Höljesbanan
 | |
| Location | Höljes, Värmland, Sweden |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | 60°55′01″N 12°33′18″E / 60.917°N 12.555°E |
| Operator | Finnskoga Motorklubb |
| Opened | 1976 |
| Major events | Euro RX (1991–present) World RX (2014–present) |
| Surface | Asphalt (60%) Gravel (40%) |
| Length | 1.19 km (0.73 miles) |
Höljesbanan, also known as Höljes Motorstadion, is a rallycross circuit situated in the village of Höljes, in the Finnskogen ('Finnwoods') of the Swedish county Värmland, beside the river Klarälven and close to the Norwegian border. The circuit opened in February 1976 and is one of the most famous rallycross circuits in the world. Traditionally held over the first weekend of July the venue plays host to the so-called 'Magic Weekend' of rallycross when it runs the Swedish round of the European and World Rallycross championships.
History
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The circuit was originally part of a go-kart centre opened in 1972 by the Finnskoga Motorklubb following the influx of Swedish drivers into Formula One, but quickly fell into disuse and it was decided the nearby gravel pit was to be turned into a rallycross circuit in October 1974. On February 1, 1976, the circuit held its first event in front of 3,500 people on a bitterly cold winters' day, and was won by Per Eklund.[1]
The circuit was successful locally and the Finnskoga Masters was created as a marquee event for Scandinavian drivers. The circuit saw very little national action as the Swedish ASN were not on good terms with the Finnskoga Motorklubb, and despite having a suitable venue the Svenska Bilsportförbundet (SBF) did not straight away recommend the circuits' addition to the FIA European Rallycross Championship due to the conflict. However, the circuit did eventually make its international debut for the Swedish round of the 1991 European Rallycross Championship. The event was held on July 7 in front of 15,000 people and quickly gained approval from drivers and fans alike. The Swedish round rotated through various circuits in the 1990s but the Höljesbanan became a permanent fixture in 1999 and is now a marquee event within it and the newly formed World Championship.[2]
Spectator records
One of the reasons the 'Magic Weekend' is held in such high regard is due to the size of the crowd the event pulls. For a small village of less than 150 residents, the town is engulfed with as many as 300 times as many people come race week. The most recent event crowd attendance figures are listed below.
- 2006 = 19,200
- 2007 = 21,500
- 2008 = 23,400
- 2009 = 25,500
- 2010 = 26,850
- 2013 = 29,200
- 2014 = 34,400
- 2015 = 39,800
- 2016 = 44,400
Event history
European rallycross
| European Championship winners[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Division | Driver | Car |
| 1991 | Division 1 |  Kenneth Hansen
|
Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth |
| Division 2 |  Will Gollop
|
MG Metro 6R4 BiTurbo | |
| 1992 | Not Held | ||
| 1993 | Division 1 |  Eivind Opland
|
Nissan Sunny GTI-R |
| Division 2 | Kenneth Hansen
|
Citroën ZX T16 4x4 | |
| 1400cc Cup | Björn Ohlsson
|
Citroën AX Sport | |
| 1994 | Not Held | ||
| 1995 | |||
| 1996 | |||
| 1997 | Division 1 | Ludvig Hunsbedt
|
Ford Escort RS 2000 T16 4x4 |
| Division 2 | Eivind Opland
|
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III | |
| 1400cc Cup | Roger Lagergren
|
Peugeot 205 Rallye | |
| 1998 | Not Held | ||
| 1999 | Division 1 | Ludvig Hunsbedt
|
Ford Escort RS 2000 T16 4x4 |
