The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating

motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of Car, automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and Aircraft, powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific term ...

race track in

Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian Limburg (Belgium), province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769. The total area is 53.23 ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

History

Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix (; ; ) is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated ...

on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1980

Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix The Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix was a motorcycling event that was part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season from 1949 to 1990. History The first official Belgian Grand Prix was held in 1949, but non-championship races were held as far ba ...

. 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 Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve (; 18 January 1950 – 8 May 1982) was a Canadian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Villeneuve was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and won six Grands ...

was killed during qualifying at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. Villeneuve's Ferrari 126C2 collided at speed with the March 821 of

Jochen Mass Jochen Richard Mass (; 30 September 1946 – 4 May 2025) was a German racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Mass won the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix with McLaren. In endurance racing, Mass won the 24 Hours of Le Ma ...

. 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 The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), informally referred to as Spa, is a motor-racing circuit located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium, about southeast of Spa. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, ho ...

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, before returning to Zolder one final time in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. Fittingly,

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

driver

Michele Alboreto Michele Alboreto (; 23 December 1956 – 25 April 2001) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Alboreto was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari, and won five F ...

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 UCI Road World Championships ...

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 2022, seven events are organized each year – UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships – Men's elite ...

in 1970,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

. 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-enhan ...

when

Femke Van den Driessche Femke Van den Driessche (; born 27 August 1996) is a Belgian former cyclo-cross bicycle racing, cyclist, mountainbiker and road racing cyclist. As a junior, she became national cyclo-cross champion in 2011 and mountain bike champion in 2013. In 2 ...

was found to have a secret motor inside her bike. Since 2009, Circuit Zolder has hosted a

cyclo-cross Cyclo-cross (cyclocross, CX, cyclo-X or cross) is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter (the international or "World Cup" season is October–February), and consist of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5&nb ...

race in December for the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

. The circuit hosted the

UCI BMX World Championships UCI BMX World Championships are the World championship for BMX racing (bicycle motocross) held under the regulations of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), sport's international governing body. Summary IBMXF UCI BMX (cancelled) 20 ...

in 2015. In 2019 and for the first time ever the

returned to Circuit Zolder. In the beginning of 2006, the track underwent safety adaptations. In 2007, the track hosted a

Champ Car World Series Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), ...

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

, and a round of the

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 ...

. The track was venue of a round of the

World Series by Renault The Renault Sport Series (formerly known as World Series by Renault) was a motor racing series. The series latterly consisted of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, and used to contain the Renault Sport Trophy and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. ...

championship from 2003 to 2006, and replaced

Zandvoort Zandvoort () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam ...

as site for the

Masters of Formula 3 The Masters of Formula 3 was a Formula Three race held annually, usually at the Circuit Park Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Due to noise restrictions in the Zandvoort area, the 2007 and 2008 races were held in the Belgian circuit of Circuit Zolder, ...

in 2007 and 2008. Zolder was featured on the car programme

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...

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 Robert "Rob" Peter Huff (born 25 December 1979) is a British racing driver currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK. He was the 2012 World Touring Car Championship champion and the 2020 Scandinavia ...

in a Chevrolet and

Gabriele Tarquini Gabriele Tarquini (born 2 March 1962) is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One between and , and World Touring Car from to 2021. In touring car racing, Tarquini won the World Touring Car Championship in with SEAT; ...

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 The GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup is a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) with the approval of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Born as the FIA GT Series in 2013, it was spo ...

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 The NASCAR Euro Series (formerly known as Racecar Euro Series, Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series, and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series) is an official NASCAR stock-car racing series based in Europe. It is one of NASCAR's four international-sanctioned s ...

have hosted their final race of the season in Zolder since

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. In 2019, for the first time in 17 years, the

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, commonly abbreviated as the DTM, is a sports car racing series sanctioned by ADAC. The series is based in Germany, with rounds elsewhere in Europe. The series currently races a modified version of Group GT3 gra ...

returned to Circuit Zolder. But the circuit lost its place in the DTM calendar to Spa-Francorchamps in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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

Events

; Current * April: DMV Goodyear Racing Days * May:

Belcar The Belcar Endurance Championship is the top-tier national endurance racing championship in Belgium. The series is sanctioned by the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium and run by Circuit Zolder. History The Belcar series has its roots in the e ...

