The Imatra Circuit is a
motorsport
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...
street circuit
A street circuit is a motorsport racing circuit composed of temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Airport runways and taxiways are also sometimes part of street circuits. Facilities such as the p ...
in
Imatra,
Finland. The circuit has existed in two versions, and has been exclusively used for the "Imatranajo"
motorcycle road race. From 1962 to 1978 a clockwise street circuit in the east of the town of Imatra was used. The circuit ran along the
Vuoksi river and a railway line that had to be crossed. From 1979 to 1986 a shorter circuit was used. This was only long and consisted mostly of the western part of the original circuit.
From the 1964 season until the 1982 season the
Grand Prix of Finland was run 19 times in Imatra. From the 1983 season the "Imatranajo" lost its World Championship status due to the dangerous nature of the circuit and the death of sidecar driver
Jock Taylor
Jock Taylor (9 March 1954 – 15 August 1982) was a Scottish World Champion motorcycle sidecar racer.
John Robert (Jock) Taylor was born in Pencaitland, East Lothian, and entered his first sidecar race at the age of 19, as the passenger to ...
in 1982.
The last road race on the Imatra Circuit for many years was held in 1986 when a six-year-old boy died after falling under a running wheel, but classic races still took place. Road racing returned to Imatra in August 2016 with a round of the
International Road Racing Championship
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
, and another round was held in 2017.
In the "Imatranajo" on June 15, 2019, a fatal crash occurred when a Swiss driver Mathias Gnägi with a Superbike class dropped off the track in the rain and was killed.
Lap records
The official race lap records at the Jarno Saarinen Imatranajo Circuit are listed as:
Finnish Grand Prix results
From 1964 to 1972
From 1973 to 1982
''(Coloured background = the race was boycotted by international competitors)''
References and notes
* Translated from the Dutch version of this page
External links
Imatranajo website
{{Sidecar World Championship circuits
Motorsport venues in Finland
Grand Prix motorcycle circuits