Automotodróm Slovakia Ring Explained

Automotodróm Slovakia Ring
Location:Orechová Potôň, Slovakia
Time:CET (UTC+1)
CEST (DST)
Coordinates:48.0539°N 17.5708°W
Fiagrade:2 (for Variant V4b)
3 (for Variant V4)
Events:Current:
FIA European Truck Racing Championship (2017–2019, 2022–present)
TCR Eastern Europe Trophy
(2019–present)
Former:
FIA WTCR Race of Slovakia
(2012–2016, 2018–2020)
FIM EWC (2017–2019)
Sidecar World Championship (2018)
TCR Europe (2021)
Blancpain GT Series (2014)
FIA GT Series (2013)
FIA GT1 (2012)
ADAC GT Masters (2013–2014)
Architect:Hans Roth[1]
Layout1:Grand Prix Circuit (Variant 4b) (2018–present)
Length Km:5.935
Length Mi:3.888
Turns:16
Record Time:1:45.932
Record Driver: Klaas Zwart
Record Car:Jaguar R5 F1
Record Year:2019
Record Class:F1
Layout2:Grand Prix Circuit (Variant 4) (2009–present)
Length Km2:5.922
Length Mi2:3.860
Turns2:14
Record Time2:1:43.115
Record Driver2: Andreas Zuber
Record Car2:Dallara GP2/05
Record Year2:2010
Record Class2:GP2

Automotodróm Slovakia Ring is a motor racing circuit in Orechová Potôň, Dunajská Streda District in Slovakia, approximately away from Bratislava Airport. It was built between 2008 and 2009.[2]

Description

New Zealand race car driver Matt Halliday suggested that the rear engine Porsches struggled with Slovakia Ring's long radius corners with much less front aerodynamics than the other cars.[3]

A major feature of the circuit is a prominent hump on one of the straights that causes some cars to fly with the front wheels off the ground. Only one car has flipped over entirely and crashed after going over the hump at a high speed. Prior to start of the 2014 season the hump between turns 2 and 3 was rebuilt.

Major events

FIA GT Championship and Blancpain Sprint Series

FIA GT3 European Championship

On 21 August 2011, the track hosted the fifth round of the 2011 FIA GT3 European Championship season. Winners of the two 29-lap races were Dominik Baumann and Brice Bosi in the first, and Philippe Giauque and Mike Parisy in the second, both teams driving in Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Many cars flew on the second hill.[4]

FIA GT1 World ChampionshipOn 10 June 2012, the track hosted the fourth round of the 2012 FIA GT1 World Championship season.[5] The winners of the qualifying race were Filip Salaquarda and Toni Vilander in a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, and the winners of the championship race were Michael Bartels and Yelmer Buurman in a BMW Z4 GT3.
FIA GT SeriesOn 18 August 2013, the track hosted the fourth round of the 2013 FIA GT Series season.[6]
Blancpain Sprint SeriesOn 24 August 2014, the track hosted the fourth round of the 2014 Blancpain Sprint Series season, the successor of the FIA GT Series.[7]

FIA World Touring Car Championship and Cup

On 6 February 2012, it was announced that Slovakia Ring will replace the Argentina race in the 2012 World Touring Car Championship calendar.[8] The event took place on 29 April 2012, with Gabriele Tarquini winning the first race in a SEAT León and Robert Huff the second race in a Chevrolet Cruze.[9]

It also hosted the Race of Slovakia in the following 2013 season calendar. The event took place on 28 April 2013, with Gabriele Tarquini winning the first race in a Honda Civic, and Tom Coronel the second race in BMW 320 TC.[10]

The race was featured again as the fourth round of the 2014 season, which took place on 11 May 2014.[11] The winning driver of the first race was Sébastien Loeb in a Citroën C-Elysée, while the second race was cancelled due to heavy rain.[12]

In 2015, the race was pushed forward to 21 June, and the two winners were Yvan Muller and Sébastien Loeb, both in Citroën C-Elysée.

In 2016, it was pulled back to 17 April and the format of the championship was slightly changed, with an opening race with the top grid positions inversed and a second main race with the grid from the qualifying session. The winners were Tiago Monteiro in a Honda Civic in the opening race, and José María López in a Citroën C-Elysée in the main race.

In 2017, the race was not featured in the series calendar.

In 2018, with the new FIA World Touring Car Cup regulations and format, the race was added to the calendar on 7 June, once again as a replacement of the Argentina race.[13] It took place on 13–15 July and the winners were Pepe Oriola in a Cupra León in the first race, and Gabriele Tarquini and Norbert Michelisz in the second and third races, both in Hyundai i30.

