Yahoo Autos The 15 Longest Active Race Tracks in the World
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Race tracks, unlike American football pitches, don’t have to conform to the same rules and regulations that ensure uniformity across the sport. This means that where one football field plays pretty much the same as another, no two race tracks are alike.
Because of this, they range in size and style wildly. Some pack in dozens of corners, where others are just a simple oval. And we love them all equally for their variety and style.
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Today, we’re looking for the longest race circuits around the world that are still in regular use today. Here’s what we found:
Sebring International Raceway
Length: 3.7 miles
Location: USA
Events: IMSA, World Endurance Championship & Trans-Am Series
Over its 3.7-mile length, Sebring International Raceway packs in 17 corners across its Florida circuit. The race-running lap record here is held by Kamui Kobayashi, who set a time of 1:41.800 in his Toyota TS050 Hybrid back in 2019.
Guia Circuit
Length: 3.8 miles
Location: Macau
Events: Macau Grand Prix, Motorcycle GP & World Touring Car Cup
At 3.8 miles long, you would need approximately 35,669 Nathan’s Famous hotdogs to cover a single lap of this street circuit. That’s a lot of beef.
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
Length: 3.8 miles
Location: Saudi Arabia
Events: Formula 1
As well as being one of the longest circuits in Formula 1, the Jeddah Corniche track in Saudi Arabia also holds the record for the most corners in F1. It has a whopping 27 squeezed into its 3.8-mile lap.
Mount Panorama Circuit
Length: 3.9 Miles
Location: Australia
Events: Bathurst 1000
New South Wales, Australia, is where you’ll find the Mount Panorama Circuit. The current race lap record for the track stands at 1:59.2910, which was set by German racer Christopher Mies in his Audi R8 LMS GT3.
Bahrain International Circuit
Length: 3.9 miles
Location: Bahrain
Events: Formula 1, FIA World Endurance Championship
This year’s F1 season opener took place at the second-longest circuit on the sport’s calendar.
Ozarks International Raceway
Lap Around Ozarks International Raceway W/ Mustang GT4
Length: 4.0 miles
Location: USA
Events: GT World Challenge America
One of the newest circuits on our list, the Ozarks track was only opened in 2022. With its current layout, you’d need 7,040 Fruit Roll-Ups to cover a lap of the track.
Reno-Fernley Raceway
Length: 4.0 miles
Location: USA
Events: Great American Stock Car Series
This Nevada race track is actually in the midst of getting rejuvenated, as its new owners work to resurface the circuit in preparation for its first races in years.
Road America
Length: 4.0 miles
Location: USA
Events: IndyCar, NASCAR, IMSA
Wisconsin’s Road America plays host to Indycar, NASCAR and IMSA races over the course of the year. The current race lap record stands at 1:41.874, set by Italy’s Alex Zanardi in 1998 with the CART series.
Monticello Motor Club
Length: 4.1 miles
Location: USA
Events: Private Club
This private members club near New York City charges $87,500 to sign up, and a further $8,000 per year in dues. If you’ve got the cash to cover the entry fee, you might also like to know that it would take 43,000 $1 bills to cover a lap of this exclusive track. (Also, could we keep the 43,000 $1 bills after?)
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Length: 4.4 miles
Location: Belgium.
Events: Formula One, Spa 24 Hours & Sidecar World Championship
Formula 1's longest track on its current calendar is the iconic Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. If for some insane reason you’d like to complete a lap of this track via the medium of French fries, you’d need an eye-watering 120,165 of them to cover the 4.4-mile track.
Utah Motorsports Campus
Length: 4.5 miles
Location: USA
Events: World Superbike Championship, MotoAmerica & ChampCar Endurance Series
Continuing the food comparison trend, did you know that you’d need 73,145 Twinkies to cover a lap of this track in Utah? Well, you do now.
The Bend Motorsport Park
Length: 4.8 miles
Location: Australia
Events: Supercars Championship, Australian GT Championship & Australian Superbike Championship
Australia’s longest race track is at The Bend Motorsport Park, which is about 60 miles from Adelaide. Fun fact, this track is the same length as 36,076 Tim Tams. [Ed. Note: Here’s a link because I had no idea what a Tim Tam was either.]
Circuit de la Sarthe
Length: 8.5 miles
Location: France
Events: 24 Hours of Le Mans
Now, we’re into the serious heavy hitters with the home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans: Circuit de la Sarthe. Here, the lap record stands at 3:17.297, which was set by Mike Conway in his Toyota TS050 Hybrid and is roughly as long as it takes to brew a decent (proper) cup of tea.
Nürburgring
Length: 15.8 miles
Location: Germany
Events: Nürburgring 24 Hours
Not to be confused with the formidable Nordschleife, this 15.8-mile track is the one used in endurance racing and comprises sections of the famed circuit as well as the site’s Grand Prix layout.
Isle of Man TT Mountain Course
Length: 37.7 miles
Location: Isle of Man
Events: Isle of Man TT
This is what happens when you answer the question “What would it be like if you turned an entire self-governing dependency of the British Crown into a race track?”
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