Circuit Ricardo Tormo, also known as Circuit de Valencia and officially named Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo, is a 4.005 km (2.489 mi) motorsport race track located in Cheste (Valencian Community, Spain) and built in 1999. The track is named after Spanish, two-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle racer Ricardo Tormo (1952–1998), who died in 1998 of leukemia. It has a capacity of 120,000 and a main straight of 0.876 km (0.544 mi).
![]() Grand Prix Circuit (1999–present) | |
Location | Cheste, Valencian Community, Spain |
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Time zone | CET (UTC+1) CEST (DST) |
Coordinates | 39°29′9″N 0°37′41″W |
Capacity | 120,000 |
FIA Grade | 1 (GP) 2 (External) 3E (Formula E) |
Broke ground | 1998 |
Opened | November 1998 |
Major events | Current: Grand Prix motorcycle racing Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix (1999–present) European motorcycle Grand Prix (2020) GT World Challenge Europe (2021–present) NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (2012, 2014–present) FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship (2012–present) Former: Formula E Valencia ePrix (2021) WTCC Race of Spain (2005–2012) World SBK (2000–2010) Sidecar World Championship (2000–2003) Le Mans Series (2007) MotoE (2019) FREC (2021) DTM (2010–2012) GP2 (2006–2007) GP3 (2013) ETCC (2004) |
Grand Prix Circuit (1998–present) | |
Length | 4.005 km (2.488 miles) |
Turns | 14 |
Race lap record | 1:21.244 (![]() |
Formula E Circuit (2021–present) | |
Length | 3.376 km (2.098 miles) |
Turns | 15 |
Race lap record | 1:30.081 (![]() |
External Circuit | |
Length | 3.036 km (1.886 miles) |
Turns | 11 |
Website | www |
The track hosts the MotoGP Valencian Community Grand Prix. Also, the FIA GT Championship had a race there in 2000 and 2004, the World Touring Car Championship from 2005 to 2012, the European Le Mans Series in 2007, and the DTM from 2010 to 2012. It has also been Formula E's pre-season test venue since the 2017–18 season, having moved from Donington Park, with the circuit also considered a replacement venue for the 2019–20 season because of the COVID-19 crisis cancelling numerous rounds. It was also the GP3 Series (now FIA Formula 3 Championship) pre-season test venue until the 2017 season. The series also hosted a one-off event at the track in 2013. The GP2 Series (now FIA Formula 2 Championship) also held rounds at the track in 2006 and 2007. Valencia has also hosted the season-opening round of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series since 2014.
The circuit has been used by Formula E as a pre-season testing venue since 2017. On 28 January 2021, it was announced that the circuit would host the Valencia ePrix as the 5th and 6th round of the 2020–21 Formula E World Championship, to be held on 24 April 2021, replacing the cancelled Paris ePrix. It was the first time an ePrix has been held on a permanent race circuit, albeit on a unique configuration.[1] One of the differences between the normal track for pre-season testing and the track used for the race was the installation of a temporary chicane in the start/finish straight. The track then turns right immediately after the exit of turn 8.
The track has been recreated in the videogames Tourist Trophy and Gran Turismo PSP. The track also appears in other video games like Alfa Romeo Racing Italiano, GTR Evolution and rFactor as well. As it is a MotoGP round host, the track has appeared in every MotoGP game since its début in 1999. The latest recreation of the track was in MotoGP 20, and the SBK games during 2006–2013.
