The circuit was constructed as a temporary layout using the full length of the military airfield's runway as its central element. A fast double chicane and a straight start-finish section were incorporated into the design, with a temporary pit lane running along one side of the runway. There were no permanent pit garages or any other purpose-built racing infrastructure on site; all facilities were erected for each event and then removed afterwards.
The decision to use Diepholz for motor racing arose from a shortage of usable permanent circuits in Germany during the late 1960s. The airfield offered a long, flat, open surface that could be adapted at relatively low cost, making it an attractive proposition for organisers looking to expand the national racing calendar.
Diepholz became primarily associated with touring car racing throughout its active years. It served as a regular venue for the DTM — the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft — which was the leading professional touring car series in Germany during the 1980s and early 1990s. The layout's long runway section produced high straight-line speeds, suiting the powerful touring cars that competed in the series.
When the DTM underwent a restructuring and was briefly rebranded as the FIA International Touring Car Championship, Diepholz remained part of the calendar. However, the FIA ITC collapsed at the end of the 1996 season amid escalating manufacturer costs and declining interest, bringing the circuit's primary purpose to an abrupt end.
Following the collapse of the ITC, the Diepholz circuit hosted a small number of events in 1997 and 1998 for lower-formula and production car categories. The meetings included rounds of Formula König, Formula Renault 2.0 Germany, and the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany. These events represented an attempt to keep the venue active with club-level and single-make racing, but they did not attract sufficient commercial backing to sustain a long-term calendar presence.
After 1998 the circuit ceased to host competitive racing. The military airfield itself continued to operate normally, and without a permanent racing infrastructure to maintain, the venue effectively reverted entirely to its aviation function.
The Diepholz Airfield Circuit occupies a modest but notable place in German motorsport history as one of several improvised venues that kept national racing alive during periods when the country lacked sufficient permanent facilities. Its association with the DTM and its predecessor series means it appears in the historical records of German touring car racing across roughly three decades. The lack of permanent buildings and the temporary nature of all circuit installations meant that virtually no physical trace of the racing activity remained once the events ended, leaving the circuit better preserved in race records than in the landscape itself.