Complex European de Nivelles-Baulers, commonly referred to as Nivelles-Baulers or simply Nivelles, was a Belgian racing circuit between the towns of Nivelles and Baulers, roughly twenty miles south of Brussels. Built in 1971, it hosted the Belgian Grand Prix in 1972 and 1974 – both events won by Emerson Fittipaldi.
Financial issues and the degradation of the tarmac led to the planned 1976 event being moved to Zolder, with the track closing for good in 1981.
History[]
Funded by a group of Belgian businessmen, Nivelles-Baulers was opened in 1971 as a modern, safe alternative to the old Spa-Francorchamps layout, which hosted its last Grand Prix in 1970 before being dropped from the calendar due to safety concerns. It was intended that the circuit alternate with Circuit Zolder as host of the Belgian Grand Prix to satisfy both the Waloon and Flemish parts of the country.
The 1972 Belgian Grand Prix was the first race at the circuit, with Lotus' Emerson Fittipaldi winning from pole despite losing the lead to Clay Regazzoni at Turn 1. Francois Cevert finished second for Tyrrell in the absence of team leader Jackie Stewart due to illness. Regazzoni was running third until he was eliminated after an accident whilst lapping the Tecno of Nanni Galli, Chris Amon inherited third place until a late pitstop for fuel gave third to Denny Hulme of McLaren.
After the first event, the organisers of the race went bankrupt but enough sponsors were found to allow the 1974 event to go ahead. Regazzoni led from pole followed closely by Fittipaldi and teammate Niki Lauda. A mistake whilst navigating traffic let the following pair through into the top two positions, Fittipaldi leading the rest of the way to register his second Nivelles victory, this time driving for McLaren. Regazzoni’s Ferrari ran out of fuel on the final lap so future World Champion Jody Schecker took his first career podium. It was a race of attrition with 15 of the 31 starters failing to finish. On Lap 37, Denny Hulme set a laptime of 1:11.31, the race lap record of the circuit.
Financial difficulties continued for Nivelles and the 1974 race was to be its last – the track surface found unsuitable for Formula 1 ahead of the planned 1976 edition. The circuit struggled on for another half decade, being deemed unsafe for car racing in 1980 and motorbike racing continued until its eventual closer in 1981. Illegal laps were possible through until the 1990s before the area was redeveloped. The track has since been transformed into a retail park, although the layout is still visible from above and can be retraced on foot.
Layout[]
Nivelles was a simple and quick nine corner circuit, with average speeds of 185km/h. The uphill pit straight led into the Big Loop, a long swooping corner through the trees which represented the biggest challenge to the drivers. A tight hairpin of Turn 4 led onto a short straight followed by medium speed S-bend. After the back straight came the most enjoyable part of the lap for the drivers, a pair of downhill, high-speed kinks. The final corner and main overtaking opportunity was a tight hairpin that led back onto the Start/Finish straight.
The track was considered too safe and sterile by drivers and spectators of the time, especially in contrast to the spectacular Spa-Francorchamps which it replaced on the calendar. It is disputed who actually designed the circuit, some sources citing Roger Caignie whilst others claim John Hugelholtz – designer of Suzuka and Zandvoort amongst others – to be the the man behind the layout.
Event history[]
The following is a list of Formula One World Championship events held at the Nivelles circuit:
| Year | Event | Winning Driver | Winning Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Belgian Grand Prix |  Emerson Fittipaldi
|
 McLaren-Ford
|
| 1974 | Belgian Grand Prix | Emerson Fittipaldi
|
Lotus-Ford
|
| V T E |  Belgian Grand Prix
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Circuits | Spa-Francorchamps (1950 - 1970, 1983, 1985 - Present), Nivelles (1972, 1974), Zolder (1973, 1975 - 1982, 1984) |  |
| Races | 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 • 2020 • 2021 • 2022 • 2023 • 2024 | |
| Pre-1950 races | 1925 • 1930 • 1931 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1937 • 1939 • 1947 • 1949 |
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