“Circuito de Jerez” – The Great Jerez Circuit for Motorbikes in Spain

In Spain, motorcyclists love the “Circuito de Jerez”, located in Jerez de la Frontera. The motorcycle track racing circuit was born because the people of Jerez are very passionate about motorcycle racing sport. The mayor, Pedro Pacheco, has been the real driving force behind the project and has transformed a dream into the reality that is the Circuit nowadays. Before the circuit was built, there had been many organized races since 1956 on a national level and 1963 on an international level.

But it was in December 8 when a circuit of 4218 meters was created. The official opening day took place in a “Campeonato de España” (a National Championship in Spain) and on March 29^th (1986) the first international motorcycle ("motos de carretera") race saw the light for the first time and all the circuit facilities were used to the full.

The Circuito de Jerez has seen World Cup races with winners in two different CC categories; 125 and 250 cc motorbikes (motos de carretera 125 y 250 as de Spanish would call them). 1996 was a revolutionary year as for the first time in 50 years in the history of this sport the “Motocross de las Naciones” was organized in Spain, marking a milestone in the history of national motocross.

Winner models of these races in the last few years have been Honda, Derbi, Dukati, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Aprilia, Yamaha, Moriwaki, KTM (motocross) and BMW.

Some of the names that have seen the sweet taste of success in the circuit are Alboreto Patresse, Nannini, Senna, Mansell, Piquet, Rosberg, Fabi, Sito Pons, Joan Garriga, Alex Crivillé, Carlos Checa, Juan Bautista, Emilio Alzamora, Carlos Cardús, Alberto Puig and Berger. A most exciting race saw Senna win over Mansell with a breaking record: the difference between first and second place was just 14 milliseconds! And who can forget Alan Prost, whose victory in 1986 was well celebrated.

In 1987 de first Motorcycle Grand Prix saw the light and has since become one of the most spectacular and well known celebrations within the sport in the world. Every year more and more people enjoy this acclaimed race; masses of fans from all over the world assisting on the day to support and encourage the riders.

The Circuito de Jerez is located in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) at kilometer 6.5 of the national highway (N-382 – Jerez-Arcos-Cartagena). There is an airport in Jerez and also a train station. Driving is also an option and many people choose to take a car or a van.

There are many other amenities you can enjoy en Jerez. Cádiz is a beautiful region with plenty of shops, museums, beaches, casinos, bars and discos, aquatic parks, concerts, “tablao flamencos” (flamenco dancing in bars) and zoos. But the thing you cannot miss if you decide to enjoy this amazing spot in Spain is the food. Cádiz belongs to Andalucía and the food is just amazing. Do not leave without trying the famous tapas, seafood (shrimp, crayfish) –Sanlucar de Barrameda is famous for its shrimp! – cheeses, sausages, the meat in the mountain villages, the pastries (very rich!) with clear Arab influence, delicious “tocinos de cielo” (egg based), “alfajores Medina Sidonia”, nougat, churros (fried dough) and the famous “pestiños”, and last but not least, omelettes. All of it, washed down with gorgeous Spanish red or white wine, of course!

Dishes worth mentioning would be: potatoes with fish (sea bream, sea bass anchovies and hake), gazpacho (cold soup), shrimp omelet, squid with potatoes, clams with noodles, tuna with tomatoes, seasoned potatoes, roasted peppers, rice with seafood and eggs with ham.