Kymi Ring
The Kymi Ring is a motor racing circuit in Kausala of the Iitti municipality, Päijänne Tavastia, Finland, bordering the Kymenlaakso's regional capital Kouvola, and located 110 kilometres (68 mi) north-east of the capital Helsinki. It is the first circuit in Finland to hold an FIA Grade One license.
 | |
| Location | Tillola, Iitti, Päijänne Tavastia, Finland |
|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+2/UTC+3 |
| Coordinates | 60°52′38″N 026°28′55″E |
| Capacity | 35,000 seats[1] 100,000+ total |
| FIA Grade | 1 |
| Broke ground | June 2016 |
| Opened | 19 August 2019 |
| Major events | MotoGP Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix (2021–) |
| Main Track | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 4.650 km (2.88 mi) |
| Turns | 18 |
| GP East | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.440 km (1.52 mi) |
| Turns | 5 |
| GP West | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 2.220 km (1.38 mi) |
| Turns | 10 |
| Rallycross | |
| Surface | Asphalt, gravel |
| Turns | 7 |
| Website | en |
The track was officially opened on 19 August 2019 with a small MotoGP test.[2] The name "Kymi" comes from the Kymi River (Kymijoki), in the valley of which the race track is located.
Facilities
The main racetrack, designed by Pohjola and Apex is 4.6-kilometre (2.9 mi) long. In addition, the complex will have a 1.56-kilometre (0.97 mi) rallycross track with a 0.1-kilometre (0.062 mi) joker lap, diverting from the main circuit's finish line.
Driver training facilities for the use of local driving schools are located next to the main track, using parts of the track to provide various customisable training modules. A traffic safety theme park for families with children is also included in the plans.
Kymi Ring in its entirety covers an area of 1.8 square kilometres (0.69 sq mi). The infield of the track can be utilised as a venue for fairs, festivals and other mass events, with room for hospitality and dining services. Potential businesses, especially those of the automotive trade, have been designated a business park area at the circuit's outskirts, next to the main road 12.
Accommodation services at the circuit consist mainly of trackside cabins, called "toy barns" by the circuit management.[3] Any potential hotels at the venue will be built at a later stage.
Kymi Ring is the first and only track in the Nordic countries that meets the highest, FIA Grade 1 license.
Competitions
In July 2017, Kymi Ring and Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of MotoGP, signed a five-year contract for organising the Finnish motorcycle Grand Prix. The event was initially supposed to be on the 2020 MotoGP calendar, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was moved to 2021. It will be the first time motorcycle racing's premier class would race in the country since 1981.
References
- "Kuvat: Tällainen Suomeen rakennettava F1-rata olisi – valmis kesällä 2018". Iltalehti (in Finnish). 3 February 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- "Test riders sample "very different" Kymi Ring track". Motorsport.com. 20 August 2019.
- "Toy Barns » KymiRing". KymiRing. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
External links
Media related to KymiRing at Wikimedia Commons- Kymi Ring's official website