Ring Djursland

Overview

Ring Djursland is a short asphalt circuit near the village of Pederstrup in Syddjurs Municipality, a few kilometres northeast of Tirstrup and Aarhus Airport, about 50 km from Aarhus. It is the shortest of Denmark's three asphalt racing circuits. The track belongs to Tradium, whose transport training centre next door uses it every day for driver courses, including training for lorry drivers. It hosts a handful of main race weekends each year, with series such as TCR Denmark, Super GT and Formula 4, classic motorcycle racing and a historic festival, and track days and motorcycle courses take up much of the rest of the year.

Technical Specifications and Track Features

The circuit sits on undulating farmland, and the height difference between its highest and lowest points is 15 m. The width ranges from 9 m at the narrowest point to 18 m at the widest. The lap is compact, hilly and tight. Named sections include Trapperne, the "stairs" before turn 1, Depotsvinget at turn 3 and Skoven, the "forest", at turns 4 and 5. The whole circuit was resurfaced in 2004, and in 2005 the pit entry was revised. A sand run-off area and guardrails protect the east end. In 2012 Henrik Lilja set an official lap record of 0:46.597 in a 250 cc superkart, and in 2024 Valdemar Eriksen lapped in 0:46.849 in a Special Saloon Car, the fastest car lap recorded at the time.

Facilities and Specialized Areas

The track shares its site with the training centre's facilities. A large building put up while René Koors owned the track was used to store tyres, and its roof served as a viewing platform for spectators. Spectator banks and new guardrails were added in the early 1990s together with a rebuilt hairpin. To shield Pederstrup, a noise embankment was built and a permanent noise monitoring system has run since 2005.

History

Danish racing driver Jens Christian Legarth came up with the idea after a crash in Hungary ended his Formula 3 career. Local opposition near his estate pushed the project to farmland at Pederstrup, and the first version, a short loop of less than a kilometre designed by Legarth, opened on 29 August 1965. A longer course followed in April 1966. In 1967 a crash at a meeting killed Legarth and American driver Douglas Revson and injured five officials. The early meetings drew drivers such as Frank Williams, Reine Wisell and Ronnie Peterson. Legarth's widow Annie sold the track to her father, Gunnar Henriksen, in 1969; later owners Ancher Larsen and René Koors added a motocross course, facilities and rallycross. No races were held in 1976, when the semi-skilled workers' school began training there. After 1980 the Danish federation would no longer approve the worn asphalt, and in the early 1980s the state Labour Market Directorate bought the site for driver training. Racing returned on 1 July 1984 on new asphalt, with Thorkild Thyrring winning in Sports 2000. A lapse of the environmental permit stopped racing from 1987, and the track only reopened with a permanent approval in 1994. A foundation was set up in 2004 to fund development. At that year's DTC weekend the old asphalt broke up under the cars and had to be patched overnight. The circuit also hosted the Danish Grand Prix in 1973 and a European Formula 3 round in 1975.