Höljesbanan

Höljesbanan
Location Höljes, Värmland, Sweden
Time zone UTC+1
Coordinates 60°55′01″N 12°33′18″E / 60.917°N 12.555°E / 60.917; 12.555
Operator Finnskoga Motorklubb
Opened 1976
Major events Euro RX (1991–present)
World RX (2014–present)
Surface Asphalt (60%)
Gravel (40%)
Length 1.19 km (0.73 mi)

Höljesbanan, also known as Höljes Motorstadion, is a rallycross circuit situated in the village of Höljes, in the Finnskogen ('Finnwoods') of the Swedish county Värmland, beside the river Klarälven and close to the Norwegian border. The circuit opened in February 1976 and is one of the most famous rallycross circuits in the world. Traditionally held over the first weekend of July the venue plays host to the so-called 'Magic Weekend' of rallycross when it runs the Swedish round of the European and World Rallycross championships.

History

The first corner on the circuit
The split for the regular and joker laps at the start of the circuit
The joker lap exit
The Velodrome corner at the far end of the circuit
The infamous Höljes jump is one of the most iconic images in Rallycross...
...and has retained its' character despite changing from gravel to tarmac after 1991
The final corner. The VIP marquee is seen on the left, and the grid is on the right just out of shot

The circuit was originally part of a go-kart centre opened in 1972 by the Finnskoga Motorklubb following the influx of Swedish drivers into Formula One, but quickly fell into disuse and it was decided the nearby gravel pit was to be turned into a rallycross circuit in October 1974. On February 1, 1976, the circuit held its first event in front of 3,500 people on a bitterly cold winters' day, and was won by Per Eklund.[1]

The circuit was successful locally and the Finnskoga Masters was created as a marquee event for Scandinavian drivers. The circuit saw very little national action as the Swedish ASN were not on good terms with the Finnskoga Motorklubb, and despite having a suitable venue the Svenska Bilsportförbundet (SBF) did not straight away recommend the circuits' addition to the FIA European Rallycross Championship due to the conflict. However, the circuit did eventually make its international debut for the Swedish round of the 1991 European Rallycross Championship. The event was held on July 7 in front of 15,000 people and quickly gained approval from drivers and fans alike. The Swedish round rotated through various circuits in the 1990s but the Höljesbanan became a permanent fixture in 1999 and is now a marquee event within it and the newly formed World Championship.[2]

Spectator records

One of the reasons the 'Magic Weekend' is held in such high regard is due to the size of the crowd the event pulls. For a small village of less than 150 residents, the town is engulfed with as many as 300 times as many people come race week. The most recent event crowd attendance figures are listed below.