In 2019, the race was featured as the third round of the racing calendar, in the weekend 10–12 May. All three races took place on Sunday, as the event ran together with the FIM Endurance World Championship support series.[14] The winners were Frédéric Vervisch (Audi RS3), Néstor Girolami (Honda Civic), and the Chinese driver Ma Qing Hua (Alfa Romeo Giulietta).

ADAC GT Masters

On 14 and 15 September 2013, the track hosted the seventh round of the 2013 ADAC GT Masters season.

Between 8 and 10 August 2014, the track hosted the fifth round of the 2014 ADAC GT Masters season.[15] [16]

Acceleration 2014

Between 4 and 6 July 2014, the Slovakia Ring hosted the fifth weekend of Acceleration 2014, a series of festivals combining top class car and bike racing with music and entertainment.

Touring Car Endurance Series

The first ever 24 hours automobile sport event at the Slovakia Ring was the Hankook 24H SLOVAKIA RING on 15 and 16 June 2016, as part of the Touring Car Endurance Series. The race had a rather close finish. After 24 hours there was just a 20.9 seconds lead for ARC Bratislava by Ferry Monster Autosport.[17] after 2016 Tour Car Endurance Series has not showed back to the event due to low car count.

FIA European Truck Racing Championship

Between 15 and 16 July 2017, the track will host the fourth round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship.[18]

The track was featured again in the 2018 season, between 14 and 15 July, as a support series of the FIA World Touring Car Cup.

The track was featured again in the 2022 season, between 2 and 3 July for the 3rd round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship. From 2022, the track has been part of this championship.

Events

Current
Former

Parameters

Lap records

held the unofficial lap record with a lap of 1:39.002 with Jaguar R5 F1 in 2019. As of September 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Automotodróm Slovakia Ring are listed as:[19]

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleEvent
Grand Prix Circuit Variant 4b: 5.935 km (2018–present)
1:45.932[20] 2019 Slovakiaring Maxx Formula round
Grand Prix Circuit Variant 4: 5.922 km (2009–present)
1:43.115 2010 Slovakiaring EuroBOSS round
1:56.296[21] 2019 Slovakiaring Ultimate Cup round
2:00.132[22] 2014 Slovakiaring Blancpain GT round
2:02.650[23] 2023 Slovakiaring Porsche Sprint Challenge Central Europe round
2:03.368[24] 2023 2nd Slovakiaring Alpe Adria Superbike round
2:03.456[25] 2023 Slovakiaring Formula 4 CEZ round
2:03.886[26] 2019 8 Hours of Slovakiaring
2:05.748[27] 2015 FIA WTCC Race of Slovakia
2:07.609[28] 2013 Slovakiaring ADAC Formel Masters round
2:08.164[29] 2023 1st Slovakiaring Alpe Adria Supersport round
2:10.590[30] 2021 Slovakiaring TCR Europe round
2:12.071[31] 2021 Slovakiaring Porsche Sprint Challenge Central Europe round
2:12.918 2013 FIA WTCC Race of Slovakia
2:17.934[32] 2014 Slovakiaring MW-V6 Pickup Series round
2:22.086[33] 2023 2nd Slovakiaring Alpe Adria Supersport 300 round
2:30.513[34] 2014 Slovakiaring ETC round
2:42.803[35] 2017 Slovakiaring ETRC round

