Gotland Ring
FOR MANY, the classic tracks of Europe hail from a bygone age, where distance and endurance were just as important as speed and bravado. Spa-Francorchamps, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Pescara, even the TT circuit on the Isle of Man, all have one thing in common - length, and plenty of it.
Not for these circuits the stop-start nature of a modern autodrome. Instead they wind like a snaking ribbon of tarmac through the countryside, following the contours of the land as much as the whim of the circuit designer.
A pity then that in the modern age of big is not best for TV, such classic circuits are a thing of the past. Except they aren't - just ask the Swedes. For on an island in the Baltic Sea a new circuit is fast springing up which seeks to buck the trend and looks set to become a modern classic.
Okay, at just over four miles in length, the Gotland Ring is no Nordschliefe in terms of outright length, although it is considerably longer than any other new circuit built in the last 20 years in Europe.
And the way it winds its way through the landscape, rising and falling through the crests and dips, suggests a circuit far removed from the flat, sterile circuits that have become a staple part of the racing diet.
In concept too the Gotland Ring differs from many other tracks. From the outset it has been designed to not only be suitable for both international and national-level racing, but also for corporate entertainment, as a design and research test centre for the motor industry and a traffic safety 'school'.
The multipurpose nature of the track extends beyond its ability to run up to three variants independently and simultaneously. An on-site technology park for research of wireless applications for the motor industry, mobile laboratories and a product development centre for low and zero-emmission vehicles and even a conference centre mean that the Gotland Ring will have applications way beyond racing.
Designed by Alec Arho Havrén, the circuit is still under construction. However, the northern half is largely complete and the southern section should be ready for business later this year. The full circuit will then stand at 6.5 km with 14 left and 14 right-hand corners.
Already the circuit looks deeply impressive,with wide sweeping turns and welcome gradient changes much in evidence, while enormous looking run-off areas look set to make it a track day favourite.
Source: etracks
