THE Circuit d’Albi in France may be forced to close its doors for good after noise complaints from local residents put the future of the venue hanging in the balance.
The venue is situated about 50-miles from Toulon and has been holding motorsports events since 1962. Sadly the history of the venue holds no weight with the locals, as the owners have already been forced to pay more than €70,000 in fines. They came after it breached noise limits 58 times between April and June 2019. The complaints and fines are despite the circuit’s owners, DS Events, forking out €800,000 for noise reduction works more than five years ago.
The work carried out is reported to have reduced the overall noise from the track by between 25 and 30 percent, although there are still two houses – reported to be near the north corner of the track – that are subjected to ‘noise emergencies’ of more than 5 decibels.
Should the racing be forced to stop at the venue, the circuit's owners are looking at alternative fuels as a means of survival. They hope that should the chequered flag fall for good on the circuit, electric and hydrogen vehicle manufacturers can utilise the site from prototype testing and development.
Images: Circuit Albi