''New Race Festival'' * June: Zolder Motor Revival * July: Supercar Challenge ''Supercar Madness'', Historic Grand Prix Zolder * August:

'' 24 Hours of Zolder'' * September:

FIA European Truck Racing Championship The FIA European Truck Racing Championship is a motorsport Truck racing, truck road racing series for tractor unit, semi-tractors which is sanctioned to the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and is organised by ETRA Promotion GmbH. ...

''Belgian Truck Grand Prix'',

Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux The Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux is the Belgian & Netherlands-based Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Carrera Cup series for Porsche 911 GT3 Carrera Cup races, launched in 2013. The series is supported by Porsche Motorsport, Porsche Belgium, and Porsc ...

* October:

NASCAR Euro Series The NASCAR Euro Series (formerly known as Racecar Euro Series, Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series, and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series) is an official NASCAR stock-car racing series based in Europe. It is one of NASCAR's four international-sanctioned ...

''NASCAR GP Belgium - EuroNASCAR Finals'', Fun Cup,

; Former *

ADAC Formel Masters ADAC Formel Masters was an ADAC sanctioned open wheel racing series based in Germany, held annually from 2008 to 2014. It was replacement of the local Formula BMW championship. The first season was in 2008 and is the main feeder series to the ATS F ...

(2011) *

ADAC GT Masters The ADAC GT Masters is a grand tourer-based auto racing series founded by the international Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and supported by the German ADAC automotive club. Similar to an earlier ADAC GT Cup series in the 1990s, the new GT ...

(2007, 2011) * ATS Formel 3 Cup (1972–1973, 1977–1979, 1981–1988, 1990–1994, 2000, 2011) *

Auto GP Auto GP, sometimes referred to as the Auto GP World Series and formerly known as both Euro Formula 3000 and the Euroseries 3000, was a European formula racing series. The series' roots can be traced back to 1999 and the Italian Formula 3000 serie ...

(2001, 2004, 2009, 2017) * BMW M1 Procar Championship (1979) *

(2014–2015, 2017–2018) *

BOSS GP The BOSS GP Racing Series is a motor racing series in Europe. The category originated in 1995 as the BOSS Formula series and evolved into the EuroBOSS Series. BOSS is an acronym that stands for Big Open Single Seaters. History The BOSS serie ...

(2000, 2003–2010, 2013, 2015, 2017) *

British Formula 3 International Series The British Formula Three Championship was an international Auto racing, motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level Formula racing, feeder formula ...

(1976, 1984–1986) *

** '' Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix'' (2007) *

(2002, 2019–2021) *

Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft The Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) was a touring car racing series held from 1984 to 1996. Originally based in Germany, it held additional rounds elsewhere in Europe and later worldwide. The original DTM had resumed racing with produc ...

(1984–1994) * DTM Trophy (2020) * ERA Championship (2022) * Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2001, 2005–2007) *

Eurocup Mégane Trophy The Renault Eurocup Mégane Trophy was a one-make racing series created and managed by Renault Sport. The series has raced with the Renault Mégane Renault Sport since 2005 as part of the World Series by Renault. The Renault Eurocup has run ...

(2005–2007) *

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 Ca ...

(1974–1975) *

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 curr ...

(1975, 1980, 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 ...

(1963–1968, 1977–1988, 2001) *

European Touring Car Cup The FIA European Touring Car Cup was an annual touring car racing event, which had been held at various locations across Europe from 2005 to 2017. Unlike in previous years where it was a one-off event, in 2010 the series was a three-round event. ...

(2015, 2017) * FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup (2022) * FIA European Formula 3 Championship (1977–1984) * FIA Formula Two Championship (2010) *

(1999–2001, 2007–2009) *

FIA GT1 World Championship The FIA GT1 World Championship was a world championship sports car racing series, developed by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation, SRO Group and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), that was held from 2010 to 2012. I ...

(2011–2012) *

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) ...

(1971–1972, 2006) *

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 ...

