The Circuito del Jarama (Circuit of Jarama), formerly known as ''Circuito Permanente del Jarama'' (Permanent circuit of Jarama) is a motorsport racetrack located in

San Sebastián de los Reyes San Sebastián de los Reyes (colloquially called "Sanse") is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1492, it is located north of Madrid. Geography It forms an urban continuum with the neighboring Alcobendas, Transport ...

, 20 miles (32 km) north of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

. It was home to the

Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de España, ca, Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating it ...

nine times between 1968 and 1981, and the

Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix The Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing season that takes place at Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto outside Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucia. In addition to this event, three ...

15 times between 1969 and 1988. Designed by

John Hugenholtz Johannes Bernhardus Theodorus "Hans" Hugenholtz, known in English-speaking countries as John Hugenholtz (October 31, 1914, Vledder – March 25, 1995, Bentveld) was a Dutch designer of race tracks and cars. Hugenholtz's father, of the same name, ...

(who also created Suzuka), the circuit was built by Alessandro Rocci in 1967 on

arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ...

scrub land.

History

It has a short main straight and most of the course consisted of tight, twisty corners so overtaking was extremely difficult. An example of this came when

Gilles Villeneuve Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve () (January 18, 1950 – May 8, 1982) was a Canadian racing driver, who spent six years in Grand Prix motor racing with Ferrari, winning six races and widespread acclaim for his performances. An enthusiast of ...

successfully defended his lead throughout the

1981 Spanish Grand Prix The 1981 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 21 June 1981 at the Circuito Permanente del Jarama, Jarama, Spain. It was the seventh race of the 1981 Formula One World Championship. Summary The 1981 Spanish Grand Prix featured ...

, despite a tail of four potentially faster cars. Villeneuve's turbocharged Ferrari 126CK, while powerful and fast on the straight, did not have as efficient ground effect aerodynamics as his pursuers -

Jacques Laffite Jacques-Henri Laffite (; born 21 November 1943) is a French former racing driver who competed in Formula One from to . He achieved six Grand Prix wins, all while driving for the Ligier team. From 1997 to 2013, Laffite was a presenter for TF1. ...

( V12 Ligier-

Matra Matra (an acronym for Mécanique Aviation Traction) was a French industrial conglomerate. During its years of operation, it was engaged in a wide range of business activities, primarily focused around automobiles, bicycles, aeronautics and wea ...

), John Watson (

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

Carlos Reutemann Carlos Alberto "Lole" Reutemann (12 April 1942 – 7 July 2021) was an Argentine racing driver who raced in Formula One from to , and later became a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party, and governor of ...

( Williams-Ford), and

Elio de Angelis Elio de Angelis (26 March 1958 – 15 May 1986) was an Italian racing driver who participated in Formula One between and , racing for the Shadow, Lotus and Brabham teams. He was killed in an accident while testing the Brabham BT55 at the Pau ...

(

Lotus Lotus may refer to: Plants *Lotus (plant), various botanical taxa commonly known as lotus, particularly: ** ''Lotus'' (genus), a genus of terrestrial plants in the family Fabaceae **Lotus flower, a symbolically important aquatic Asian plant also ...

-Ford) and was slower through the turns. This victory was to be the last one of Villeneuve's career. Jarama hosted its last Formula One race in 1981 when it was deemed too narrow for modern racing. It still holds

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

touring car Touring car and tourer are both terms for open cars (i.e. cars without a fixed roof). "Touring car" is a style of open car built in the United States which seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s. Th ...

and

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

races. The circuit was lengthened in 1991, and then upgraded in 2015. In 1987, Jarama hosted Round 2 of the inaugural

World Touring Car Championship The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a s ...

for

Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...

cars, the

1987 Jarama 4 Hours The 1987 Jarama 4 Hours was the second round of the inaugural World Touring Car Championship. The race was held for cars eligible for Group A touring car regulations. It was held on April 19, 1987, at the Circuit of Jarama, in Madrid, Spain. Th ...

. The race was won by

Roberto Ravaglia Roberto Ravaglia (born 26 May 1957 in Venice, Italy) is a former auto racing driver, who currently runs ROAL Motorsport, who operate a Chevrolet operation in the World Touring Car Championship. Before retiring in 1997, he was one of the most ...

and

Emanuele Pirro Emanuele Pirro (born 12 January 1962) is an Italian racing driver who has raced in Formula One, touring cars and in endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans which he has won a total of five times. Two times Italian Karting Champion ( ...

driving a

Schnitzer Motorsport Schnitzer Motorsport was a motorsport team based in Freilassing near Munich, Germany. From the early days of its establishment, the team has operated an automobile racing squad for BMW, and has remarkable results in touring car and sports car rac ...

