Autodromo di Pergusa
Autodromo di Pergusa at a glance
- Location
- Enna, Sicily
- Type
- dormant
- Length
- 4.95 km (3.076 mi)
- Turns
- 16
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt, historically dusty and abrasive owing to surrounding unpaved terrain
- Opened
- 1951
- Owner
- Ente Autodromo di Pergusa (a consortium of local and regional authorities)
- Capacity
- 35,500
- Website
- autodromopergusa.it
Track map and layout
Pergusa is built entirely around the shore of Lake Pergusa, Sicily's only natural lake, giving it one of the most distinctive settings of any circuit in Europe: a long, sweeping lap that follows the water's edge with the wooded hills of the Enna plateau rising behind it. The current 4.950 km, 16-turn layout dates from a mid-1990s reconfiguration that added a chicane (known locally as the 'Schumacher chicane') to slow the previously flat-out lakeside straights. In its heyday the circuit was known for very high average speeds and a fast, flowing character, though the surrounding dust and dirt made the racing surface notoriously slippery in period.
Named corners and sections
- Schumacher chicane. A tightening chicane added in the mid-1990s to break up the long, fast lakeside straight and slow average lap speeds.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Current lakeside circuit | 4.95 km | 16 turns; largely unused for major racing since the mid-2020s |
| 1975-1994 configuration | 4.85 km | faster, pre-chicane layout used during the circuit's Formula 2 and Formula 3000 era |
Events and race weekends
Pergusa has no confirmed annual international events as of 2026. It was a regular Formula 2 and Formula 3000 venue from the 1970s through the 1990s and hosted rounds of the Mediterranean Grand Prix, but lost its place on national and international calendars over the following decades. TCR Italy ran a round there in 2024 but dropped Pergusa from its 2025 schedule; the operating consortium spent 2025 in formal liquidation, unable to accept new event bookings, before that status was revoked in mid-2026 and organisers began seeking races for the circuit again.
Getting there and parking
Pergusa sits just south of Enna in the centre of Sicily, roughly 90 km (56 miles) inland from Catania, the nearest major airport. There is no railway station at the circuit or in Enna itself with practical through-service; visitors generally fly into Catania and hire a car for the drive into the island's interior, as public transport connections to Pergusa are limited.
- Catania-Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) · about 75 min drive
Parking
Free general parking is available around the circuit when events are held, reflecting the venue's low attendance levels in recent years compared with its 1980s-90s peak.
Rent a car in Catania for the visit — Enna and Pergusa have limited public transport, and the circuit is only intermittently open to visitors given its uncertain operating status.
Hotels and camping near Autodromo di Pergusa
Enna, the hilltop provincial capital just north of the lake, has a small range of hotels and B&Bs and is the closest practical base for visiting the circuit. Most travellers exploring central Sicily instead use Catania or Caltanissetta as a base and treat Pergusa as a day trip, given the circuit's currently limited event calendar.
Where to look
Enna is the nearest town with accommodation; Catania, about 75 minutes away, offers far greater choice for visitors combining a Pergusa visit with wider Sicily travel.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Public track days are not currently offered at Pergusa. The circuit's operating consortium spent 2025 in liquidation, unable to take new bookings for sporting or track-day use, and although that status was lifted in mid-2026 with organisers seeking new events, no regular track-day programme had been re-established as of this guide.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current circuit outright lap record (F3000) | 1:31.149 | Ricardo Rosset | Reynard 95D | 1995 |
| 1975-1994 configuration lap record (F3000) | 1:25.157 | Christian Pescatori | — | 1994 |
Spectator guide
When events do run, Pergusa's lakeside setting gives spectators long, open sightlines along the water's edge, a very different atmosphere from most European road courses. Crowds in recent years have been small compared with the circuit's 1980s heyday, when Formula 2 and F3000 races drew large regional audiences.
Seating
Older grandstands remain along parts of the pit straight and lakeside sections, though facilities have not been substantially modernised in recent decades.
Best places to watch
The lakeside straight offers open views along the water for anyone attending a rare event weekend.
Weather
- spring/autumn: mild, highs typically 18-24°C in Sicily's central highlands
- summer: hot and dry, highs often exceeding 32°C
History of Autodromo di Pergusa
A lakeside circuit built for Sicily's motorsport boom
Autodromo di Pergusa opened in 1951 on the shore of Lake Pergusa, near the hilltop town of Enna in the centre of Sicily, giving the island a permanent home for circuit racing. Its flowing, high-speed lakeside layout made it popular with drivers through the 1960s and 1970s, and it became a fixture of the Mediterranean Grand Prix, a well-regarded non-championship and later Formula 2/Formula 3000 fixture that drew strong regional crowds.
The Formula 2 and F3000 years
Pergusa's reputation peaked through the 1970s to 1990s as a stop on the European Formula 2 and later International Formula 3000 calendars, with future grand prix drivers cutting their teeth on its fast, dusty lakeside sweeps. A mid-1990s reconfiguration added a chicane, later nicknamed after Michael Schumacher, to slow the circuit's very high average speeds and bring it closer to contemporary safety standards, but the changes could not halt a broader decline in the venue's standing on the national and international calendar over the following two decades.
Decline and an uncertain future
By the 2020s Pergusa's event calendar had thinned to occasional domestic rounds; TCR Italy visited in 2024 but was not retained for 2025, and the circuit's operating consortium, the Ente Autodromo di Pergusa, entered formal liquidation in 2025, unable to accept new bookings for racing or track-day use. That status was revoked in mid-2026, and organisers began seeking sporting events for the 2026-27 calendar with support from tyre manufacturer Pirelli's testing contract, but as of this guide the circuit's return to a regular racing schedule remained unconfirmed. The lake, the hills and the old grandstands remain, largely quiet, a reminder of a very different era of Sicilian motorsport.
Frequently asked questions
Is Autodromo di Pergusa still open?+
The circuit physically exists and can be viewed from public roads around Lake Pergusa, but as of 2026 its operating consortium has only just emerged from formal liquidation and its regular racing calendar has not been re-established.
Can you still drive or visit Pergusa?+
The site can be visited, but public track days and organised visitor access are not currently offered on a regular basis given the circuit's uncertain operating status.
How long is the Pergusa circuit?+
The current layout is 4.950 km (3.076 miles) with 16 turns, following the shore of Lake Pergusa.
What racing did Pergusa host in its heyday?+
It was a regular stop on the European Formula 2 and International Formula 3000 calendars from the 1970s to 1990s and hosted the Mediterranean Grand Prix.
What is the nearest airport to Pergusa?+
Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, about 75 minutes' drive across central Sicily.
Other tracks nearby
- Autodromo Valle dei Templi · 51 km · road course
- Autodromo del Levante · 440 km · road course
- Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR · 505 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi · 542 km · road course
- Circuito di Pescara · 552 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Autodromo dell'Umbria Mario Umberto Borzacchini · 648 km · road course
Facts checked against 3 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.