Drivecenter Arena, previously known as Skellefteå Drive Center, is a motorsport race track in Fällfors (Västerbotten County), Sweden. The circuit opened in 2019 having been converted from a retired Swedish Air Force base, Fällfors Air Base (ICAO: ESUF).
| Location | Fällfors, Sweden |
|---|---|
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) CEST (DST) |
| Coordinates | 65°6′27″N 20°45′40″E / 65.10750°N 20.76111°E |
| Operator | Jan Marklund |
| Opened | 14 June 2019 |
| Construction cost | SEK 45 million |
| Architect | TTI GmbH |
| Former names | Skellefteå Drive Center |
| Major events | Future: PSC Scandinavia (2019–2020, 2022–2023, 2025) Former: GT4 Scandinavia (2019, 2021–2022) STCC (2019–2022) |
| Full Circuit (2019–present) | |
| Length | 4.270 km (2.653 miles) |
| Turns | 16 |
| Race lap record | 1:45.570 ( Hampus Ericsson, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 2023, Carrera Cup) |
| Sprint Circuit (2019–present) | |
| Length | 3.339 km (2.075 miles) |
| Turns | 13 |
History
editFällfors Air Base had been a modernised Swedish Air Force base with three runways and a reinforced section of adjoining highway to act as a spare runway. The base was built in the 1950s. The base operated Saab 29 Tunnan, Saab 32 Lansen, Saab 35 Draken and Saab 37 Viggen fighter-bombers over the years. One of its features was a mountain hangar built in rock in the dispersal area to the north of the runways.[1] The base closed in 2006. The base was sold off and the Skellefteå Drive Center opened in 2008 and operated as a driver training and vehicle testing facility, with the former runways used occasionally for drag racing. After an ownership change in 2017 the anticipated motor racing circuit was completed and the held their first race on 14 June 2019.[2] The circuit is 4.270 km (2.653 mi) long, the longest circuit in Sweden, approximately 245 m (804 ft) longer than Anderstorp Raceway.
At the opening Midnattsolsloppet meeting the circuit hosted both domestic and international motor racing with TCR Scandinavia, Formula Nordic, both the Swedish and North European Zone championships, Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia and GT4 Scandinavia racing series.
Lap records
editAs of July 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Drivecenter Arena are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Circuit: 4.270 km (2019–present) | ||||
| Porsche Carrera Cup | 1:45.570[3] | Hampus Ericsson | Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup | 2023 Skellefteå Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia round |
| Sports car racing | 1:49.158[4] | Filip Svensson | Radical SR3 | 2021 Skellefteå Radical Cup Scandinavia round |
| Formula Renault 1.6 | 1:53.197[5] | Linus Granfors | Signatech FR1.6 | 2023 Skellefteå Formula Nordic round |
| TCR Touring Car | 1:53.488[6] | Oliver Söderström | Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR | 2021 Skellefteå TCR STCC round |
| GT4 | 1:53.494[7] | Magnus Gustavsen | Audi R8 LMS GT4 | 2021 Skellefteå GT4 Scandinavia round |
References
edit- ^ "Fällfors". Abandoned Forgotten & Little Known Airfields in Europe. 19 December 2011.
- ^ "Om Oss" (in Swedish). Drivercenter Arena.
- ^ "Porsche Carrera Cup Fällfors 2023 - Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia, Heat 4, 17 varv". 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ "Midnattssolsloppet Skellefteå 2021 - Radical, Heat 1, 10 laps". 19 June 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "Porsche Carrera Cup Fällfors 2023 - Formula Nordic, Heat 3, 9 varv". 1 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ "TCR Scandinavia Touring Car Championship 2021 » Skellefteå Round 5 Results". 19 June 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Midnattssolsloppet 2021 - Result of GT4 Scandinavia - Race 2 Result of Race 2" (PDF). 19 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
External links
edit- Official site (in Swedish)
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