Who am I?
My name is Herman Liesemeijer, founder and owner of 'Circuits of the Past.' I have been following auto and motorsports since the 1980s. In the 1990s, I was an amateur racer at Zandvoort.
When I visited the abandoned Nijvel circuit in Belgium in 1998, I became fascinated by abandoned race circuits. This inspired me to start the website 'Circuits of the Past' in 2003. A website entirely dedicated to the race circuits of the past.
![](https://www.circuitsofthepast.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Herman-2023.png)
Free eBook
In "7 Abandoned Circuits you can Visit Legally!" I take you to 7 abandoned circuits in 4 different countries. I tell you the history, how to get there and what there is to see.
Plus information about the race circuits of the past weekly by email. You will find a link to unsubscribe at the bottom of each email.
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The Magic of Weathered Asphalt
In this ebook I, Herman Liesemeijer, take you with me on a journey along the historic race circuits of Europe. Some of them have become a ruin.
A personal story that starts with illegal racing on the nearby TT Circuit of Assen. The sequel was a race course at Zandvoort, the circuit where I keep the most beautiful memories.
Also attention for persons from Dutch motorsport, like the Formula 3 driver Marcel Albers who died in an accident at Thruxton in 1992. And Arie Anssems, the former mechanic of Carel Godin de Beaufort and volunteer at the Zandvoort circuit.
My career got an interesting turn when I visited the abandoned circuit of Nivelles in Belgium in 1998. This would eventually lead to the creation of a website about old race circuits...
![](https://www.circuitsofthepast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/the-magic-of-weathered-asphalt-cover-696x1024.png)
Highlighted articles
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Circuit Reims-Gueux - A piece of Motorsport History
This page tells the story of the fast street circuit near the Northern French city of Reims, once th
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Népliget Budapest 1936 Hungarian Grand Prix Circuit
Népliget, a park in the Hungarian capital Budapest, was once the place where the first ever Hungari
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Keimola Circuit - The history of an abandoned circuit
Keimola, outside Finland not much people may have heard of it. Nevertheless, a well-known Finnish Fo
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Monza Oval - History of the abandoned banking
Monza, the legendary high speed track and home of the Italian Grand Prix. On this page I'm going to
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Hockenheim Circuit - The history
Do you still think about long straight through the woods when you hear the name Hockenheim? Many peo
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Zandvoort Circuit - The history
This article describes the history of the Zandvoort circuit, from the 1939 street circuit to the cur
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Eau Rouge or Raidillon? - Spa-Francorchamps
This page is dedicated to the most famous corner of Spa-Francorchamps, the Raidillon, by mistake oft
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Old Spa-Francorchamps - A lap on the old track
On this page I will take you for a lap on the old Spa-Francorchamps circuit. I show you not only the
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Spa-Francorchamps Circuit - The history
In this article I tell you the history of the beautiful Spa-Francorchamps circuit. A classic on the
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Nivelles-Baulers Circuit - The history
In 1971 the "Compexe Européen de Nivelles-Baulers" was opened not from the Belgium capital Brussels