| Division 2 |  Gert Vestergaard
|
Peugeot 306 S16 | |
| 1400cc Cup | Peter Nielsen
|
Rover Metro GTi | |
| 2000 | Division 1 | Kenneth Hansen
|
Citroën Xsara WRC |
| Division 2 | Magnus Hansen
|
Citroën Xsara VTS | |
| 1400cc Cup | Sven Seeliger
|
Citroën AX GTi | |
| 2001 | Division 1 | Kenneth Hansen
|
Citroën Xsara WRC |
| Division 2 | Magnus Hansen
|
Citroën Xsara VTS | |
| Division 2A | Sven Seeliger
|
Citroën AX GTi | |
| 2002 | Division 1 | Kenneth Hansen
|
Citroën Xsara WRC |
| Division 2 |  Jouko Kallio
|
Honda Civic Type R | |
| Division 2A |  Aleš Zázvorka
|
Volkswagen Polo 1.4 16V | |
| 2003 | Division 1 | Kenneth Hansen
|
Citroën Xsara T16 4x4 |
| Division 1A | Jaroslav Kalný
|
Peugeot 206 | |
| Division 2 | Guttorm Lindefjell
|
Opel Astra OPC | |
| 2004 | Division 1 | Sverre Isachsen
|
Ford Focus T16 4x4 |
| Division 1A |  Ron Snoeck
|
SEAT Ibiza | |
| Division 2 | Jussi Pinomäki
|
Renault Clio RSR | |
| 2005 | Division 1 | Michael Jernberg
|
Ford Focus T16 4x4 |
| Division 1A | Zdeněk Čermák
|
Škoda Fabia | |
| Division 2 | Niklas Hagström
|
Honda Civic Type R | |
| 2006 | Division 1 | Sverre Isachsen
|
Ford Focus T16 4x4 |
| Division 1A | Jaroslav Kalný
|
Peugeot 206 | |
| Division 2 | Niklas Hagström
|
Honda Civic Type R | |
| 2007 | Division 1 | Lars Larsson
|
Škoda Fabia 6Y T16 4x4 |
| Division 1A |  Michaël de Keersmaecker
|
Opel Corsa C | |
| Division 2 | Niklas Hagström
|
Honda Civic Type R | |
| RX Cup | Jos Sterkens
|
Ford Fiesta RWD | |
| 2008 | Division 1 | Marcus Grönholm
|
Ford Fiesta ST |
| Division 1A | Jussi Pinomäki
|
Renault Clio | |
| Division 2 | Tomáš Kotek
|
Honda Civic Type R | |
| RX Cup | Per Niklas Lööv
|
Citroën Xsara RWD | |
| 2009 | Division 1 | Stig-Olov Walfridsson
|
Renault Clio T16 4x4 |
| Division 1A |  Timur Timerzyanov
|
Renault Clio Mk2 | |
| Division 2 | Knut Ove Børseth
|
Ford Fiesta ST RWD | |
| 2010 | Division 1 | Sverre Isachsen
|
Ford Focus ST |
| Division 1A | Timur Timerzyanov
|
Renault Clio Mk2 | |
| Division 2 | Lars Øivind Enerberg
|
Ford Fiesta ST RWD | |
| 2011 | Supercars |  Tanner Foust
|
Ford Fiesta T16 4x4 |
| Super1600 |  Krzysztof Skorupski
|
Volkswagen Polo 9N3 | |
| Touring Car | Lars Øivind Enerberg
|
Ford Fiesta ST RWD | |
| 2012 | Supercars | Timur Timerzyanov
|
Citroën DS3 T16 4x4 |
| Super1600 | Ulrik Linnemann
|
Peugeot 207 | |
| Touring Car | Robin Larsson
|
Škoda Fabia 6Y RWD | |
| Junior Cup | Kevin Hansen
|
"Citroën DS3" JRX | |
| 2013 | Supercars | Andreas Bakkerud
|
Citroën DS3 |
| Super1600 | Ulrik Linnemann
|
Peugeot 207 | |
| Touring Car |  Derek Tohill
|
Ford Fiesta RWD | |
| Junior Cup | Kevin Hansen
|
"Citroën DS3" JRX | |
| 2014 | Super1600 | Sergey Zagumennov
|
Škoda Fabia 5J |
| Touring Car | Tom Daniel Tånevik
|
Mazda RX-8 | |
| 2015 | Super1600 |  Jānis Baumanis
|
Renault Twingo Mk2 |
| Touring Car | Fredrik Salsten
|
Citroën DS3 RWD | |
| 2016 | Supercars | Kevin Hansen
|
Peugeot 208 |
| Super1600 | Ulrik Linnemann
|
Peugeot 208 | |
| Touring Car | Ben-Philip Gundersen
|
Ford Fiesta ST RWD | |
World rallycross
| Year | Division | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Supercars | Mattias Ekström
|
Audi S1 |
| 2015 | Supercars | Mattias Ekström
|
Audi S1 |
| 2016 | Supercars | Andreas Bakkerud
|
Ford Focus |
References
- ^ "History (in Swedish)". Finnskoga Motorklubb. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "Photos (in Swedish)". Finnskoga Motorklubb. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "ERX Event Winners". rallycross.com. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
External links
