Great Lost Circuits: Nivelles-Baulers

Ask anyone to name a race circuit in Belgium and they will surely plump for Spa-Francorchamps. For a time, just a decade, there was also Nivelles, a rather bland circuit that was the antithesis of Spa and ahead of its time in terms of safety.

Designed by John Hugenholtz – the Dutchman who also gave us Suzuka and Zolder – the 2.3-mile track was laid out in the shape of a revolver with two straights, one of them over a kilometre long, which led into a challenging looped section created from two fast right-handers.

Unlike other circuits at the time there were huge run-off areas with spectators further from the action than was normal.

Built in rolling countryside, there was plenty of undulation, nine corners in all, and when the Belgian Grand Prix was removed from the calendar in 1971 due to Spa safety concerns, the race moved to Nivelles in 1972.

There was a plan to use Nivelles and Zolder alternately for the Belgian GP in the future and in 1974 Emerson Fittipaldi won the race in a McLaren M23 just as he had done two years earlier in the Lotus 72. By 1976, the circuit was deemed to be unsuitable due to the poor quality of the track surface and that was the end of Nivelles on the F1 calendar.

Interestingly, there was also a kart track within the circuit and it was there, in 1980, that a spectator called Michael Schumacher first saw 20-year-old Ayrton Senna who finished runner-up in the Karting World Championship that year.

Sadly, like so many circuits, Nivelles suffered from a lack of investment and could never compete with Spa for sheer spectacle, so it gradually fell into disrepair and in 1998 plans were drawn up for a new business park. Ironically, this meant that parts of the track were finally given the new asphalt surface it had always needed when a new road was built from the main highway to join up with parts of the original track.

Nivelles-Baulers

In use
1971-1981

Fastest Race Lap
1min 11.31sec, Denny Hulme, McLaren M23, F1, 1974

Fastest Qualifying Lap
1min 9.82sec, Clay Regazzoni, Ferrari 312 B3, F1, 1974

Visit Motor Sport’s online database to see details on racing circuits past and present. 

My top 3 tracks: David Brabham

• I love the rhythm of Le Mans. It’s a long circuit where the weather varies across different parts and you go from day into night, night into day. There’s a sense of history and significance in racing there and the fast, flowing corners make it fun and challenging.
• Bathurst is an absolute joy to drive, an old-school track with zero tolerance for mistakes, a true driver’s circuit, an intense and thrilling experience. It climbs 174m to the top of the ‘Mountain’ in a series of cambered corners with concrete walls leaving no room for error.
• Macau is a unique challenge, a tough track to master due to its length as it winds across a mountain, but it’s incredibly rewarding. A combination of long straights and tight, twisty sections means there’s always a trade-off with the aerodynamics.