World's Largest Racing Circuit - Gotland Ring

Currently, the title to the world's longest circuit goes to Germany's Nürburgring, referred to by some as the "Green Hell" (name given by Sir Jackie Stewart) or "The Ring." A Finnish man by the name of Alec Arho Havren has laid out his ambition to built the world's largest racing circuit in Gotland, Sweden by 2013, aptly named Gotland Ring. Mr. Havren has bought a large piece of land measuring approximately 6km square of what used to be an old limestone mine.

When completed, the circuit will measure a total distance of 28km, split into 6 sections capable of hosting simultaneous events. At the moment, the first section of the circuit, measuring 3.2km in the Northern Loop has been completed. A 4.2km Southern loop is expected to be completed by 2010 and together with the Northern loop, this layout is expected to form the "Grand Prix" profile that will be used by Formula One, which is expected to race here in the near future. Of course, we will have to wait for 2010 race calendar to be released before confirming if the Gotland Ring will be hosting the first Swedish Grand Prix since 1978. The entire circuit, complete with a family theme park and hotel is expected to be completed by 2015.


Due to the high cost of providing FIA approved barriers and fencing as well as TV coverage, it is not likely that GP races will cover the entire 28km of the circuit. In the same way Formula One cars no longer race the entire 21km of the Nurburgring. Endurance race events like the 24Hours of Nurburgring are more likely to use the longer stretches. But in the case of the Nurburgring "Northern Loop" Nordschleife, part of the reason is also because the Nordschleife has been deemed too dangerous for F1 after Nikki Lauda's massive fiery crash in '76 and the long length meant that it takes very long for rescue vehicles (pre-Mercedes safety car era) to reach the site of any accident.

As a reflection of the current state of political correctness in Europe, Gotland Ring is almost entirely powered by electricity generated from numerous giant wind turbines that can be seen along the circuit.

The circuit designer and owner Alec Arho Havren is an avid racer himself, said to have won a third of his races, including one in Nurburgring Nordschleife. That said, Gotland will never replace the magic of Nurburgring Nordschleife. Petrolheads who grow up in this generation will forever remember the Nissan GT-R vs Porsche 911 spat that took place there. On a more technical note, the Nordschleife has a combination of road that is not dissimilar to countryside B-roads. The combination of cambers, hill sections, crests, bumps and fast flowing corners provide an excellent workout for a car's chassis. If the car handles well here, it will handle well anywhere in the world. No wonder all the main high performance car divisions of major automakers have their bases next to the circuit. These test vehicles used are usually given "industrial pool" pass access. Gotland Ring just seemed too perfect, too clinical and is more suitable for high end motorsports like Formula One rather than vehicle dynamics validation as well as racing, functions which are currently served by the Nurburgring.

Nurburgring Nordschleife - one of the most beautiful circuits in the world.

Gotland is a small Swedish island near the Baltic sea. The capital is picturesque medieval city of Visby, with no less than 29 castles - complete with towers, high walls and moats. I am not a console game geek but I understand that the Gotland Ring is included in the latest GranTurismo 5 on Sony Playstation.