Montmelo, Catalonia race circuit
Circuit de Catalunya is its original name in catalan, a motor racing circuit of 120 ha where is celebrated car events like the formula 1 competition, moto GP competition… Located at 32 km from Barcelona, it was inaugurated in 1991 at Montmeló and to fill this event, the first competition, organized 5 days later on this newly circuit, has been won by the spanish Luis Pérez Sala. Concerned about the environment, it owns certifications like the ISO 14001 in which the goal is to minimize the impact of the effects like reducing the noise pollution, creating more green spaces… If we take a look on the pictures below, we can see a very long straight line of about 1 km and the rest combines curves and rapid |
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counter curves with pitchforks and small straight lines with many protections and securities allowing drivers to speed up until 200 km/h. Managed by the company Circuits de Catalunya SL, its headquarter is located at the same place, a place that you have to go if you are a fan of speed like F1 and motorbike. Each year, people can live an extraordinary experience during the spanish F1 grand prix and the catalan motoGP grand prix for instance.
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On the other hand, for a better experience, the company has some activities during the weekend to entertain us like driving a kart, a buggy and/or a pocket bike. Moreover, they offer the option to drive powerful cars so if we have always dreamed of a Ferrari, it is a good opportunity. If you are the kind of person who doesn’t like adrenaline, you can do the bicircuit activity which consists to bike on the racetrack and/or just enjoy a movie in the outdoor.
In spite that there is a free access, we can buy a tour. The free access only allows us to visit the permanent exhibition, the souvenir shop, the main grandstand and the avenue of champions. About the tour, we can discover the installations, how a race is organized and controlled, where the mechanics work and access to all confined spaces like the podium, boxes, paddock…
They can organize different types of events for enterprises and for particulars, people like us as the celebration of a wedding, birthday… The complex also includes different services like a restaurant, press room, VIP room, heliport…
To go to the circuit, you have 3 options:
- by car through the highway C17 then take the exit Montmelo or the AP7 then the exit 13, 14 or 15
- by RENFE train L2 from the stations sants, passeig de gracia or clot direction maçanet massanes and get off at montmelo then a walk of about 30 minutes (during the competitions, there are special buses)
- by bus, this service is provided by the company Sagalés only during the competitions and you can buy the ticket at “passeig de sant joan 52” or at its official website
For the prices and any complementary information, I will recommend you to check its official website. The tickets can be bought directly at the entrance but also via the automatic service called “servicaixa”. For that, just spot on the streets of Barcelona the bank “La Caixa” (blue and black color) then you should see an ATM and a servicaixa machine.
But what happens if all tickets are sold out for the big event you are looking for ??? Well, you have 2 choices, one more expensive than the other.
The expensive one is to go to the circuit and normally, you will be able to find someone who will sell you a ticket but the price will double, triple or even more. In spite that this practice is forbidden, it doesn’t prevent some people to buy many tickets in order to sell them and to get profits.
The cheaper one is to go to a bar in Barcelona and watch it with other people in a great ambiance so don’t hesitate to get in. Following some places I like to go if I don’t want to be at home:
- Sports Bar Rambles (la rambla 31) with its many big screens, any details can’t miss your eyes
- George Payne (plaza urquinaona 5) with its huge projector screen, you will feel as if you are in the circuit.