Ljungbyhed

Circuit History

Located in the county of Skåne, the circuit began life as an airfield, the smaller of two sets of runways and facilities that served until 1998 as home to the Swedish Air Force Flying School. The facility had been used by the military as far back as the 1600s before at the turn of the 20th century being converted for flight. Indeed, the larger main runways to the south west of the circuit are still in use as part of Ljungbyhead Airport, meaning the site is the second oldest runway in continuous use around the world.

When the military left the area, the facility was the airfield then switched to civil use, operated by F5 AB, a wholly owned company of Klippan municipality. In 2007, Klippan municipality sold its last shares in the company into private hands, which was redeveloping the site under the name Ljungbyhed Park. In addition to the flight operations, the park today houses everything from offices, conferences and schools to manufacturing and light industry. The area also has a wide range of activities with a museum, golf course alongside the racing circuit.

From around 2007 onwards, the runways saw use for driver training purposes, operated by Micke Bern's MOM Events & Driver Coaching AB. This found success in providing courses for customers such as the Swedish Police and Haldex.

In 2016 the facility expanded into motorsport and trackday activities for the first time. Three courses were created from the network of runways and taxiways. New kerbing was placed at the corner apexes, while a pit lane was added at the northern end. The longest of the courses is 2.100km, while the shortest is just 1.40km.

Spectator facilities are fairly minimal, though a rudimentary viewing platform has been created alongside the pits, formed out of four old shipping containers with railings on top. Facilities for elsewhere on the site are top notch, with a restaurant and conference centre among the highlights.

The first motorsport weekend took place in September 2016, when the V8 Thunder Cars paid their first visit, supported by an impressive array of Legends racers. Memphis Racing's Andreas Wernesson took the V8 Thunder race one victory in a Chevrolet Camaro, leading every lap from a pole position start. The second race was more dramatic, with multiple cars crashing at the first turn and ending up in the gravel. Mattias Lindberg took an easy win, again from first place on the grid, emphasising the view that this is a circuit where track position is king.

In early 2021 it was announced that the premier Swedish Touring Car Championship would be arriving for the first time. As part of a re-jigged calendar to accommodate a later season start due to Covid-19 restriction, Ljungbyhed hosted the TCR cars alongside a support schedule including Pro Superbikes, V8 Thunder Cars, Radical Cup Scandinavia, Formula Nordic and Legends.  The track returned as the season opener in 2022.

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