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Circuit Zolder

Coordinates: 50°59′20″N 5°15′20″E / 50.98889°N 5.25556°E / 50.98889; 5.25556
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"Zolder" redirects here. For the town of the same name, see Heusden-Zolder.
Circuit Zolder
LocationHeusden-Zolder, Belgium
Time zoneGMT +1
Major eventsFormula One
Belgian Grand Prix
Superleague Formula, DTM
Champ Car
Blancpain Sprint Series
24 Hours of Zolder
FIA European Truck Racing Championship
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
WTCR
Websitehttp://www.circuit-zolder.be
Grand Prix Circuit (2002–present)
Length4.010 km (2.492 miles)
Turns10
Race lap record1:14.089 (France Sebastian Bourdais, Newman-Haas Racing, 2007)
Grand Prix Circuit (1986–2001)
Length4.184 km (2.600 miles)
Turns10
Grand Prix Circuit (1975–1985)
Length4.262 km (2.648 miles)
Turns15
Race lap record1:19.294 (France René Arnoux, Ferrari 126C4, 1984)
Grand Prix Circuit (1963–1974)
Length4.220 km (2.622 miles)
Turns14
Race lap record1:25.42 (France François Cevert, Tyrrell-Ford 006, 1973)
Circuit Zolder, 6 November 2008

The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen,[citation needed] is an undulating 4.011 km (2.492 mi) motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.

History

Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1980 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix. F1 moved to Zolder in 1973 and with the exception of a race at Nivelles-Baulers in 1974, Zolder was the location of the Belgian Grand Prix until 1982. That year, Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve was killed during qualifying at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. Villeneuve's Ferrari 126C2 collided at speed with the March of Jochen Mass. The Ferrari was torn up in the accident and when rolling, Villeneuve was thrown from the car.

After Villeneuve's death, the Belgian Grand Prix was held at Spa-Francorchamps in 1983, before returning to Zolder one final time in 1984. Fittingly, Ferrari driver Michele Alboreto won the race carrying Villeneuve's #27 on his car. Since 1985, the Belgian Grand Prix has permanently moved to Spa.

Zolder has also been used for cycling events including the UCI Road World Championships twice in 1969 and 2002 and the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 1970, 2002 and 2016. The latter saw the first confirmed use of mechanical doping when Femke Van den Driessche was found to have a secret motor inside her bike.[1] Since 2009, Circuit Zolder has hosted a cyclo-cross race in December for the World Cup. The circuit hosted the UCI BMX World Championships in 2015.[2] In 2019 and for the first time ever the UCI BMX World Championships will return to Circuit Zolder.

In the beginning of 2006, the track underwent safety adaptations. In 2007, the track hosted a Champ Car World Series Grand Prix, and a round of the FIA GT Championship. The track was venue of a round of the World Series by Renault championship from 2003 to 2006, and replaced Zandvoort as site for the Masters of Formula 3 in 2007 and 2008. Zolder was featured on the car programme Top Gear in 2008. In the episode, the show's British hosts competed against their German counterparts from D MOTOR. Zolder hosted also the FIA WTCC Race of Belgium in 2010 and 2011. The last race they drove in 2011 was won by Rob Huff in a Chevrolet and Gabriele Tarquini in a SEAT. The WTCC then disappeared from the Belgian circuits until in 2014 the circus returned to Spa.

At this time, mainly the Blancpain Sprint Series and the BRCC national championship hosted a race in Zolder. The 24 Hours of Zolder endurance event is also held as a stand-alone event around the end of August or the beginning of September. NASCAR Whelen Euro Series have hosted their final race of the season in Zolder since 2015.[3]

In 2019, for the first time in 17 years, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters returned to Circuit Zolder.[4]

Track configurations

  • Variation used between 1963 and 1972
    Variation used between 1963 and 1972
  • Variation used between 1973 and 1974
    Variation used between 1973 and 1974
  • Variation used between 1975 and 1985
    Variation used between 1975 and 1985
  • Variation used between 1986 and 2001
    Variation used between 1986 and 2001
  • Variation used since 2002
    Variation used since 2002

Lap records

The lap records at the Circuit Zolder are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event
Grand Prix Circuit: 4.010 km (2002-present)
Champ Car 1:14.089 Sébastien Bourdais Panoz DP01 2007 Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix
DTM 1:20.140[5] René Rast Audi RS5 Turbo DTM 2020 2020 2nd Zolder DTM round
W Series 1:29.629 Beitske Visser Tatuus F.3 T-318 2019 W Series Zolder round
WTCR 1:36.724 Nathanaël Berthon Audi RS 3 LMS TCR 2020 FIA WTCR Race of Belgium
WTCC 1:39.517 Robert Huff Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T 2011 FIA WTCC Race of Belgium
Grand Prix Circuit: 4.262 km (1975-1985)
F1 1:19.294 René Arnoux Ferrari 126C4 1984 Belgian Grand Prix
Original Grand Prix Circuit: 4.220 km (1963-1974)
F1 1:25.420 François Cevert Tyrrell 006 1973 Belgian Grand Prix


Noise limits

In general Circuit Zolder has a noise limit of 96dbA, which is measured at 2 points along the track. One is just after turn 4 (Bianchi) and the second one is between turn 7 and 8. These can be recognised by blue poles. During international testdays and most racing weekends, the noise limits are removed.

Events

Current
Former
Cycling

References

  1. ^ Vinton, Nathaniel (1 February 2016). "Cyclist Femke Van den Driessche caught with hidden motor inside bike during race". New York Daily News. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  2. ^ "UCI BMX World Championships". Circuit Zolder. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  3. ^ "NASCAR Whelen Euro Series: What's New In 2015". whelen.com. Whelen. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  4. ^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (12 January 2019). "DTM abandons night-race format at Misano round for 2019". autosport.com. Autosport. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  5. ^ "2020 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Zolder 2 Session Facts". Retrieved 15 March 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Circuit Zolder.

50°59′20″N 5°15′20″E / 50.98889°N 5.25556°E / 50.98889; 5.25556

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