 Grand Prix Circuit (Variant 4) (2009–present) | |
| Location | Orechová Potôň, Slovakia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 48°03′14″N17°34′15″E / 48.05389°N 17.57083°E /48.05389; 17.57083 |
| FIA Grade | 2 (for Variant V4b) 3 (for Variant V4) |
| Broke ground | October 2008; 17 years ago (2008-10) |
| Opened | 1 October 2009; 16 years ago (2009-10-01) |
| Architect | Hans Roth[1] |
| Major 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) |
| Website | http://slovakiaring.sk/home-en/ |
| Grand Prix Circuit (Variant 4b) (2018–present) | |
| Length | 5.935 km (3.688 mi) |
| Turns | 16 |
| Race lap record | 1:45.932 ( Klaas Zwart [de],Jaguar R5 F1,2019,F1) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (Variant 4) (2009–present) | |
| Length | 5.922 km (3.680 mi) |
| Turns | 14 |
| Race lap record | 1:43.115 ( Andreas Zuber,Dallara GP2/05,2010,GP2) |
Automotodróm Slovakia Ring is a 5.935 km (3.688 mi) motorracing circuit inOrechová Potôň,Dunajská Streda District in Slovakia, approximately 30 km (19 mi) away fromBratislava Airport. It was built between 2008 and 2009.[2]
New Zealand race car driverMatt 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.[citation needed] Prior to start of the 2014 season the hump between turns 2 and 3 was rebuilt.
On 21 August 2011, the track hosted the fifth round of the2011 FIA GT3 European Championship season. Winners of the two 29-lap races were Dominik Baumann and Brice Bosi in the first, and Philippe Giauque andMike Parisy in the second, both teams driving inMercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Many cars flew on the second hill.[4]
On 10 June 2012, the track hosted the fourth round of the2012 FIA GT1 World Championship season.[5] The winners of the qualifying race wereFilip Salaquarda andToni Vilander in aFerrari 458 Italia GT3, and the winners of the championship race wereMichael Bartels andYelmer Buurman in aBMW Z4 GT3.
On 18 August 2013, the track hosted the fourth round of the2013 FIA GT Series season.[6]
On 24 August 2014, the track hosted the fourth round of the2014 Blancpain Sprint Series season, the successor of theFIA GT Series.[7]
On 6 February 2012, it was announced that Slovakia Ring will replace the Argentina race in the2012 World Touring Car Championship calendar.[8] The event took place on 29 April 2012, withGabriele Tarquini winning the first race in aSEAT León andRobert Huff the second race in aChevrolet Cruze.[9]
It also hosted the Race of Slovakia in the following2013 season calendar. The event took place on 28 April 2013, withGabriele Tarquini winning the first race in aHonda Civic, andTom Coronel the second race inBMW 320 TC.[10]
The race took place on 11 May 2014 as part of the2014 World Touring Car Championship season. The winning driver of the first race wasSébastien Loeb in aCitroën C-Elysée, while the second race was cancelled due to heavy rain.[11]
In 2015, the race was pushed forward to 21 June, and the two winners wereYvan Muller andSébastien Loeb, both inCitroën 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 wereTiago Monteiro in aHonda Civic in the opening race, andJosé María López in aCitroën C-Elysée in the main race.
In 2017, the race was not featured in the series calendar.[citation needed]
In 2018, with the newFIA 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.[12] It took place on 13–15 July and the winners werePepe Oriola in aCupra León in the first race, andGabriele Tarquini andNorbert Michelisz in the second and third races, both inHyundai i30.[citation needed]
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 theFIM Endurance World Championship support series.[13] The winners wereFrédéric Vervisch (Audi RS3),Néstor Girolami (Honda Civic), and the Chinese driverMa Qing Hua (Alfa Romeo Giulietta).[citation needed]
On 14 and 15 September 2013, the track hosted the seventh round of the2013 ADAC GT Masters season.[citation needed]
Between 8 and 10 August 2014, the track hosted the fifth round of the2014 ADAC GT Masters season.[14][15]
Between 4 and 6 July 2014, the Slovakia Ring hosted the fifth weekend ofAcceleration 2014, a series of festivals combining top class car and bike racing with music and entertainment.[citation needed]
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 theTouring 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.[16] after 2016 Tour Car Endurance Series has not showed back to the event due to low car count.[citation needed]
Between 15 and 16 July 2017, the track will host the fourth round of theFIA European Truck Racing Championship.[17]
The track was featured again in the 2018 season, between 14 and 15 July, as a support series of theFIA World Touring Car Cup.
The track was featured again in the 2022 season, between 2 and 3 July for the 3rd round of theFIA European Truck Racing Championship. From 2022, the track has been part of this championship.
Klaas Zwart [de] held the unofficial lap record with a lap of 1:39.002 withJaguar R5 F1 in 2019. As of September 2025, the fastest official race lap records at the Automotodróm Slovakia Ring are listed as:[18]
Media related toSlovakiaring at Wikimedia Commons