The Montjuïc circuit is a former
street circuit
A street circuit is a motorsport racing circuit composed of temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Airport runways and taxiways are also sometimes part of street circuits. Facilities such as the p ...
located on the
Montjuïc
Montjuïc () is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Etymology
Montjuïc translates to "Jewish Mountain" from medieval Latin and Catalan, and remains of a medieval Jewish cemetery have been found there. Some sources suggest that Montjuïc ...
mountain in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. The circuit was also the venue for the
Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix
The Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing season that takes place at Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto outside Jerez de la Frontera in Andalucia. In addition to this event, three ...
from
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
to
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
, and then hosted the event on even-numbered years until
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
.
The last Formula One Grand Prix held there in 1975, is notable for both a fatal crash that led to Formula One abandoning the venue and the only occasion to date that a female driver has scored World Championship points.
History
By 1908 international motorsport was conducted at the Circuit Baix Penedès with the ''Copa Catalunya''. In 1923 the first Great automobile Prize of Spain in the permanent
Sitges Terramar
Sitges (, , ) is a town about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, in Spain, renowned worldwide for its Film Festival, Carnival, and LGBT Culture. Located between the Garraf Massif and the Mediterranean Sea, it is known for its beaches, nightsp ...
circuit was run near Barcelona. In 1932 a race was held on a street circuit with the start in the Montjuïc Park, wooded parkland on a hill above the city's harbour. The course of the 1933 east circuit of that race became the Montjuïc Circuit proper, holding the
Penya Rhin Grand Prix
The Penya Rhin Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor racing event staged at the three different circuits in three different eras in Spain. The race was held intermittently over its history, sometimes for full-size Grand Prix cars, sometimes for spor ...
.
In 1968, Montjuïc was selected as the venue for the
Spanish Grand Prix
The Spanish Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de España, ca, Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating it ...
, which had been held at the
Jarama
Jarama () is a river in central Spain. It flows north to south, and passes east of Madrid where the El Atazar Dam is built on a tributary, the Lozoya River. It flows into the river Tagus in Aranjuez. The Manzanares is a tributary of the Jarama ...
circuit in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, with the inaugural Grand Prix being held there on 4 May 1969. The variable character of the anticlockwise course (with one half slow and the other very fast) made setting the cars up correctly a challenge.
The
1975 Spanish Grand Prix
The 1975 Spanish Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Montjuïc circuit on 27 April 1975. It was race 4 of 14 in both the 1975 World Championship of Drivers and the 1975 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It is one of t ...
was marked by tragedy. Many drivers felt that the circuit was unsafe, and two time world champion
Emerson Fittipaldi
Emerson Fittipaldi (; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former automobile racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the Indianapolis 500 twice each and the CART championship once.
Moving up from Formula Two, Fittip ...
withdrew in protest before the start of the race. On lap 26 the
Embassy Hill
Embassy Racing With Graham Hill, commonly abbreviated to Embassy Hill, was a short-lived Formula One team started by two-time Formula One World Champion Graham Hill. The team debuted in with a customer Shadow DN1 car, and began racing as a cons ...
-
Lola
Lola may refer to:
Places
* Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama
* Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States
* Lola Prefecture, Guinea
* Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture
* Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands
People
* Lola (fo ...
car of
Rolf Stommelen
Rolf Johann Stommelen (11 July 1943 – 24 April 1983) was a racing driver from Siegen, Germany. He participated in 63 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scored a total of 14 championship points. He also partici ...
left the track, killing four people. The race was subsequently stopped before half distance and half points awarded, with
Jochen Mass
Jochen Richard Mass (born 30 September 1946) is a German former racing driver.
Life and career
Born in Dorfen, Bavaria 50 km (31 mi) from Munich, Mass participated in 114 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 14 Jul ...
being recorded as the winner.
Lella Lombardi
Maria Grazia "Lella" Lombardi (26 March 1941 – 3 March 1992) was an Italian racing driver who participated in 17 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix. Lombardi is one of two female drivers to qualify for Formula One and is the only femal ...
became the first and only female driver to score world championship points, taking 0.5 points for 6th place. Formula One never returned to the circuit after the accident.
The circuit of Montjuïc was also the scene of the 24 hours of Montjuïc, a motorcycle
endurance race from 1960 to 1982.
The area where the circuit was located is now part of
Anella Olímpica
Anella Olímpica is an Olympic Park located in the hill of Montjuïc, Barcelona, that was the main site for the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Facilities
The major facilities consist of the Olympic Stadium, the Palau Sant Jordi sports hall, the telec ...
, where many
Venues of the 1992 Summer Olympics
For the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, a total of forty-three sports venues were used.
Barcelona's first bid for the Summer Olympics was the 1924 Games, losing to Paris. The city tried again in 1936, losing to Berlin. The city subsequently p ...
are now located.
In 2004, the city council of Barcelona decided to mark the layout of the old circuit.
On 13–14 October 2007 the circuit was used for the Martini Legends, to honour the 75th anniversary of the circuit. Signalling the return of Formula One cars to Montjuïc, Emerson Fittipaldi (re-)appeared in his
Lotus 72
The Lotus 72 is a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe of Lotus for the 1970 Formula One season. The 72 was a pioneering design featuring inboard brakes, side-mounted radiators in sidepods (as opposed to the nose-mou ...
, and
Marc Gené
Marc Gené i Guerrero (born 29 March 1974) is a Spanish professional racing driver. He is best known as a tester for Williams and Ferrari in Formula One, Minardi Formula One driver and factory driver for Peugeot's Le Mans team, with which he w ...
drove a contemporary
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...
.
Lap records
The official race lap records at the Montjuïc circuit are listed as:
References
External links
Montjuïc Park History(news in ESPN Sports)The circuit in OpenStreetMapThe streets of the former circuit in Google Maps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montjuic Circuit
Montjuïc
Montjuïc () is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Etymology
Montjuïc translates to "Jewish Mountain" from medieval Latin and Catalan, and remains of a medieval Jewish cemetery have been found there. Some sources suggest that Montjuïc ...
Formula One circuits
Grand Prix motorcycle circuits
Motorsport venues in Catalonia
Motorsport venues in Spain
Spanish Grand Prix
Sports venues in Barcelona
Defunct motorsport venues in Spain
Defunct sports venues in Catalonia