Losail International Circuit is a motor racing circuit located just outside Doha in the Persian Gulf State of Qatar.
Built in lss than a year by 1000 workers at the cost of $US 58 million, the track opened in 2004 to the inaugural Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar, won by Sete Gibernau.
The track is 5.4 km in length, with a main straight of just over a kilometre at 1,068 metres. It is surrounded by artificial grass to stop the sand encroaching too much onto the track.
In 2007, Losail added permanent outdoor lighting for night races. At the time, the lighting of the Losail Circuit was the largest permanent venue sports lighting project in the world, a distinction that now belongs to another Gulf motorsport venue, Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The first night race in MotoGP history was the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar in March 2008. |
