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Motorcenter Norway

Coordinates: 58°20′45″N 6°23′47″E / 58.34583°N 6.39639°E / 58.34583; 6.39639
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Motorcenter Norway
LocationSokndal, Norway
Time zoneCET (UTC+1)
CEST (DST)
Coordinates58°20′45″N 6°23′47″E / 58.34583°N 6.39639°E / 58.34583; 6.39639
FIA Grade3
Broke ground2016
Opened2 July 2021; 3 years ago (2021-07-02)
Construction costNOK 130 million
ArchitectAPEX Circuit Design[1]
Former namesKNA Raceway Sokndal
Full Circuit (2021–present)
Length2.324 km (1.444 miles)
Turns14
Race lap record1:07.910[2][3] (Norway Wiggo Dalmo, Audi R8, 2021, Norwegian GT1)

Motorcenter Norway, formerly known as KNA Raceway Sokndal, is a motorsport center and race track in the mountains at Kroheia in Sokndal, Norway, south in Rogaland county near the border of Agder county.

The facilities consist of a 2.324 km (1.444 mi) road race track for cars and motorcycles[4] constructed according to FIA Grade 3 and FIM Grade B,[2] an off-road racing area of 381 decare (381 000 m2), an indoor motocross track, as well as a dragstrip on part of the road race track.[5] A kart racing track and a dedicated dragstrip has also been planned.

It has been discussed as a potential national center for Norwegian motorsport in the future pending further development.[6]

History

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The facility is built near an open-pit mine.[7] It was opened in July 2021, and development had then taken 18 years and cost NOK 130 million.[8] Later the same year it was announced that the construction had exceeded the budget by NOK 29 million.[9]

The official opening ceremony was held 29 September 2021, with Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg present doing the ribbon-cutting in front of volunteers and athletes.[10][11][12][13] Before that, the Norwegian tarmac racing championship for cars had "started early", on the weekend of 2-4 July 2021.[2][14]

In 2022, the track held the third and last round[15] of the Norwegian drifting championship.[16][17] The track also held the Norwegian championship and cup in motorcycle road racing the same year.[18]

Road race track

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The road race track is 2.324 km (1.444 mi) long with 14 turns,[19] is driven in a counter-clockwise direction,[7] and has a corkscrew-turn (turn 3 and 4)[20][21] which has been dubbed "the Laguna Seca of the Nordics".[22][23] The track has been constructed according to requirements for all types of races in touring, GT and open-wheel racing up to and including Formula 3. The track can also be used for Formula 2 and Formula 1 testing, but not races. For motorcycle, the track is approved for all classes within road racing.[5]

Service building

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A 400 m2 (4,300 sq ft) service building has been planned, consisting of a cafeteria, 20 pit garages and a grandstand with an overview of the road race track.[24]

Dragstrip

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A dedicated dragstrip has been planned.[25] In the meantime, a temporary dragstrip for street-legal vehicles has been established at the straight of the road race track.

Kart track

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A karting track has been planned. The area has been set aside, and initial construction work on the ground has been done.[26] The track has been designed to be technically demanding, and will also be used for minibike and supermoto.

Motocross track

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The motocross track is Norways only indoor track for moto cross,[27] and is open half of the year during the winter season. In the summer season, the hall is used for concerts, trade fairs, exhibitions, et cetera. In connection with the hall is a dedicated cafeteria, changing rooms and toilets.[28]

Off-road track

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The off-road track consists of 381 decare (381 000 m2) of rough terrain which can be navigated by car, off-road vehicles (ATV, UTV) or motorcycle. The trail changes regularly, and can have lengths of up to 5 kilometers. The off-road area also has a barbecue hut and several lookout points.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Motorcenter Norway". Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Raknerud, Hallgeir (2021-07-05). "Suksess for den nye banen i Sokndal". Norsk bilsport (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  3. ^ "Racing NM Sokndal 2021 Norsk GT 1 & +, Heat 1, 9 laps". 3 July 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Dette er Norges nyeste racerbane". www.abcnyheter.no (in Norwegian). 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  5. ^ a b "Racingbanen". Motorcenter Norway. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Motorcenter Norway kan bli nasjonalanlegg for motorsport". www.aftenbladet.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  7. ^ a b "Satser 119 millioner - her kan du kjøre neste år". TV 2 (in Norwegian). 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  8. ^ "Det har tatt 18 år og kostet 130 millioner - åpnet midt i pandemien". TV 2 (in Norwegian). 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  9. ^ "Ga gass for motorsport i verdenklasse, gikk på en kjempesprekk". www.aftenbladet.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  10. ^ "Statsminister Erna Solberg åpner KNA Raceway – Norges mest eksotiske motorsportanlegg | KNA - Kongelig Norsk Automobilklub". kommunikasjon.ntb.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  11. ^ "Full fart da Erna åpnet motorsportsenter i verdenklasse". www.aftenbladet.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  12. ^ "Statsminister Erna Solberg åpner KNA Raceway – Norges mest eksotiske motorsportanlegg". KNA (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  13. ^ Omland, Tor H. (2021-08-31). "Statsminister Erna Solberg åpnet Motorcenter Norway i Sokndal". MC-avisa (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  14. ^ "Vellykket ilddåp for det ferske millionanlegget i Sokndal". 5 July 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  15. ^ Halvorsen, Eirik. "NDC 2022 -". norwegiandrift.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  16. ^ "NM Drifting - Motorcenter Norway - Sokndal kommune". www.sokndal.kommune.no. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  17. ^ Thime, Erik (2022-10-08). "NM i drifting på Motorcenter Norway: Marianne (29) er en av gutta i sin rosa bil". Jærbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  18. ^ Thime, Erik (2022-09-09). "Stor motorhelg på Kroheia: – Roadracing er det nærmeste MC-folket kommer Formel 1". Dalane Tidende (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  19. ^ "Dette er Norges nyeste racerbane". www.abcnyheter.no (in Norwegian). 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  20. ^ Omland, Tor H. (2021-08-31). "Statsminister Erna Solberg åpnet Motorcenter Norway i Sokndal". MC-avisa (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  21. ^ "Berg- og dalbane" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  22. ^ therje1 (2021-07-06). "Racing NM Runde 3 Sokndal". Historisk Racing NOR (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-04-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Berg- og dalbane". Norsk Porsche (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  24. ^ Pitgarasje og servicebygg - Motorcenter Norway
  25. ^ Dragstripe - Motorcenter Norway
  26. ^ Gokartbanen - Motorcenter Norway
  27. ^ "Motorcenter Norway". Visit Sokndal (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  28. ^ Motocrosshall - Motorcenter Norway
  29. ^ Offroad-område - Motorcenter Norway
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