Motorsport track in Belgium
"Zolder" redirects here. For the town of the same name, see
Heusden-Zolder .
Circuit Zolder Location Heusden-Zolder ,Belgium Coordinates 50°59′20″N 5°15′20″E / 50.98889°N 5.25556°E /50.98889; 5.25556 FIA Grade 2 Opened 19 June 1963; 62 years ago (1963-06-19 ) Major events Current: ETRC Belgian Truck Grand Prix (1987, 1989–1995, 1997–present)NASCAR Euro Series (2015–present)24 Hours of Zolder (1983–2019, 2021–present)Former: Formula One Belgian Grand Prix (1973, 1975–1982, 1984)Grand Prix motorcycle racing Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix (1980)FIA WTCR Race of Belgium (2010–2011, 2020)FIM EWC (1971–1972, 2006)Sidecar World Championship (1980)FIA ETCR (2022)TCR Europe (2016, 2020, 2024)DTM (2002, 2019–2021)Blancpain GT Series (2014–2015, 2017–2018)W Series (2019)Superleague Formula (2008–2011)Champ Car Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix (2007)FIA GT (1999–2001, 2007–2009)Masters of Formula 3 (2007–2008)Website http://www.circuit-zolder.be Grand Prix Circuit (2002–present) Length 4.010 km (2.492 mi) Turns 10 Race lap record 1:14.089 (Sébastien Bourdais ,Panoz DP01 ,2007 ,Champ Car ) Grand Prix Circuit (1986–2001) Length 4.184 km (2.600 mi) Turns 10 Race lap record 1:28.270 (Olivier Grouillard ,Lola T88/50 ,1988 ,F3000 ) Grand Prix Circuit (1975–1985) Length 4.262 km (2.648 mi) Turns 15 Race lap record 1:19.294 (René Arnoux ,Ferrari 126C4 ,1984 ,F1 ) Grand Prix Circuit (1973–1974) Length 4.220 km (2.622 mi) Turns 14 Race lap record 1:23.850 (Teddy Pilette ,Chevron B28 ,1974 ,F5000 ) Original Grand Prix Circuit (1963–1972) Length 4.186 km (2.601 mi) Turns 12 Race lap record 1:26.400 (Jochen Rindt ,Lotus 69 , 1970,F2 )
Circuit Zolder, 6 November 2008 TheCircuit Zolder , also known asCircuit Terlamen ,[ 1] is an undulating 4.011 km (2.492 mi)motorsport race track inHeusden-Zolder ,Belgium .
Built in 1963, Zolder hosted theFormula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1980Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix . F1 moved to Zolder in 1973 and with the exception of two races atNivelles-Baulers in 1972 and 1974 (both won byEmerson Fittipaldi ), Zolder was the location of the Belgian Grand Prix until 1982. That year, Canadian driverGilles Villeneuve was killed during qualifying at the1982 Belgian Grand Prix . Villeneuve'sFerrari 126C2 collided at speed with theMarch 821 ofJochen Mass . 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 atSpa-Francorchamps in1983 , before returning to Zolder one final time in1984 . Fittingly,Ferrari driverMichele Alboreto won the race carrying Villeneuve's #27 on his car. Since1985 , the Belgian Grand Prix has permanently moved to Spa.
Zolder has also been used for cycling events including theUCI Road World Championships twice in 1969 and 2002 and theUCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 1970,2002 and2016 . The latter saw the first confirmed use ofmechanical doping whenFemke Van den Driessche was found to have a secret motor inside her bike.[ 2] Since 2009, Circuit Zolder has hosted acyclo-cross race in December for theWorld Cup . The circuit hosted theUCI BMX World Championships in 2015.[ 3] In 2019 and for the first time ever theUCI BMX World Championships returned to Circuit Zolder.
