Circuit Park Zandvoort
| 250px | |
| Circuit Park Zandvoort | |
|---|---|
| Location |  Burgemeester van Alphenstraat 108, 2041 KP Zandvoort, Netherlands
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| Events | Formula One; Marlboro Masters; A1GP (Season 2006-07) |
| Length km | 4.18 |
| Length mi | 2.6 |
| Turns | 11 |
| Record time | 1'19.880 |
| Record driver | Luca Badoer |
| Record team | Ferrari |
| Record year | 2001 |
Circuit Park Zandvoort is a motorsport race track located in the dunes near the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line.
Although there were some races at Zandvoort before World War II, a real circuit was not built until after the war, mainly designed by John Hugenholtz. The first event was held in 1949, as the Zandvoort Grand Prix. The following year, the race was called the Dutch Grand Prix, and it was included in the Formula One World Championship in 1952. In 1985, the Dutch Grand Prix was held for the last time, as part of the circuit had to be remodelled because of new buildings. Currently the circuit is again bidding to be included in the Formula One World Championship. The major event that is currently held at the circuit is the BP Ultimate Masters of Formula 3, where Formula 3 cars of several national racing series compete with each other.
The most famous corner in the circuit is the Tarzanbocht (Tarzan corner) which provides excellent overtaking opportunities. This corner is reportedly named after a local character who had earned the nickname of Tarzan and only wanted to give up his vegetable garden in the dunes if the track's designers named a nearby corner after him.
In the history of the circuit, several fatal accidents have occurred; among them are Piers Courage during the 1970 Dutch Grand Prix, and Roger Williamson in 1973.
The older 'Classic' Zandvoort circuit layout is modeled in detail and can be driven in the Grand Prix Legends racing simulation for X86-based pc's.
Circuit Park Zandvoort played host to the first race in the 2006/07 season of A1 Grand Prix from 29 September - 1 October 2006. Benefiting from the excitement of the first race, and the most enthusiastic fans in the world, A1 Team The Netherlands home race is bound to be one of the highlights on the A1 Grand Prix calendar.
See also: List of Formula One circuits
External links