Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for choosing to fly with TRACC-Air. Todays destination is Ljungbyhed, Sweden. We are flying to a decommissioned army training base that now hosts motor racing. So please, put the tray table up and put your seat back in the full upright position. We will be landing shortly at Ljungbyheds Motorbana.
The Location
Ljungbyheds Motorbana is located on the southern end of Sweden. Located near the village of the name-giving Ljungbyhed. In order to get there, you’d best go for Malmö. Following you would then take a 1 hour car trip through fields, forests and towns.
Ljungbyheds Motorbana: The Track
Currently, Ljungbyheds Motorbana entertains 3 different layouts. The pictured one however is the most prominent one. This layout is used in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship (STCC).
The 2.1km airport course ceased aerial duties to become a permanent racetrack. However since this venue never entertained larger planes, neither are the straights too long, nor is the circuit really wide. The former runways have been converted into 12m wide straights while the taxiways remain at their original 10m width.
The longest straight is the start-finish. With 750m it surpasses the longest straights on some FIA Grade 1 tracks. Though because of a lack of rather technical sections, the overall lengths remains really short.
Not only short, but because planes require even surfaces, the circuit features minimum heigh alterations.
The History
Ljungbyheds Motorbana started out as an airbase for the Swedish Air Force Flying School. In 1998 the military left this base. The local municipality of Klippan then used the area as flying club base. In 2007 it was sold once more into private hands. Resulting Ljungbyheds park became grounds for, amongst others, a driver training facility.
Finally, in 2016, Ljungbyheds park converted into Ljungbyheds Motorbana. From then on offerings included race training, track days and becoming an actual motorsport venue.
Starting out with events like V8 Thundercars, Ljungbyheds Motorbana currently serves as the season opener for the STCC.
A lap around Ljungbyheds Motorbana
Starting on the longest straight on the circuit, brake hard into T1, Liljekvist Corner. Don’t take these 2 90° corners as separate though. Take them as one corner, briefly touching the outside kerb on the left in the process.
After accelerating hard out of T2, you get into Runlack, a flat out light left turn. From there on you get onto the back straight. Let the slipstream battle commence. This whole flat-out section comes to a length of 700 metres before hard braking into T5 at the end of the straight. Plenty of time to get the better of the driver in front of you. So the run out of T2 is very important as you can imagine.
After the back-straight comes the section of the circuit, which can most closely be described as technical. 6 90° corners with sub-100metre straights in between. It is crucial to keep speed up as high as possible. Furthermore, take as much space on the track as you can in order to take the widest racing lines.
Coming out of the last left-hander, back onto the front-straight, the finishing line comes early. There is no time for slipstream battles. Meaning if you lead after the back-straight in the last lap, you have the win. Subject to keeping it between the white lines afterwards.
How to Experience Ljungbyheds Motorbana for Yourself
Ljungbyheds Motorbana offers track-days you can go on with your own cars as well as rentals. Their own fleet includes mostly Volkswagen Golf GTis and Radical SR3s.
Off-track you can also hold company gatherings or conferences there.
Unfortunately, If you want to experience the track yourself, you either have to travel there, or watch videos. Ljungbyheds Motorbana is currently not featured in any racing sim or racing game. Official or mod. If anybody makes a mod, let me know, I would really like to try it out.
You want to know more about globally obscure racetracks like this, follow this link here.
If you want more information or to book your event there, you can visit their website here.