The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

History

Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...

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 Nivelles-Baulers was a race track in Nivelles (in French)/ Nijvel (in Dutch) near Brussels, Belgium. History Built in 1971, the circuit hosted two rounds of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix in 1972 and 1974 both won by Emerson Fittipald ...

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 , the Belgian Grand Prix has permanently moved to Spa. Zolder has also been used for cycling events including the

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

twice in 1969 and 2002 and the

UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships The UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships are the world championships for cyclo-cross organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Starting in 2020, six events are organized each year – men's elite, women's elite, men's under 23, wome ...

in 1970, 2002 and 2016. The latter saw the first confirmed use of

mechanical doping Motor doping, or mechanical doping, in competitive cycling terminology, is a method of cheating by using a hidden motor to help propel a racing bicycle. The term is an analogy to chemical doping in sport, cheating by using performance-enha ...

when Femke Van den Driessche was found to have a secret motor inside her bike. 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. 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 Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

, 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 The 24 Hours of Zolder (24 uur van Zolder in Dutch) is a yearly sports car and touring car endurance race held at Circuit Zolder in Belgium. The race was initially held in 1983, and has run every year except for 1988. In 1989 a GT car won for th ...

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

Lap records

The official fastest race lap records at the Circuit Zolder are listed as:

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 * March: 1000 km Zolder * June: IDM Superbike, Dutch Supercar Challenge * July: FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup, Historic Grand Prix Zolder * August:

* September: FIA European Truck Racing Championship ''Belgian Truck Grand Prix'' * October: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series ''NASCAR GP Belgium'', Fun Cup ; Former * 24 hours iLumen

European Solar Challenge European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine European cuisine co ...

* ADAC Formel Masters (2011) * BMW M1 Procar Championship (1979) * Blancpain Sprint Series (2014–2015, 2017–2018) * BOSS GP (2000, 2003–2010, 2013, 2015, 2017) * Champ Car World Series ''

Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

'' (2007) * Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2002, 2019–2021) * Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (1984–1994) *

European Formula 5000 Championship The European Formula 5000 Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 5000 cars held annually from 1969 to 1975.Wolfgang Klopfer, Formula 5000 in Europe: Race By Race It was organized in the United Kingdom by the British Racing and Sports ...

(1974–1975) * European Formula Two Championship (1975, 1980, 1983) * European Touring Car Championship (1963–1968, 1977–1988, 2001) * European Touring Car Cup (2015, 2017) *

FIA European Formula 3 Championship The FIA Formula 3 European Championship was a European Formula Three(F3) auto racing competition, organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). After one season of the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy, the FIA revived th ...

(1977–1984) * FIA GT Championship (1999–2001, 2007–2009) * FIM Endurance World Championship (1971–1972, 2006) * Formula 750 (1977) *

Formula BMW Europe In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a '' chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship bet ...

(2008) *

'' Belgian Grand Prix'' (1973, 1975–1982, 1984) * Formula Renault Eurocup (2005–2007) * Grand Prix motorcycle racing '' Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix'' (1980) * International Formula 3000 (1988) * International Sports Racing Series (1997) * Masters of Formula 3 (2007–2008) * Sidecar World Championship (1980) * Super Tourenwagen Cup (1994–1997) * Superleague Formula (2008–2011) * TCR Europe Touring Car Series (2020) * V8Star Series (2002) * W Series (

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) * World Touring Car Championship '' FIA WTCC Race of Belgium'' (2010–2011) *

World Touring Car Cup The FIA World Touring Car Cup (abbreviated to WTCR, referring to the use of TCR regulations) was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It h ...

'' FIA WTCR Race of Belgium'' (2020) * Zolder Historic Superprix ;Cycling *

1981 Tour de France The 1981 Tour de France was the 68th edition of the Tour de France, taking place between 25 June and 19 July. The total race distance was 24 stages over . It was dominated by Bernard Hinault, who led the race from the sixth stage on, increasing h ...

* 2002 UCI Road World Championships *

2002 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships The 2002 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships were held in Zolder, Belgium on Saturday February 2 and Sunday February 3, 2002. Medal summary Medal table Men's Elite * Held on Sunday February 3, 2002 Women's Elite * Held on Sunday Februa ...

2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships The 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships was the World Championship for cyclo-cross for the season 2015–16. It was held in Heusden-Zolder in Belgium on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31 January 2016. The championships featured five events, in a ...

2019 UCI BMX World Championships The 2019 UCI BMX World Championships were held in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium from 23 to 27 July 2019. Medal summary Elite events Junior events Medal table See also * 2019 UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's keirin *2019 UCI Track Cy ...

Grand Prix Erik De Vlaeminck The Grand Prix Eric De Vlaeminck is a cyclo-cross race on and around the circuit Terlaemen in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. The race is named after seven times world champion cyclo-cross Eric De Vlaeminck. Until 2019 it was part of the UCI Cyclo-cros ...

Telenet SuperPrestige Cyclocross Telenet was an American commercial packet-switched network which went into service in 1975. It was the first FCC-licensed public data network in the United States. Various commercial and government interests paid monthly fees for dedicated lines ...

References

External links

Satellite picture by Google Maps
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zolder Formula One circuits Belgian Grand Prix Motorsport venues in Belgium Champ Car circuits Grand Prix motorcycle circuits World Touring Car Championship circuits Circuit Zolder Circuit Zolder