In the beginning of 2006, the track underwent safety adaptations. In 2007, the track hosted aChamp Car World Series Grand Prix , and a round of theFIA GT Championship . The track was venue of a round of theWorld Series by Renault championship from 2003 to 2006, and replacedZandvoort as site for theMasters of Formula 3 in 2007 and 2008. Zolder was featured on the car programmeTop Gear in 2008. In the episode, the show's British hosts competed against their German counterparts fromD MOTOR . Zolder hosted also theFIA WTCC Race of Belgium in 2010, 2011, and 2020. The last race they drove in 2011 was won byRob Huff in a Chevrolet andGabriele Tarquini in a SEAT. TheWTCC then disappeared from the Belgian circuits until in 2014 the circus returned to Spa.
At this time, mainly theBlancpain Sprint Series and theBRCC national championship hosted a race in Zolder. The24 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 have hosted their final race of the season in Zolder since2015 .[ 4]
In 2019, for the first time in 17 years, theDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters returned to Circuit Zolder.[ 5] But the circuit lost its place in the DTM calendar to Spa-Francorchamps in2022 .
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.
Circuit Zolder layout history
Original Grand Prix Circuit (1963–1972)
Grand Prix Circuit (1973–1974)
Grand Prix Circuit (1975–1985)
Grand Prix Circuit (1986–2001)
Grand Prix Circuit (2002–present)
Current Former ADAC Formel Masters (2011)ADAC GT Masters (2007, 2011)ATS Formel 3 Cup (1972–1973, 1977–1979, 1981–1988, 1990–1994, 2000, 2011)Auto GP (2001, 2004, 2009, 2017)BMW M1 Procar Championship (1979)Blancpain Sprint Series (2014–2015, 2017–2018)BOSS GP (2000, 2003–2010, 2013, 2015, 2017)British Formula 3 International Series (1976, 1984–1986)Champ Car World Series Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2002, 2019–2021)Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (1984–1994)DTM Trophy (2020)ERA Championship (2022)Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (2001, 2005–2007)Eurocup Mégane Trophy (2005–2007)European Formula 5000 Championship (1974–1975)European Formula Two Championship (1975, 1980, 1983)European Touring Car Championship (1963–1968, 1977–1988, 2001)European Touring Car Cup (2015, 2017)FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup (2022)FIA European Formula 3 Championship (1977–1984)FIA Formula Two Championship (2010)FIA GT Championship (1999–2001, 2007–2009)FIA GT1 World Championship (2011–2012)FIM Endurance World Championship (1971–1972, 2006)Formula 750 (1977)Formula BMW ADAC (2002)Formula BMW Europe (2008)Formula One Formula Renault 3.5 Series (2005–2006)Formula Volkswagen Germany (2001–2002)French Formula Renault Championship (1978–1982)Grand Prix motorcycle racing GT4 European Series (2009, 2011, 2018)IDM Superbike Championship [de ] (1996, 2013–2019)International Formula 3000 (1988)International GTSprint Series (2013)International Sports Racing Series (1997)Masters of Formula 3 (2007–2008)Porsche Carrera Cup Germany (1989–1998, 2002)SEAT León Eurocup (2010)Sidecar World Championship (1980)Super Tourenwagen Cup (1994–1997)Superleague Formula Superstars Series (2013)TCR Europe Touring Car Series (2016, 2020, 2024)V8Star Series (2002)W Series (2019)World Series by Nissan (2003–2004)World Touring Car Championship World Touring Car Cup Cycling
