and training road'), short AVUS, was built in the south-west of Berlin. The first race took place on 24 September of the same year, with 300,000 spectators lining the roadside. The first German Grand Prix was held in 1926. The last race before World War II was in 1937. A first Formula One race was held in 1954, although not as part of the World Championship. The last German Grand Prix on the AVUS, as part of the World Championship, was held in 1959. After this, the AVUS was used for sports car and motorcycle racing until 1996.