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About the race track . Slovakia Ring . 12 September 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120921011857/http://www.slovakiaring.sk/about-the-track-information-map-driving-experience/ . 21 September 2012 .
  2. Web site: Slovakiaring. Track Reviewers. 27 May 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120513032159/http://trackreviewers.com/reviews/slovakia-ring/. 13 May 2012. dmy-all.
  3. Web site: Tough weekend' for Porsche duo. gt1world.com. 15 June 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121008213245/http://gt1world.com/news/details/tough-weekend-for-porsche-duo. 8 October 2012. dead. dmy-all.
  4. Web site: Event details. FIA GT3 European Championship. 27 May 2012.
  5. Web site: Calendar . https://web.archive.org/web/20120502052225/http://gt1world.com/index.php/calendar . FIA GT1 World Championship . 4 April 2012 . 2 May 2012 . 21 April 2012 . dead . dmy-all.
  6. Web site: Calendar . https://web.archive.org/web/20130722125240/http://www.fiagtseries.com/calendar . FIA GT Series . 22 July 2013 . 14 July 2013 . dead.
  7. Web site: Calendar 2022.
  8. Web site: Slovakia Ring replaces Argentina . WTCC . 6 February 2012 .
  9. Web site: Event details . https://archive.today/20120729194252/http://www.fiawtcc.com/events/detail/id/42 . WTCC . 29 July 2012 . 27 May 2012 . dead.
  10. Web site: Slovakia Ring . WTCC . https://web.archive.org/web/20130510022104/http://www.fiawtcc.com/events?idSeason=25&idEvent=150 . 10 May 2013 . 14 July 2013 . dead.
  11. Web site: Archived copy . https://web.archive.org/web/20120616194425/http://www.igd.com.tr/Upload/file_4d9f1f3815b2d.pdf . 16 June 2012 . 29 June 2012 . dead.
  12. Web site: FIA WTCR | World Touring Car Cup.
  13. Web site: Slovakia added to WTCR OSCARO calendar . https://web.archive.org/web/20200923185310/https://www.fiawtcr.com/slovakia-added-to-wtcr-oscaro-calendar/ . 7 June 2018 . 23 September 2020 . 30 December 2018 . dead.
  14. Web site: All you need to know about WTCR Race of Slovakia . 3 May 2019 .
  15. Web site: Runschke. Oliver. Second half of ADAC GT Masters season about to commence at Slovakia Ring. automobilsport.com. 11 February 2015.
  16. Web site: ADAC GT Masters | ADAC Motorsport.
  17. Web site: 24H SLOVAKIA RING 14-15-16 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161204103535/http://www.touringcarenduranceseries.com/2016/24h-slovakia-ring . 4 December 2016 . 6 December 2016 . dead.
  18. Web site: Slovakia Ring, 15 - 16 Jul 2017.
  19. Web site: Slovakiaring - Race Track Records . 21 March 2021.
  20. Web site: OMV MAXXMotion Truck Race of Slovakia - Slovakia Ring, length 5922 m - 05.-07. July 2019 - MAXX Formula - Final Result Race 2 . 7 July 2019 . 21 July 2024.
  21. Web site: 2019 Ultimate Cup Series Slovakia Ring Challenge Proto 6H Endurance Final Classification . 25 May 2019 . 2 January 2023.
  22. Web site: 2014 Blancpain GT Series Slovakia Ring Main Race . 24 August 2014 . 27 July 2022.
  23. Web site: 2023 Porsche Sprint Challenge Central Europe Round 1 - Slovakiaring - PSCCE 100 Miles of Slovakia - Result of Race . 13 May 2023 . 13 May 2023.
  24. Web site: Alpe Adria European Championship - Round 5 - Slovakiaring - 8/10 September 2023 - SBK/1000 STK - Race 2 . 10 September 2023 . 31 July 2024.
  25. Web site: 2023 OMV MAXXMotion FIA ETRC Truck Race of Slovakia - F4 CEZ - Official Result Race 1 . 10 June 2023 . 10 June 2023.
  26. Web site: 2019 8 Hours EWC Slovakia Ring - Race - Final Ranking . 11 May 2019 . 21 March 2021.
  27. Web site: WTCC 2015 » Slovakiaring Round 11 Results . 21 June 2015 . 27 July 2022.
  28. Web site: 2013 Formel ADAC - Slovakia Ring - Result List Race 1 . 14 September 2013 . 27 July 2022.
  29. Web site: Alpe Adria European Championship - Round 1 - Slovakiaring - 26/28 May 2023 - SST600/Cup 600/SSP600/Moto2 - Race 1 . 28 May 2023 . 31 July 2024.
  30. Web site: TCR EU 2021 » Slovakiaring Round 1 Results . 8 May 2021 . 27 July 2022.
  31. Web site: 2021 Porsche Sprint Challenge Central Europe Round 2 - Slovakiaring - PSCCE GT3 Cup & GT4 Clubsport - Result of Race 1 . 11 June 2021 . 1 May 2022.
  32. Web site: Acceleration 2014 - Event 5 - Slovakia - MW-V6 Pickup - Race 3 . 6 July 2014 . 8 June 2024.
  33. Web site: Alpe Adria European Championship - Round 5 - Slovakiaring - 8/10 September 2023 - SSP 300 - Race 1 . 9 September 2023 . 31 July 2024.
  34. Web site: ETC Cup 2014 » Slovakiaring Round 4 Results . 11 May 2014 . 17 December 2022.
  35. Web site: FIA European Truck Racing Championship - Slovakia Ring, length 5922 m - 15. - 16. July 2017 - FIA European Truck Racing Championship - Final Result Championship Race 1, 15.07.2017 . 15 July 2017 . 21 July 2024.