Circuito de Jerez - Ángel Nieto, Racing Circuit

The Circuito de Jerez sits just outside Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, deep within the sherry-producing region of south-west Spain, roughly 90 km south of Seville. The area had a long tradition of street racing from the 1950s, and after a succession of temporary courses were abandoned, the city's mayor backed plans for a permanent autodrome. Designed by Spanish engineer Manuel Medina Lara from a preliminary idea by Alessandro Rocci, the circuit was built during 1985 and held its first race that December. In April 1986 it staged its first Spanish Formula One Grand Prix, remembered for Ayrton Senna pipping Nigel Mansell by just 0.014 seconds, then the closest finish in F1 history. The Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix followed in 1987 and quickly became the venue's defining event, drawing huge partisan crowds for a long line of Spanish two-wheeled stars. F1 returned in 1994 and held its final race here in 1997, the title-deciding clash in which Michael Schumacher collided with Jacques Villeneuve and beached his Ferrari at Curva Dry Sack. Now officially named in honour of the Spanish legend Angel Nieto, the circuit measures 4.428 km over a technical sequence of turns, several named after racing greats including the Senna chicane, Criville, Sito Pons, Aspar and Lorenzo. It remains a fixture for MotoGP and the World Superbike Championship and a favoured winter testing venue thanks to its temperate climate. Its UFO-like VIP structure and the Tio Pepe-crowned control tower are among its visual landmarks.

Operated by: Diputación de Cádiz