Anthony Davidson holds the unofficial lap record, set in 2006 while testing a Honda RA106, with a time of 1:08.540sec.[3] The official race lap records at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo are listed as:
Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Prix Circuit: 4.005 km (1998–present) | ||||
F1 (unofficial) | 1:08.540 | Anthony Davidson | Honda RA106 | 2006 Formula One season testing |
GP2 (official) | 1:21.244 | Andreas Zuber | Dallara GP2/05 | 2006 Valencia GP2 Series round |
Formula Renault 3.5 | 1:22.448[4] | Éric Salignon | Dallara T05 | 2005 Valencia Formula Renault 3.5 Series round |
GP3 | 1:24.487[5] | Melville McKee | Dallara GP3/13 | 2013 Ricardo Tormo GP3 Series round |
Euroseries 3000 | 1:24.868[6] | Marco Bonanomi | Lola B05/52 | 2009 Valencia Euroseries 3000 round |
LMP1 | 1:25.234[7] | Stéphane Sarrazin | Peugeot 908 HDi FAP | 2007 1000 km of Valencia |
Formula 3 | 1:26.378[8] | Felix Rosenqvist | Dallara F312 | 2012 Valencia Formula 3 round |
DTM | 1:27.116[9] | Bruno Spengler | BMW M3 DTM | 2012 Valencia DTM round |
F2 (2009–2012) | 1:28.322 | Kazim Vasiliauskas | Williams JPH1 | 2009 Valencia Formula Two round |
LMP2 | 1:28.406[7] | Thomas Erdos | MG-Lola EX264 | 2007 1000 km of Valencia |
International Formula Master | 1:28.700[10] | Josef Král | Tatuus N.T07 | 2009 Valencia Formula Master round |
FREC | 1:30.153[11] | Dino Beganovic | Tatuus F.3 T-318 | 2021 Valencia FREC round |
MotoGP | 1:31.042 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Desmosedici GP21 | 2021 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix |
GT1 (GTS) | 1:32.241[12] | Uwe Alzen | Saleen S7-R | 2004 FIA GT Valencia 500km |
GT3 | 1:32.649[13] | Raffaele Marciello | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | 2021 Valencia GT World Challenge Europe round |
Formula 4 | 1:33.682[14] | Mari Boya | Tatuus F4-T014 | 2020 Valencia F4 Spain round |
Formula Renault 2.0 | 1:33.801[15] | Adrian Zaugg | Tatuus FR2000 | 2005 Valencia Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 round |
World SBK | 1:34.618 | Noriyuki Haga | Ducati 1098R | 2009 Valencia World SBK round |
Moto2 | 1:34.820 | Thomas Lüthi | Kalex Moto2 | 2019 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix |
SRO GT2 | 1:35.414[16] | Elia Erhart | Audi R8 LMS GT2 | 2022 Valencia GT2 European Series round |
250cc | 1:35.659 | Mika Kallio | KTM 250 FRR | 2007 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix |
Ferrari Challenge | 1:35.712[17] | Sam Smeeth | Ferrari 488 Challenge | 2019 Valencia Ferrari Challenge round |
Carrera Cup | 1:35.793[18] | Dorian Boccolacci | Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup | 2022 Valencia Porsche Carrera Cup France round |
N-GT | 1:36.024[12] | Sascha Maassen | Porsche 911 (996) GT3-RSR | 2004 FIA GT Valencia 500km |
500cc | 1:36.085 | Àlex Crivillé | Honda NSR500 | 2000 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix |
World SSP | 1:36.865 | Cal Crutchlow | Yamaha YZF-R6 | 2009 Valencia World SSP round |
GT2 | 1:38.016[7] | Dirk Werner | Porsche 911 (997) GT3 RSR | 2007 1000 km of Valencia |
Moto3 | 1:38.790 | Deniz Öncü | KTM RC250GP | 2022 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix |
125cc | 1:39.380 | Héctor Faubel | Aprilia RSV 250 | 2007 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix |
MotoE | 1:40.234 | Eric Granado | Energica Ego | 2019 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix |
Stock car racing | 1:40.764[19] | Alon Day | Chevrolet Camaro NASCAR | 2020 Valencia NASCAR Whelen Euro Series round |
TCR Touring Car | 1:42.275[20] | Mike Halder | Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) | 2021 Valencia TCR Spain round |
Super 2000 | 1:42.438[21] | Augusto Farfus | Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Super 2000 | 2004 Valencia ETCC round |
Formula E Circuit: 3.376 km (2021–present) | ||||
Formula E | 1:30.081 | Alexander Sims | Mahindra M7Electro | 2021 Valencia ePrix |
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