Dragon Race Track

Overview

Dragon Race Track, known in Bulgarian as Pista Drakon, is a privately owned motor racing circuit near the village of Kaloyanovo in Plovdiv Province. Its operator describes it as the first private track in Bulgaria built for car and motorcycle racing. The venue lies on a main road linking southern and northern Bulgaria, about 20 km north of Plovdiv, 15 km south of Hisarya and 10 km from the Trakia motorway, which makes it easy to reach from most of the country. The operator notes that the mild local climate allows the track to be used for much of the year, including the winter months.

Technical Specifications and Track Features

The circuit is an asphalt road 2.9 km long, described by the operator as a technical layout with fast straights and demanding corners. It is separated from the car parks and buildings by a concrete wall and a safety fence, and drivers leave the track only through the exit to the pit lane. The longest straight measures 580 m and is used for quarter-mile drag racing. Under the track rules no more than ten vehicles normally run at the same time, although management can change this number for a given event. Drifting and burnouts are banned on the racing circuit, and the track may impose noise limits of up to 98 dB, from which cars homologated by a federation are exempt. Lap timing uses a MyLaps X2 system with a pool of transponders and intermediate times.

Facilities and Specialized Areas

The official site map shows a time-attack circuit, a separate drift course, a pit lane, a service hall, a restaurant, grandstands, a service park and both inner and outer parking areas. The venue hosts races, club meetings, training days, track days, driver tuition, car launches, team-building events and seminars. On open track days, when the circuit is not booked for another event, anyone with a valid licence can drive their own road or race car or motorcycle for a day fee, with timing available as an extra. The programme also includes after-work sessions in the early evening, with separate days for cars and motorcycles, and a weekly time-attack day in which drivers are ranked on their best lap. The track also runs the Drakon Speed Cup, an amateur championship held only at this venue, and has hosted Ford Fest and a professional drift event with FIA judging.

History

Pista Drakon was built at the beginning of 2005 on a former airfield covering 233,000 square metres. Construction was financed entirely by Drakon Ltd, a family company founded in Plovdiv in the mid-1990s. Since its opening the circuit has hosted many national car club meetings, which often combine track sessions with their annual gatherings. The Drakon Speed Cup, which the operator calls one of the first amateur championships in Bulgaria, is organised by the track management, and according to the operator a number of well-known Bulgarian drivers came up through it.