The unofficial all-time outright track record is 1:12.821, set bySébastien Bourdais in aPanoz DP01 , during 2nd qualifying for the2007 Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix . As of September 2025, the fastest official race lap records at the Circuit Zolder are listed as:
^a b c Both drivers took the same lap time in both races of this round. ^ "Circuit Zolder" .^ Vinton, Nathaniel (1 February 2016)."Cyclist Femke Van den Driessche caught with hidden motor inside bike during race" .New York Daily News . Retrieved29 February 2016 . ^ "UCI BMX World Championships" .Circuit Zolder . Archived fromthe original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved25 July 2015 .^ "NASCAR Whelen Euro Series: What's New In 2015" .whelen.com .Whelen . 20 April 2015. Archived fromthe original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved5 August 2019 .^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (12 January 2019)."DTM abandons night-race format at Misano round for 2019" .autosport.com .Autosport . Retrieved5 August 2019 . ^ "H. ESSERS Belgian Truck Grand Prix - Circuit Zolder, length 4000 m 13. September - 15. September 2019 - MAXX Formula Result Race 1" (PDF) . 14 September 2019. Retrieved21 July 2024 .^ "2006 Formula Renault 3.5 Zolder Race 1 Statistics" . 29 April 2006. Retrieved4 January 2023 .^ "DTM 2020 » Zolder Round 16 Results" . 18 October 2020. Retrieved4 January 2023 .^ "2003 Formula Nissan Zolder (Race 1)" . 27 April 2003. Retrieved13 May 2024 .^ "FIA GT Championship Zolder 2009" . 25 October 2009. Retrieved5 April 2021 .^ "2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Zolder Race 2 Statistics" . 8 August 2021. Retrieved27 January 2023 .^ "2006 Formula Renault 2.0 Euro Zolder Race 1 Statistics" . 29 April 2006. Retrieved4 January 2023 .^ "Belgian Truck Grand Prix - Circuit Zolder, length 4000 m - 12–14 September 2025 - Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux - Final Result Race 1" (PDF) . 14 September 2025. Retrieved14 September 2025 .^a b "FIA GT Championship Zolder 2008" . 19 October 2008. Retrieved5 April 2021 .^ "2017 IDM Zolder IDM Superbike 1000 2. Race" (PDF) . 9 July 2017. Retrieved30 December 2022 .^ "3/4th Round Formula Volkswagen Zolder July 6/7th - Result 4th round, Zolder/B, July 7, 2002 (18 laps)" . 7 July 2002. Archived fromthe original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved30 May 2024 .^ "Round 1: Zolder Eurocup Megane Trophy Results Booklet" (PDF) . 4 May 2006. Retrieved26 June 2022 .^ "2008 Formula BMW Europe Zolder (Race 1)" . 1 June 2008. Retrieved5 July 2022 .^ "2019 IDM Zolder IDM SSP600-STK600 1. Race" (PDF) . 22 June 2019. Retrieved30 December 2022 .^ "ADAC Masters Weekend Zolder 10.06. - 12.06.2011 Circuit Zolder ADAC Formel Ergebnis Rennen 2" (PDF) . 12 June 2011. Retrieved27 July 2022 .^ "DTM Trophy Zolder 2020" . 18 October 2020. Retrieved16 May 2022 .^ "2020 NASCAR GP Belgium Round 2 Results" . 4 October 2020. Retrieved10 May 2021 .^ "2002 German V8 Touring Cars Round 5: Zolder, 7th July" . 7 July 2002. Retrieved19 July 2022 .^ "Truck Grand Prix 2013 - Formula Renaults 1.6 - Race 1" (PDF) . 22 September 2013. Retrieved6 January 2023 .^ "FIA ETCR - Race of Zolder 8-10 July 2022 Pool Furious - Semi Final 2 - 300KW - 40s. PU" . 10 July 2022. Retrieved10 July 2022 .^ "2002 Zolder DTM" .Motor Sport Magazine . 