The Imatra Circuit is a motorsport street circuit in Imatra, Finland. The circuit has existed in two versions, and has been exclusively used for the "Imatranajo" motorcycle road race. From 1962 to 1978 a 6.030 km (3.747 mi) clockwise street circuit in the east of the town of Imatra was used. The circuit ran along the Vuoksi river and a railway line that had to be crossed. From 1979 to 1986 a shorter circuit was used. This was only 4.950 km (3.076 mi) long and consisted mostly of the western part of the original circuit.
 The layouts of the Imatra circuit | |
| Location | Imatra, Finland |
|---|---|
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) EEST (DST) |
| Coordinates | 61°10′40.2″N 28°47′28.5″E / 61.177833°N 28.791250°E |
| Opened | 1962 Re-opened:August 2016 |
| Closed | 1986 |
| Former names | Imatra Circuit (1964–1986) |
| Major events | Current: International Road Racing Championship' Imatranajo (2016–present) Former: Grand Prix motorcycle racing Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix (1964–1982) Sidecar World Championship (1967–1973, 1980–1982) |
| Jarno Saarinen Imatranajo Circuit (1979–1986, 2016-present) | |
| Length | 4.950 km (3.076 miles) |
| Turns | 11 |
| Race lap record | 1:50.616 ( Danny Webb, BMW S1000RR, 2018, Superbikes) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (1964–1978) | |
| Length | 6.030 km (3.747 miles) |
| Turns | 14 |
| Race lap record | 2:05.900 ( Johnny Cecotto, Yamaha YZR500, 1977, 500cc) |
From the 1964 season until the 1982 season the Grand Prix of Finland was run 19 times in Imatra. From the 1983 season the "Imatranajo" lost its World Championship status due to the dangerous nature of the circuit and the death of sidecar driver Jock Taylor in 1982.[1]
The last road race on the Imatra Circuit for many years was held in 1986 when a six-year-old boy died after falling under a running wheel, but classic races still took place. Road racing returned to Imatra in August 2016[2] with a round of the International Road Racing Championship, and another round was held in 2017.[3] In the "Imatranajo" on June 15, 2019, a fatal crash occurred when a Swiss driver Mathias Gnägi with a Superbike class dropped off the track in the rain and was killed.
Lap records edit
The official race lap records at the Jarno Saarinen Imatranajo Circuit are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jarno Saarinen Imatranajo Circuit: 4.950 km (1979–1986, 2016-present) | ||||
| Superbikes | 1:50.616[4] | Danny Webb | BMW S1000RR | 2018 IRRC Imatranajo |
| 500cc | 1:54.000[4] | Marco Lucchinelli | Suzuki RG 500 gamma | 1981 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| 250cc | 2:10.300 | Gregg Hansford | Kawasaki KR250 | 1979 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| 125cc | 2:26.800 | Ricardo Tormo | Bultaco 125 | 1979 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| Grand Prix Circuit: 6.030 km (1964–1978) | ||||
| 500cc | 2:05.900[4] | Johnny Cecotto | Yamaha YZR500 | 1977 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| 350cc | 2:13.800 | Takazumi Katayama | Yamaha TZ 350 | 1978 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| 250cc | 2:16.600 | Walter Villa | Harley-Davidson RR250 | 1977 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| 125cc | 2:23.500 | Pier Paolo Bianchi | Morbidelli 125 | 1977 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix |
| 50cc | 2:59.900 | Julien Vanzeebroeck | Kreidler 50 GP | 1976 Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix |
Finnish Grand Prix results edit
From 1964 to 1972 edit
From 1973 to 1982 edit
(Coloured background = the race was boycotted by international competitors)
References and notes edit
- ^ "Throwback Thursday: Grand Prix on Streets". cyclenews.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ "Imatra – Round up – Road Racing News". 21 August 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ "Imatra Added to Duke Road Race Rankings Schedule – Road Racing News". 17 April 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "Imatranajo - Track". Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ The Sidecar Riders had had enough of the low starting money in Finland, and therefore the only competitors were six Finnish and one unknown German team. Of these, there were only three finishers, so the race was also rather boring. It delivered the first victory in the Sidecar Class for Honda because Kalevi Rahko and Kari Laatikainen won with their Honda CB 500 Four, followed by the BMW sidecars of Jaakko Palomäki / Juhani Vesterinen and Pentti Moskari / Olaf Sten
- Translated from the Dutch version of this page
External links edit
- Imatranajo website (in English)