Mondello Park Circuit
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 Naas , County Kildare , Ireland
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| Route type: | permanent race track | ||
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| Opening: | 1968 | ||
| Time zone: | UTC ± 0 | ||
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| Route data | |||
| Route length: | 2.934 km (1.82 mi ) | ||
| Curves: | 11 | ||
| www.mondello.ie | |||
Coordinates: 53 ° 15 ′ 27.4 " N , 6 ° 44 ′ 44.9" W.
The Mondello Park Circuit is the only permanent motorsport circuit in the Republic of Ireland . The facility is located about 8 km northwest of Naas in County Kildare and belongs to the Irish multimillionaire Martin Birrane , who is himself an avid racing driver and was the former owner of Lola Cars .
history
The route was opened in 1968 with a length of 1.28 kilometers, but was expanded to 1.6 kilometers for the 1969 season. In the first few years, races of the European version of Formula 5000 were held here, and Formula Ford events were added in the 1970s .
In the 1980s, the circuit faced closure due to financial problems, but was saved through the involvement of various automobile clubs and the Royal Irish Automobile Club . From then on, in addition to Formula Ford 2000 races and various club championships, motorcycle races were also driven on the Mondello Park Circuit .
In order to be able to host more international events, the route was extended to a length of 3.5 kilometers in 1998. In 2001 a covered box complex with a control tower and medical supply facilities was built. As a result, races of the British Touring Car Championship , the British Formula 3 and the British Superbike Championship took place in Mondello .
Route variants
The route can be used in different lengths. There are also gravel passages for rallycross races. Between 1987 and 1996 a total of 10 European Rallycross races were held at Mondello Park, while today both the Irish and the British have their rallycross championship races there.
International variant: 2.934 km long.
National variant: 1,860 km long.
Medium variant 2.816 km long.
Short variant: 1.152 km long.