BMW M3. Pole position for the race had been taken by triple Le Mans 24 Hour winner

Klaus Ludwig Klaus Karl Ludwig (born 5 October 1949) is a German racing driver. Biography He also known as ''König Ludwig'' (" King Ludwig") for his success in touring cars and in sports car racing. In the 1970s, Ludwig drove for Ford in the Deutsch ...

in a

Ford Sierra RS Cosworth The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth is a high-performance version of the Ford Sierra that was built by Ford Europe from 1986 to 1992. It was the result of a Ford Motorsport project with the purpose of producing an outright winner for Group A racing in ...

turbo with a time of 1:31.434, while the fastest lap was by England's

Andy Rouse Andrew Rouse (born 2 December 1947) is a British racing driver, most notably in the British Saloon Car Championship. He won the BSCC in 1975, 1983, 1984 and 1985. Andy Rouse is one of the most successful drivers ever to appear in the BSCC. Hi ...

(also in a Sierra Cosworth) with a time of 1:33.710.

Layout history

File:Circuito Permanente del Jarama 1980.svg, Original Grand Prix Circuit (1967–1990) File:Circuito Permanente del Jarama.svg, Grand Prix Circuit (1991–present) File:Jarama circuit complete map.png, Differences of Circuito del Jarama layouts

Events

; Current * March: UV Endurance Race Jarama * April: Renault Clio Cup Europe, TCR Spain Campeonato de España de Superturismos, G.P. CECC – Jarama * May: Campeonato Open de Portugal GT, Campeonato Open de Portugal Turismos * June: FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup, Electric Racing Academy Championship * October: FIA European Truck Racing Championship ''GP Camiones de España'', Espiritu Del Jarama * December: UV Endurance Race Jarama ; Former * BPR Global GT Series (1994–1996) * EuroBOSS Series (2008) *

European Formula Two Championship The European Formula Two Championship was a Formula Two motor racing series that was held between 1967–84. The races were held across Europe, and were contested both by drivers aiming to compete in Formula One in the future as well as curren ...

(1967–1969, 1971, 1983) *

European Touring Car Championship The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004. In 2005 it was superseded by the World ...

(1968–1972, 1974–1979, 1985–1986, 1988, 2001–2002) * F4 Spanish Championship (2016, 2020) * FIA European Formula 3 Championship (1977–1984) *

FIA GT Championship The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout ...

(2001–2002) *

FIM Endurance World Championship The Endurance World Championship ( FIM EWC) is the premier worldwide endurance championship in motorcycle road racing. The championship season consists of a series of endurance races (with a duration of six, eight, twelve or twenty-four hours) ...

(1969, 1983) *

Formula 750 Formula 750 was a FIM motorcycle road racing series based on a 750 cubic centimeter engine capacity. History The series began in 1971 as a collaboration between the American Motorcyclist Association and the Auto Cycle Union. The FIM adopte ...

(1974, 1976–1978) *

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 ...

'' (1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976–1979, 1981) * Formula Nissan (2002–2004) *

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...

** '' European motorcycle Grand Prix'' (1991) ** '' FIM motorcycle Grand Prix'' (1993) ** '' Madrid motorcycle Grand Prix'' (1998) ** ''

Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix The Portuguese motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling road racing event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Championship. History The event was first held in 1987 at the Jarama circuit in Spain. The reason for this was be ...

'' (1987) ** ''

'' (1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977–1986, 1988) * GTR Euroseries (1998) * IMSA European Le Mans Series (2001) *

International Formula 3000 The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter Formula One. Formula Two had become t ...

(1986–1987) * International Sports Racing Series (1997) *

Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the f ...

1000 km of Jarama The 1000 Kilometres of Jarama is a sports car race held at Circuito del Jarama in San Sebastían de los Reyes, Spain. The race began in 1967, and has been a part of the European 2-Litre Sportscar Championship, World Sportscar Championship, ...

'' (2006) *

Sidecar World Championship FIM Sidecar World Championship is the international sidecar racing championship. It is the only remaining original FIM road racing championship class that started in 1949. It was formerly named Superside when the sidecars moved from being part of ...

(1981, 1991) *

Superbike World Championship Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing. The championship was founded i ...

(1991–1992) *

Superleague Formula Superleague Formula was an open wheel single seater motor racing formula, which started in 2008, at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. The league introduced team sponsorship by association football clubs. It used the slogan 'The Beautiful ...

(2009–2010) *

TCR Europe Touring Car Series The TCR Europe Touring Car Series is an annual touring car racing event that is held at various locations across Europe. The series is run in accordance with the TCR Touring Car regulations with production-based cars that are front-wheel drive and ...

(2020) *

World Sportscar Championship The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992. The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance, and road racing events in Europe and ...

''360 km of Jarama'' (1987–1989) *

(1987)

Lap records

The official race lap records at the Circuito del Jarama are listed as:

References

External links

*
Circuito del Jarama at Google Maps
Formula One circuits Spanish Grand Prix Motorsport venues in the Community of Madrid Sports venues in the Community of Madrid Grand Prix motorcycle circuits Superbike World Championship circuits World Touring Car Championship circuits American Le Mans Series circuits San Sebastián de los Reyes {{Autoracing-venue-stub