Zolder

Zolder will always be remembered as the circuit at which Gilles Villeneuve died during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. A memorial stands above the pits as a constant reminder. Even before 1982 it was an unloved venue – narrow, rough, hard on brakes, and littered with chicanes. Originally opened in 1963 in the Flemish part of Belgium, it first held the Belgian GP in 1973 when the race almost did not go ahead when the recently relayed tarmac broke up. Set in dense pine woodland, the race returned two years later, and the race would be held into the mid-1980s, by which time the shortened Spa-Francorchamps retook sole custody of the event. Two incidents marred the 1981 race weekend. Osella mechanic Giovanni Amadeo was killed when hit by a slow-moving car in the narrow pitlane. The race started with Arrows’ Dave Luckett still trying to restart Riccardo Patrese’s car on the grid, and he was injured when hit by the sister machine of Siegfried Stohr. Zolder was renovated in 1986, adding another chicane at the point where Villeneuve crashed. The FIA GT Championship, Champ Car World Series and German DTM have all visited and Zolder held the Formula 3 Masters in 2007 and 2008 when Zandvoort had too many races on its calendar due to its noise restrictions. A 24-hour race for national touring cars was introduced in 1983 and developed into an annual highlight.