5 May 2002. Retrieved1 January 2023 .^ "2018 IDM Zolder IDM SSP300 2. Race" (PDF) . 8 July 2018. Retrieved30 December 2022 .^ "Circuit Zolder 8-10 July 2022 ERA Race - Final Ranking" . 10 July 2022. Retrieved10 July 2022 .^ "ETC Cup 2015 » Zolder Round 9 Results" . 20 September 2015. Retrieved6 January 2023 .^ "Belgian Truck Grand Prix - Circuit Zolder, length 4000 m - 12–14 September 2025 - Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship - Final Result Overall Race 2" (PDF) . 13 September 2025. Retrieved14 September 2025 .^ "1988 Zolder F3000" .Motor Sport Magazine . 16 October 1988. Retrieved18 May 2024 .^ "1999 New Race Festival Ergebnis Rennen" (PDF) . 18 April 1999. Retrieved15 July 2022 .^ "Interserie Zolder 1992" . 9 August 1992. Retrieved18 July 2022 .^a b "FIA GT Championship Zolder 2001" . 20 May 2001. Retrieved5 April 2021 .^ "International Sports Racing Series Zolder 1997" . 3 August 1997. Retrieved5 April 2021 .^ "2001 Formula Renault Eurocup - Zolder - Round 5, 19 May" . 19 May 2001. Retrieved27 May 2024 .^ "2001 German Formula Volkswagen - Round 4: Zolder, 19th August" . 19 August 2001. Retrieved30 May 2024 .^ "European Super Touring Championship 2001 » Zolder Round 9 Results" . 20 May 2001. Retrieved4 May 2022 .^ "FIA GT Championship Zolder 1999" . 18 July 1999. Retrieved4 January 2023 .^ "Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft 1994 » Zolder Round 1 Results" . 10 April 1994. Retrieved4 January 2023 .^ "Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft 1994 » Zolder Round 2 Results" . 10 April 1994. Retrieved4 January 2023 .^ "1996-07-20 to 1996-07-21 International Pro-Superbike Championship Race 1" . 21 July 1996. Retrieved18 May 2024 .^ "Belcar Zolder BM 1999" . 17 October 1999. Retrieved27 January 2023 .^ "Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft 1992 » Zolder Round 1 Results" . 4 April 1992. Retrieved16 May 2022 .^ "ADAC GT Cup Zolder 1993" . 30 May 1993. Retrieved5 January 2023 .^ "1983 Zolder F2" .Motor Sport Magazine . 21 August 1983. Retrieved4 May 2022 .^ "DRM Zolder 1983" . 20 March 1983. Retrieved5 January 2023 .^ "1984 Zolder European F3" .Motor Sport Magazine . 15 April 1984. Retrieved16 May 2022 .^ "1975 Zolder F5000" .Motor Sport Magazine . 27 April 1975. Retrieved4 May 2022 .^ "DRM Zolder Westfalen-Pokal 1981" . 23 August 1981. Retrieved5 January 2023 .^ "Interserie Zolder 1976" . 13 June 1976. Retrieved18 July 2022 .^ "Rennsport Trophäe Zolder 1983" . 20 March 1983. Retrieved5 January 2023 .^ "1979 Zolder BMW Procar" .Motor Sport Magazine . 12 May 1979. Retrieved9 May 2022 .^ "1978 Championnat de France Formule Renault Zolder" . 21 May 1978. Retrieved18 May 2024 .^ "Belgium Zolder 1977" . 4 September 1977. Retrieved5 January 2023 .^ "ETCC Zolder 1977" . 25 September 1977. Retrieved4 May 2022 .^ "1985 Zolder ETCC" .Motor Sport Magazine . 29 September 1985. Retrieved4 May 2022 .^ "1974 Zolder F5000" .Motor Sport Magazine . 27 April 1974. Retrieved4 May 2022 .^ "1970 Zolder F2" .Motor Sport Magazine . 24 May 1970. Retrieved4 May 2022 .^ "1963 Grote Prijs van Zolder Junior" . 25 August 1963. Retrieved15 July 2022 .^ "Zolder 1 Hour - Division 2 1968" . 5 May 1968. Retrieved4 May 2022 .^ "European Touring Car Cup Zolder - Division 2 1967" . 21 May 1967. Retrieved16 May 2022 .
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