Zandvoort, The Netherlands

CIRCUIT HISTORY
Home of the Dutch Grand Prix between 1952 and 1985, following non-championship events from 1948 to 1951, Circuit Park Zandvoort nestles in the sand dunes at the northern end of the Dutch coastal resort of the same name.

The circuit was designed by John Hugenholtz whose skills were later employed in the shaping of the Jarama circuit in Spain and then Suzuka in Japan..

Built on communications roads built by the German army during their occupation in the Second World War, the circuit gained instant popularity because of its fast, sweeping corners such as Scheivlak as well as the Tarzanbocht hairpin at the end of the start/finish straight and the constantly changing cambers and angles of the Hugenholtzbocht behind the paddock. Sand blowing from the dunes can be a problem, but the challenge of the circuit seems to cancel that out in the minds of visitors, especially as the seaside resort offers further entertainment..

Looking down Zandvoort's Grand Prix role of honour, alberto Ascari won the first two World Championship events there for Ferrari in 1952 and 1953. In the 1960s, Jim Clark enjoyed four wins and fellow Scot Jackie Stewart a trio into the early 1970s. James Hunt scored his first win there in 1975 and followed it up with a further win in 1976, with Niki Lauda claiming his third win at the Dutch circuit in 1985 to bring the curtain down on Formula 1's visits. Since then, Zandvoort's annual hosting of the Marlboro Masters international Formula 3 invitation race has been a highlight, as is the visit of the DTM (German touring car) series..

The track length was chopped from 2.642 miles to 1.569 miles in 1989, with the far section including Scheivlak being reinstated 10 years later to bring the lap length back to 2.684 miles, albeit with a redrawn return route that cuts the approach speed to the final corner onto the start/finish straight, Bosuit.

THE NETHERLANDS
Holland, or the Netherlands (Dutch for the low countries) as its inhabitants prefer it to be known, is a low-lying country on the north-west corner of Europe, bordered by Belgium to the south and Germany to the east. With much of its coastal region being below sea-level, the country is protected by man-made dykes, the importance of which became paramount when they were breached by massive storms in 1953, with close on 2,000 people meeting their death.

Today, the Dutch economy is based on natural gas, foodstuffs, dairy farming, plant products and banking, with its population hovering around the 16 million mark.

Zandvoort is a coastal resort on the North Sea coast a short train ride to the west of capital Amsterdam, with the race circuit of the same name found amid the sand dunes at the northern end of town. Amsterdam is a centre for banking, diamond-cutting and brewing.

The country was partitioned from the northern reaches of the Roman Empire between the ninth and 12th centuries before becoming independent and gaining wealth through mercantile trade. In the 15th century, Holland, Belgium and Flanders (known collectively as the Netherlands) were ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, then passing by marriage to the Habsburgs, but falling into the hands of the Spanish in 1555 when the Habsburg lands were divided. The Dutch fought back and reclaimed their lands in 1568 under the command of William, Prince of Orange, explaining why orange is their national colour. These became known as the United Provinces and they blossomed, with the formation of the Dutch East India Company in 1602 leading to considerable wealth that helped finance a booming arts scene as well as the foundation of colonies in both the East and West Indies. The United Provinces metamorphosed into the fully independent Dutch Republic in 1648 on the signature of the Treaty of Westphalia.

War followed, with Britain, between 1652 and 1654, then again between 1665 and 1667 and thirdly from 1672 to 1674, with all action coming in naval engagements.

During the last of these, the Dutch also had to fight against incursions from France's King Louis XIV, with these wars with the French continuing on and off until 1713. The French continued to desire what lay within Holland's borders and conquered it in 1795, renaming it as the Batavian Republic, later annexing it in 1810. Five years later, King William I of Orange took control of the Netherlands. Then, in 1830, the Southern Netherlands (now Belgium) declared its independence.

The Second World War was a tricky time for the population as the country was occupied by the Germans despite declaring itself neutral. Inter-country groupings have featured large in its history since, with the formation of the Benelux customs union in 1948 (with Belgium and Luxembourg) and then joining up with NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) a year later. Its colonies began to be granted their independence in 1954, and then the Netherlands became a founder member of the European Economic Commnity in 1958.

LOCAL INFORMATION
Time Zone : GMT +2 (CEST)
Nearest Airport : Amsterdam
Average October Temperature : 44 to 58F
Average October rainfall : 2.9 Inches