(1977) * Formula BMW ADAC (2002) * Formula BMW Europe (2008) *

** ''

'' (1973, 1975–1982, 1984) * Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2005–2006) * Formula Volkswagen Germany (2001–2002) * French Formula Renault Championship (1978–1982) *

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

** ''

'' (1980) *

GT4 European Series The GT4 European Series is a sports car championship created and organised by SRO Motorsports Group. It is a pro/am championship which utilizes SRO GT4 class cars, and runs alongside the GT World Challenge Europe as a support series. History ...

(2009, 2011, 2018) * (1996, 2013–2019) *

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 to ...

(1988) * International GTSprint Series (2013) *

International Sports Racing Series The FIA Sportscar Championship was a sports car racing series created by John Mangoletsi and got the approval of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 2001. It was a series similar to the FIA GT Championship, concentrating on two ...

(1997) *

(2007–2008) *

Porsche Carrera Cup Germany The Porsche Carrera Cup Germany, (currently known as Porsche SIXT Carrera Cup Deutschland; known as Porsche 944 Turbo Cup between 1986–1989) is a one-make racing series by Porsche based in Germany. Champions Circuits * Adria International ...

(1989–1998, 2002) *

SEAT León Eurocup The SEAT León Eurocup was a one-make touring car racing series which uses SEAT Leóns, run by SEAT Sport. Background The championship began in 2008, making its debut at Circuit de Valencia, as a support series for the World Touring Car Champi ...

(2010) *

Sidecar World Championship FIM Sidecar World Championship is the international sidecar racing championship. It is the only remaining original Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM road racing championship class that started in 1949. It was formerly named Supersi ...

(1980) *

Super Tourenwagen Cup The Super Tourenwagen Cup, or German Supertouring Championship, was a touring car racing series held between 1994 and 1999 in Germany. The championship was established when BMW and Audi both left the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) in 199 ...

(1994–1997) *

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

** '' Superleague Formula round Belgium'' (2008–2011) *

Superstars Series The Superstars International Series was a production-based touring car racing championship held between 2004 and 2013. It was managed by the "Superstars World of Racing SpA", SWR, a company of FG Group with headquarters in Rome and sanctioned by ...

(2013) *

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 ...

(2016, 2020, 2024) *

V8Star Series The V8Star Series was a touring car racing series based in Germany that ran for three seasons between 2001 and 2003. The series featured privateers racing identical cars that were covered in different silhouette designs to create visual diversi ...

(2002) * W Series (2019) *

World Series by Nissan The World Series Formula V8 3.5, formerly the World Series by Nissan from 1998 to 2004, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series from 2005 to 2015 and the Formula V8 3.5 in 2016 and 2017, was a motor racing series promoted by RPM Racing (1998–2004) and R ...

(2003–2004) *

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 sing ...

** '' 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 ...

** ''

FIA WTCR Race of Belgium The FIA WTCR Race of Belgium, previously known as the FIA WTCC Race of Belgium, is a round of the World Touring Car Cup, most recently held at the Circuit Zolder in Belgium. It has also been held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The race was run ...

'' (2020) ; 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 The 2002 UCI Road World Championships took place in the region of Limburg, Belgium, between 8 and 13 October 2002. The event consisted of a road race and a time trial for men, women, men under 23, junior men and junior women. Events summary ...

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 February ...

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 addi ...

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 ...

Lap records

The unofficial all-time outright track record is 1:12.821, set by

Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Olivier Bourdais (; born 28 February 1979) is a French professional racing driver who currently races in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota in the Hypercar category. He is one of the most successful dr ...

in a

Panoz DP01 The Panoz DP01 is an open-wheel race car that was produced by Élan Motorsport Technologies at Braselton, Georgia, United States. It was developed for use in the 2007 Champ Car World Series season, replacing the aging de facto-spec Lola chassis ...

, during 2nd qualifying for the

2007 Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix The 2007 Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix was the eleventh round of the 2007 Champ Car season, 2007 season of the Champ Car World Series. It was held on August 26, 2007, at Circuit Zolder in Heusden-Zolder, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. The race was won ...

. As of September 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Circuit Zolder are listed as:

Notes

References

External links

Satellite picture by Google Maps
*

{{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 The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating 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, ...