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The Circuito Ascari resort is a private motorsports club for automotive enthusiasts and manufacturers with a long motor racing circuit near
After making his fortune in the oil industry, Zwart participated in various racing events, including the
In addition to the track, the clubhouse features a complete restaurant and pool reminiscent of a Spanish villa.
Many of the full circuit's 26 curves are deliberately reminiscent of famous turns at other tracks around the world. The track is wide, featuring ascending and descending grades of up to 12%, and banked turns of up to 18%. Visitors may choose to rent a car at the track, ranging from race-prepared regular production sports cars to ex-Formula 1 racing machines.
Ronda
Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...
, a city in the Spanish Province of Málaga
The province of Málaga ( es, Provincia de Málaga ) is located in Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and by the provinces of Cádiz to the west, Seville to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and Granada to ...
. It was founded, designed, and built by , a racing enthusiast and owner of Ascari Cars
Ascari Cars Ltd. was a British automobile manufacturer based in Banbury, England, and founded by Klaas Zwart. Zwart was the former chairman and majority owner of oil and gas company Petroline, which designed and manufactured its own downhole ...
; the track was completed in 2003. In 2022, Zwart sold the facility to two companies in Switzerland and Argentina.
History
After making his fortune in the oil industry, Zwart participated in various racing events, including the British GT
The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports GT ...
where he finished third in 1995 and EuroBOSS
The BOSS GP Series is a motor racing series in Europe. The category originated in 1995 as the BOSS Formula series and evolved into the EuroBOSS Series.
BOSS is an acronym that stands for ''Big Open Single Seaters''.
History
The BOSS series w ...
, where he was champion in 2003, 2006, and 2007; he purchased the Ascari Cars marque in 1999 and began considering where he and others could drive their supercar
A supercar – also called exotic car – is a loosely defined description of street-legal, high-performance sports cars. Since the 2010s, the term hypercar has come into use for the highest performing supercars. Supercars commonly serve as t ...
s safely away from road traffic, which led him to purchase land near Ronda, in the southern part of Spain. Construction of the track began in 2000, and Zwart designed the track to conform with the existing contours of the site. It was completed in 2003. Final cost was estimated at million. The site was formerly used as a sheep farm.
After building the track, Zwart opened up membership to 500 wealthy motorsports enthusiasts, including Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959) is a British former racing driver, best known as a Formula One driver and as a commentator for ITV Sport from 1997 to 2008, the BBC from 2009 to 2011, and Sky Sports since 2012.
Brundle contested the 19 ...
, Christian Danner
Christian Josef Danner (born 4 April 1958) is a former racing driver from Germany.
Career Formula Two and Formula 3000
The son of car safety expert Max Danner, Danner started his motor racing career immediately after leaving school in 1977. Aft ...
, Jay Kay
Jay Kay (born Jason Luís Cheetham; 30 December 1969) is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of the acid jazz and funk band Jamiroquai, which was formed in 1992.
Early life
Jay Kay was bo ...
, and Dolph Lundgren
Hans Lundgren (, ; born 3 November 1957), better known as Dolph Lundgren, is a Swedish actor, filmmaker and martial artist. His breakthrough came in 1985, when he starred in ''Rocky IV'' as the imposing Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. Since then, Lu ...
. In March 2022, CEO Jesús Gijón confirmed that two companies, one from Switzerland and one from Argentina, had purchased the Ascari site from Zwart. The new owners expressed concern that nearby proposed photovoltaic energy developments could cause "irreparable damage for the landscape and environment in the area".
Design
The site is approximately from Ronda, the nearest town, located between the hills and a military training base so noise is not an issue. Because of its location, it is favored by European car manufacturers for product launches.
In addition to the track, the clubhouse features a complete restaurant and pool reminiscent of a Spanish villa.
Many of the full circuit's 26 curves are deliberately reminiscent of famous turns at other tracks around the world. The track is wide, featuring ascending and descending grades of up to 12%, and banked turns of up to 18%. Visitors may choose to rent a car at the track, ranging from race-prepared regular production sports cars to ex-Formula 1 racing machines.
Lap times
Klaas Zwart set the overall record of 1:38.46 in an ex- F1Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
R5 (2004) in 2019. Pål Pettersen Berg set the record for roadgoing vehicles in 2020 at 2:14.078 in a Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...
911 GT2 RS (991.2).
In popular media
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...
used Ronda and the Ascari resort to launch their racing video game
Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...
''Gran Turismo 6
''Gran Turismo 6'' is a racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sixth major release and twelfth game overall in the '' Gran Turismo'' video game series. It w ...
'' in 2013. It is a playable track in the game.
See also
*Bilster Berg
The Bilster Berg Drive Resort is a private motorsports club for automotive enthusiasts and manufacturers with a long motor racing circuit in , a district of the village of Bad Driburg in the Teutoburg Forest. The track is built on land formerly ...
, a similar race resort in Germany
* Monticello Motor Club
The Monticello Motor Club is a private country club for automotive enthusiasts with a long motor racing circuit situated in Monticello, New York. It opened on July 27, 2008, and was built on the site of the former Monticello Airport (New York), ...
, a race resort in New York (state)
References
External links
* * (1:38.46) * {{BOSS GP circuits Motorsport venues in Spain 2003 establishments in Spain Sports venues completed in 2003