Event history

European rallycross

European Championship winners[3]
Year Division Driver Car
1991 Division 1 Sweden Kenneth Hansen Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth
Division 2 United Kingdom Will Gollop MG Metro 6R4 BiTurbo
1992 Not Held
1993 Division 1 Norway Eivind Opland Nissan Sunny GTI-R
Division 2 Sweden Kenneth Hansen Citroën ZX T16 4x4
1400cc Cup Sweden Björn Ohlsson Citroën AX Sport
1994 Not Held
1995
1996
1997 Division 1 Norway Ludvig Hunsbedt Ford Escort RS 2000 T16 4x4
Division 2 Norway Eivind Opland Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III
1400cc Cup Sweden Roger Lagergren Peugeot 205 Rallye
1998 Not Held
1999 Division 1 Norway Ludvig Hunsbedt Ford Escort RS 2000 T16 4x4
Division 2 Denmark Gert Vestergaard Peugeot 306 S16
1400cc Cup Denmark Peter Nielsen Rover Metro GTi
2000 Division 1 Sweden Kenneth Hansen Citroën Xsara WRC
Division 2 Sweden Magnus Hansen Citroën Xsara VTS
1400cc Cup Denmark Sven Seeliger Citroën AX GTi
2001 Division 1 Sweden Kenneth Hansen Citroën Xsara WRC
Division 2 Sweden Magnus Hansen Citroën Xsara VTS
Division 2A Denmark Sven Seeliger Citroën AX GTi
2002 Division 1 Sweden Kenneth Hansen Citroën Xsara WRC
Division 2 Finland Jouko Kallio Honda Civic Type R
Division 2A Czech Republic Aleš Zázvorka Volkswagen Polo 1.4 16V
2003 Division 1 Sweden Kenneth Hansen Citroën Xsara T16 4x4
Division 1A Czech Republic Jaroslav Kalný Peugeot 206
Division 2 Norway Guttorm Lindefjell Opel Astra OPC
2004 Division 1 Norway Sverre Isachsen Ford Focus T16 4x4
Division 1A Netherlands Ron Snoeck SEAT Ibiza
Division 2 Finland Jussi Pinomäki Renault Clio RSR
2005 Division 1 Sweden Michael Jernberg Ford Focus T16 4x4
Division 1A Czech Republic Zdeněk Čermák Škoda Fabia
Division 2 Sweden Niklas Hagström Honda Civic Type R
2006 Division 1 Norway Sverre Isachsen Ford Focus T16 4x4
Division 1A Czech Republic Jaroslav Kalný Peugeot 206
Division 2 Sweden Niklas Hagström Honda Civic Type R
2007 Division 1 Sweden Lars Larsson Škoda Fabia 6Y T16 4x4
Division 1A Belgium Michaël de Keersmaecker Opel Corsa C
Division 2 Sweden Niklas Hagström Honda Civic Type R
RX Cup Belgium Jos Sterkens Ford Fiesta RWD
2008 Division 1 Finland Marcus Grönholm Ford Fiesta ST
Division 1A Finland Jussi Pinomäki Renault Clio
Division 2 Czech Republic Tomáš Kotek Honda Civic Type R
RX Cup Sweden Per Niklas Lööv Citroën Xsara RWD
2009 Division 1 Sweden Stig-Olov Walfridsson Renault Clio T16 4x4
Division 1A Russia Timur Timerzyanov Renault Clio Mk2
Division 2 Norway Knut Ove Børseth Ford Fiesta ST RWD
2010 Division 1 Norway Sverre Isachsen Ford Focus ST
Division 1A Russia Timur Timerzyanov Renault Clio Mk2
Division 2 Norway Lars Øivind Enerberg Ford Fiesta ST RWD
2011 Supercars United States Tanner Foust Ford Fiesta T16 4x4
Super1600 Poland Krzysztof Skorupski Volkswagen Polo 9N3
Touring Car Norway Lars Øivind Enerberg Ford Fiesta ST RWD
2012 Supercars Russia Timur Timerzyanov Citroën DS3 T16 4x4
Super1600 Denmark Ulrik Linnemann Peugeot 207
Touring Car Sweden Robin Larsson Škoda Fabia 6Y RWD
Junior Cup Sweden Kevin Hansen "Citroën DS3" JRX
2013 Supercars Norway Andreas Bakkerud Citroën DS3
Super1600 Denmark Ulrik Linnemann Peugeot 207
Touring Car Republic of Ireland Derek Tohill Ford Fiesta RWD
Junior Cup Sweden Kevin Hansen "Citroën DS3" JRX
2014 Super1600 Russia Sergey Zagumennov Škoda Fabia 5J
Touring Car Norway Tom Daniel Tånevik Mazda RX-8
2015 Super1600 Latvia Jānis Baumanis Renault Twingo Mk2
Touring Car Sweden Fredrik Salsten Citroën DS3 RWD
2016 Supercars Sweden Kevin Hansen Peugeot 208
Super1600 Denmark Ulrik Linnemann Peugeot 208
Touring Car Norway Ben-Philip Gundersen Ford Fiesta ST RWD

World rallycross

Year Division Driver Car
2014 Supercars Sweden Mattias Ekström Audi S1
2015 Supercars Sweden Mattias Ekström Audi S1
2016 Supercars Norway Andreas Bakkerud Ford Focus

References

  1. "History (in Swedish)". Finnskoga Motorklubb. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  2. "Photos (in Swedish)". Finnskoga Motorklubb. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  3. "ERX Event Winners". rallycross.com. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
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