Anderstorp Raceway: site of Brabham F1 fan car win has now been virtually silenced

Surrounded by forest and the flatlands of rural Sweden, Anderstorp was the home of the Swedish Grand Prix from 1973 to ’78 when ‘Superswede’ Ronnie Peterson was at the height of his career. It was a popular date on the calendar with the drivers but the Swedes no longer have a grand prix. Sadly there was little public or corporate support for the race after both Peterson and Gunnar Nilsson died during the 1978 Formula 1 season.

The circuit, originally known as the Scandinavian Raceway, was built on marshland in 1968, the long straight still used as an aircraft runway and the pits positioned half-way round the track. The layout was modified several times, a chicane was added at Norra Kurvan corner for 1974, and in the late 1990s it was shortened to its present length of 2.501 miles.

Anderstorp was designed by Holger Eriksson and F1 driver Jo Bonnier, a notable feature being the long, constant radius corners which were slightly banked.

Legend has it that the first ever race was held in secret as a practice run for the Anderstorp Racing Club. The first event open to spectators, in 1968, was an international sports car race won by none other than… Jo Bonnier.

In the mid-1980s, when Volvo joined the European Touring Car Championship, Anderstorp had something of a renaissance galvanised by Swedish cars and drivers. There was also World Superbikes and, later, the FIA GT Championship. But perhaps the track’s greatest spectacle was the sole appearance (and win) of the infamous Brabham BT46 ‘fan car’ here in 1978.

Like so many circuits, Anderstorp eventually succumbed to protests about the noise and now only 22 “noisy days” are allowed each year. As late as 2007
the WTCC held a round of the series at the circuit, Swede Rickard Rydell winning one of the two races much to the delight of the home crowd. Since those heady days there has been a ‘domestic’ calendar of events and there are more testing days than races.

Anderstorp Raceway

Length 2.505 miles
In use 1968 to present day
Fastest f1 Race Lap 1min 24.836sec, Niki Lauda, Brabham BT46B, 1978
Fastest post-f1 Lap 1min 21.525sec Marijn van Kalmthout, Benetton B197, EuroBoss, 2009

My top 3 tracks: Gordon Shedden

• Knockhill is my home track and where all Scottish drivers learn their trade so it’s obviously one of my favourites. It is an absolute roller-coaster with unparalleled action. It has some of the most spectacular corners in the whole of UK motor sport.
• Bathurst is one of the most challenging circuits in the world and well worth the effort of the journey all the way to Australia. There are high-speed sections, ups and downs, incredible undulations, and then the twisty sections at the top of the mountain.
• The Nordschleife is unique, the car racer’s equivalent of the Isle of Man TT course, 12.9 miles of total focus. It requires skill, patience and commitment in equal measure and the weather always plays its part there. This circuit is a true one-off by today’s standards.