Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has completed another season at full performance, which has been enjoyed by thousands of people, and this is corroborated by the figures. Before closing the sporting year, the Catalan track has taken stock of the year and revealed the sporting calendar for 2023, with some significant novelties.
89% Occupation Rate
The Circuit closes the 2022 season with an occupation rate of 89%, and a total of 325 days of activity. The total figure can be distributed into 232 rental days and 93 race days. Thirty-one days were spent carrying out works and maintenance tasks and there were only nine days with no activity at all. The 89% occupancy rate this year -with 325 days of activity- improves the figures of the last seasons, and is the highest in the last six years, beating the occupancy rate of before the pandemic.
After 12 intense months, the Catalan track has offered its facilities for multiple experiences such as private and collective training (for car, motorbike and cycling competitions), incentive and training days, driving courses, filming, presentations, events, educational visits and many more.
587,717 Attendees
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has opened its doors to a total of 587,717 visitors this year 2022. This is the second highest number in the last 10 years, only surpassed by 2013 (618,896). The most attended event was once again the FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2022, with a total of 277,836 attendees over the four days of the event. On Sunday, 121,667 people attended the Circuit. The Spanish GP also experienced a historic highlight, with the “sold-out” sign almost two months before the event. This is the fourth edition with the highest attendance in the history of the Circuit, only exceeded by the 2008, 2007 and 2006 editions.
In second place is the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya de MotoGP™, with 111,574 attendees in three days, 60,068 fans on Sunday alone. In third position was the Catalunya WorldSBK Round. A total of 28,898 people visited the Circuit during the three days of activity.
€8,201,242 of Economic Impact in the Printed Press
The interest generated by the activities staged at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya continues to grow. According to data from Onclusive (formerly Kantar Media), the Circuit has obtained a print media impact of €8,201,242. This is the second highest figure in recent years, only surpassed by that of 2019 (€10,273,978). It also represents an increase of more than one and a half million compared to 2021 (€6,757,556). The journalistic pieces published on topics related to the Circuit and its activity have also increased, with a total of 1,657 news items that have seen the light of day, compared to 1,555 last year.
Award to the Best Organisation for the World RX of Barcelona-Catalunya
This 2022, the FIA has chosen Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the best organiser of the season among all the tracks that have held a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. During the FIA awards gala, the Catalan track was awarded thanks to the simultaneous organisation last October of the first 100% electric race of the championship, the World RX of Barcelona-Catalunya, together with the first edition of the e-Mobility Experience, a fair dedicated to electric mobility. A total of 15,173 people were able to enjoy this unprecedented weekend at the Circuit.
More Commitment to Sustainability
The commitment of the Circuit to sustainability has been reinforced this year 2022 after being named the most sustainable circuit in the world in the study “Racing towards a sustainable future. A review of the sustainability performance of international racing circuits” by the Italian consultancy firm Right Hub, which analysed 96 circuits all over the world. The Circuit has also become the first circuit in the world whose activity has been certified by Bureau Veritas for its Corporate Social Responsibility Management System aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
A New Strategic Plan
Last October, the Strategic Plan of the Circuit was presented, which aims to make it more environmentally and economically sustainable, with a clear commitment to innovation, digitalisation, and to become a key infrastructure for the country’s industry. In order to modernise and adapt the Circuit to the new needs, an investment plan of about 30 million euros has been designed until 2024.
The plan is also committed to diversification in order to generate new revenues. The aim, therefore, is to improve the direct generation of economic resources and to be more efficient through digitalisation. In addition to the 4,675 metres of track, the Circuit has 25 hectares of green areas that make it possible to organise singular events linked to the world of entertainment and healthy leisure. In this sense, the organisational capacity and the experience in holding mass events is an added value of the Circuit when it comes to diversifying the business lines.
The Strategic Plan defines 5 actions to take advantage of the uniqueness of the site: reindustrialisation, transition towards sustainable and digital mobility and industry 4.0 in the automotive sector; trade fairs, conferences and business tourism; unique events linked to live music; activities to promote various sporting events such as cycling, climbing or running; and e-Sports.
17 Sports Events for 2023
The 2023 sporting year will feature a total of 17 events across a wide range of disciplines and some of the world’s best racing championships. Fans will be able to enjoy four world championship events: the Catalunya WorldSBK Round (5-7 May), the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2023 (2-4 June), the Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya de MotoGP™ (1-3 September), and the big novelty, the FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup (7-8 October).
The FIA ETCR has been running for two seasons and features drivers such as Mattias Ekström, world touring car champion Mikel Azcona, Jordi Gené and reigning champion Adrien Tambay in the Cupra e-Racer. In its third year, the event will be held for the first time in Catalonia on the same weekend as the second edition of the e-Mobility Experience, an experiential fair that aims to be a benchmark in southern Europe in terms of electric mobility.
As usual, the races with the Circuit’s own hallmark will also be present, as well as other international and national motorcycling and motor racing events.
