Chengdu
Circuit Overview
Chengdu International Circuit (Chinese name 成都国际赛车场, shortened to CDIC and sometimes - slightly confusingly - referred to as Chengdu Goldenport Circuit) was one of the crop of new racing circuits which sprang up across China in the mid-2000s.
After a brief taste of the international spotlight with the visit of the A1GP series in 2008, the circuit soon fell off the radar and never really established itself, perhaps not aided by its bumpy track surface and relatively limited facilities.
After largely being shunned by the Chinese national championships in recent years, the track made do with a series of local championships and FIA Formula 4 races until, in August 2018 it was suddenly announced that the circuit was to close and be demolished. After just over a decade, racing was no more and the bulldozers quickly moved in obliterating all trace of the circuit by 2019.
Circuit History
The track opened in 2007 and in its first two years held rounds of the Asian Touring Car Series and Formula V6 Asia championship, as part of the Asian Festival of Speed. In August 2008, it was announced as the host of the Chinese round of the A1 Grand Prix series - the fourth venue in the country for the single-seater series - with the round for the Ferrari-powered cars scheduled for November of that year, the second round of the 2008-09 championship.
The event would prove the international high-point for the track, with Adam Carroll winning the Sprint race while Filipe Albuquerque winning the Feature race. Proceeds from the event went towards the Sichuan earthquake disaster relief fund. It was the latter geological activity which is often blamed for the bumpy nature of the track, although the fact that the track is partially built on former swamp land is equally likely to be a factor.
Located in the central southern part of China in the city of Chengdu, the circuit was a hub for local racing activity, though despite being located on the outskirts of the fifth-most populated city in China with some 100 million people on the doorstep, it never quite caught on in the way other circuits did.
In it's final years, the China F4 championship was the only national event of note, with the circuit-specific Sichuan Touring Car Elite series being the mainstay for competitive action. The latter was established in 2009 by the China Motor Sport Federation to help promote motorsport development in the south west. More recently a new off road course was opened, complementing the main circuit and skid pan facilities.
However, in August 2018 the track management posted an update that, due to changes in municipal zoning, the track was to be completely demolished. The absolute reason for the decision is unclear. Suggestions range from the anticipation of a high-speed rail line through the area, others say a new highway is to built. Another, perhaps more likely explanation, is that the land had simply become too valuable and it was more profitable to sell it off for housing.
Whatever the reason, the circuit is no more. However, there remains hope that Chengdu itself will regain an international circuit, with plans for a new road circuit, complete with a US-style short oval, circulating almost as soon as the old track was demolished. Whether these become a reality remains to be seen.
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Circuit info
This is a historic circuit which is no longer in operation.
- CDIC Chengdu International Circuit, Jinjiang Qu, Chengdu Shi, Sichuan Sheng, China, 610110
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Location Information
Chengdu International Circuit was located in Chengdu city in Sichuan Province, southern central China.
The circuit has now been completely demolished by was located in the south-eastern suburbs of the city on Jinjiang Avenue, a short distance from the G4201 Chengdu Ring Road Expressway and the southern Third Ring Road.
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