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Circuit Zolder

Circuit Zolder, 6 November 2008

The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen,[1] 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 821 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.[2] 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.[3] In 2019 and for the first time ever the UCI BMX World Championships returned 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, 2011, and 2020. 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.[4]

In 2019, for the first time in 17 years, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters returned to Circuit Zolder.[5] But the circuit lost its place in the DTM calendar to Spa-Francorchamps in 2022.

Noise limits

In general Circuit Zolder has a noise limit of 96 dbA, 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 test days and most racing weekends, the noise limits are removed.

Layout history

Circuit Zolder layout history
  • Original Grand Prix Circuit (1963–1972)
    Original Grand Prix Circuit (1963–1972)
  • Grand Prix Circuit (1973–1974)
    Grand Prix Circuit (1973–1974)
  • Grand Prix Circuit (1975–1985)
    Grand Prix Circuit (1975–1985)
  • Grand Prix Circuit (1986–2001)
    Grand Prix Circuit (1986–2001)
  • Grand Prix Circuit (2002–present)
    Grand Prix Circuit (2002–present)

Events

Current
Former
Cycling

Lap records

The unofficial all-time outright track record is 1:12.821, set by Sébastien Bourdais in a Panoz DP01, during 2nd qualifying for the 2007 Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix. As of September 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Circuit Zolder are listed as:

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Both drivers took the same lap time in both races of this round.

References

  1. ^ "Circuit Zolder".
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "UCI BMX World Championships". Circuit Zolder. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  4. ^ "NASCAR Whelen Euro Series: What's New In 2015". whelen.com. Whelen. 20 April 2015. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  5. ^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (12 January 2019). "DTM abandons night-race format at Misano round for 2019". autosport.com. Autosport. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  6. ^ "H. ESSERS Belgian Truck Grand Prix - Circuit Zolder, length 4000 m 13. September - 15. September 2019 - MAXX Formula Result Race 1" (PDF). 14 September 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  7. ^ "2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Zolder Race 1 Statistics". 29 April 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  8. ^ "DTM 2020 » Zolder Round 16 Results". 18 October 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  9. ^ "2003 Formula Nissan Zolder (Race 1)". 27 April 2003. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  10. ^ "FIA GT Championship Zolder 2009". 25 October 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  11. ^ "2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Zolder Race 2 Statistics". 8 August 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  12. ^ "2006 Formula Renault 2.0 Euro Zolder Race 1 Statistics". 29 April 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Volumex Belgian Truck Grand Prix - Circuit Zolder, length 4000 m - 09. - 10. September 2023 - Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux - Result Race 2" (PDF). 10 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  14. ^ a b "FIA GT Championship Zolder 2008". 19 October 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  15. ^ "2017 IDM Zolder IDM Superbike 1000 2. Race" (PDF). 9 July 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  16. ^ "3/4th Round Formula Volkswagen Zolder July 6/7th - Result 4th round, Zolder/B, July 7, 2002 (18 laps)". 7 July 2002. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Round 1: Zolder Eurocup Megane Trophy Results Booklet" (PDF). 4 May 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  18. ^ "2008 Formula BMW Europe Zolder (Race 1)". 1 June 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  19. ^ "2019 IDM Zolder IDM SSP600-STK600 1. Race" (PDF). 22 June 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  20. ^ "ADAC Masters Weekend Zolder 10.06. - 12.06.2011 Circuit Zolder ADAC Formel Ergebnis Rennen 2" (PDF). 12 June 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  21. ^ "DTM Trophy Zolder 2020". 18 October 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  22. ^ "2020 NASCAR GP Belgium Round 2 Results". 4 October 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  23. ^ "2002 German V8 Touring Cars Round 5: Zolder, 7th July". 7 July 2002. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  24. ^ "Truck Grand Prix 2013 - Formula Renaults 1.6 - Race 1" (PDF). 22 September 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  25. ^ "FIA ETCR - Race of Zolder 8-10 July 2022 Pool Furious - Semi Final 2 - 300KW - 40s. PU". 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  26. ^ "2002 Zolder DTM". Motor Sport Magazine. 5 May 2002. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  27. ^ "2018 IDM Zolder IDM SSP300 2. Race" (PDF). 8 July 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  28. ^ "Circuit Zolder 8-10 July 2022 ERA Race - Final Ranking". 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  29. ^ "ETC Cup 2015 » Zolder Round 9 Results". 20 September 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  30. ^ "Volumex Belgian Truck Grand Prix - Circuit Zolder, length 4000 m - 09. - 10. September 2023 - Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship - Provisional Result Race 3" (PDF). 10 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  31. ^ "1988 Zolder F3000". Motor Sport Magazine. 16 October 1988. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  32. ^ "1999 New Race Festival Ergebnis Rennen" (PDF). 18 April 1999. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Interserie Zolder 1992". 9 August 1992. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  34. ^ a b "FIA GT Championship Zolder 2001". 20 May 2001. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  35. ^ "International Sports Racing Series Zolder 1997". 3 August 1997. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  36. ^ "2001 Formula Renault Eurocup - Zolder - Round 5, 19 May". 19 May 2001. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  37. ^ "2001 German Formula Volkswagen - Round 4: Zolder, 19th August". 19 August 2001. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  38. ^ "European Super Touring Championship 2001 » Zolder Round 9 Results". 20 May 2001. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  39. ^ "FIA GT Championship Zolder 1999". 18 July 1999. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  40. ^ "Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft 1994 » Zolder Round 1 Results". 10 April 1994. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  41. ^ "Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft 1994 » Zolder Round 2 Results". 10 April 1994. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  42. ^ "1996-07-20 to 1996-07-21 International Pro-Superbike Championship Race 1". 21 July 1996. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  43. ^ "Belcar Zolder BM 1999". 17 October 1999. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  44. ^ "Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft 1992 » Zolder Round 1 Results". 4 April 1992. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  45. ^ "ADAC GT Cup Zolder 1993". 30 May 1993. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  46. ^ "1983 Zolder F2". Motor Sport Magazine. 21 August 1983. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  47. ^ "DRM Zolder 1983". 20 March 1983. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  48. ^ "1984 Zolder European F3". Motor Sport Magazine. 15 April 1984. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  49. ^ "1975 Zolder F5000". Motor Sport Magazine. 27 April 1975. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  50. ^ "DRM Zolder Westfalen-Pokal 1981". 23 August 1981. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  51. ^ "Interserie Zolder 1976". 13 June 1976. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  52. ^ "Rennsport Trophäe Zolder 1983". 20 March 1983. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  53. ^ "1979 Zolder BMW Procar". Motor Sport Magazine. 12 May 1979. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  54. ^ "1978 Championnat de France Formule Renault Zolder". 21 May 1978. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  55. ^ "Belgium Zolder 1977". 4 September 1977. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  56. ^ "ETCC Zolder 1977". 25 September 1977. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  57. ^ "1985 Zolder ETCC". Motor Sport Magazine. 29 September 1985. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  58. ^ "1974 Zolder F5000". Motor Sport Magazine. 27 April 1974. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  59. ^ "1970 Zolder F2". Motor Sport Magazine. 24 May 1970. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  60. ^ "1963 Grote Prijs van Zolder Junior". 25 August 1963. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  61. ^ "Zolder 1 Hour - Division 2 1968". 5 May 1968. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  62. ^ "European Touring Car Cup Zolder - Division 2 1967". 21 May 1967. Retrieved 16 May 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Circuit Zolder.