Biķernieki Complex Sports Base
Biķernieki Complex Sports Base at a glance
- Location
- Riga, Riga
- Type
- road course
- Length
- 3.662 km (2.275 mi)
- Turns
- 14
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1966
- Owner
- VAS Biķernieku kompleksā sporta bāze (state-owned)
- Address
- Sergeja Eizenšteina iela 16
- Phone
- +371 67025800
- Website
- bksb.lv
Track map and layout
Biķernieki is a historic circuit cut through pine forest on the eastern edge of Riga, built in the mid-1960s on swampy ground that needed excavation up to seven metres deep before the track could be laid. It is unusual in offering several distinct permanent configurations rather than one lap: the High Speed Ring (3.662 km, 14 turns) used for most car racing, the longer 5.949 km/28-turn Big Circle, the tighter 3.580 km/21-turn Ring of Skill, a 1.700 km short oval, and a dedicated part-asphalt, part-dirt rallycross loop. The forest setting gives the track a fast, tree-lined character with little run-off in places, a legacy of its Soviet-era construction standards.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| High Speed Ring | 3.66 km | 3.662 km, 14 turns — the main circuit used for touring car and club racing |
| Big Circle | 5.95 km | 5.949 km, 28 turns |
| Ring of Skill | 3.58 km | 3.580 km, 21 turns |
| Short Oval | 1.70 km | 1.700 km, 7 turns |
| Rallycross circuit | 1.30 km | 1.295 km, roughly 60% asphalt and 40% dirt |
Events and race weekends
Biķernieki has been a round of the Baltic Touring Car Championship since 2000 and has hosted Drift Masters events since 2016. It was a fixture of the FIA World Rallycross Championship from 2016 to 2022, and continues to host FIA European Rallycross Championship (Euro RX) rounds on its dedicated rallycross loop. In winter the same grounds convert into a cross-country skiing complex, and year-round the forest paths are popular with runners, cyclists and inline skaters outside of event days.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltic Touring Car Championship round | BTCC (Baltic) | varies (summer) | circuit has hosted the series since 2000 |
| Euro RX of Latvia | FIA European Rallycross Championship | varies | run on the dedicated rallycross loop |
Getting there and parking
The circuit is inside Riga's city limits in the Biķernieki forest, roughly 10-15 minutes' drive from the city centre, making it one of the easiest European circuits to reach without a car via city buses and taxis. Riga International Airport, the main gateway to the Baltics, is a short drive or transfer away.
- Riga International Airport (RIX) · about 25 min drive
Parking
On-site parking is available for event days; charges vary by event.
Being inside the city, the circuit is reachable by public transport and taxi from central Riga, unlike most European tracks that require a rural drive.
Hotels and camping near Biķernieki Complex Sports Base
Riga's city centre, only a short drive or bus ride from the circuit, has the full range of hotel options expected of a national capital, from budget hostels to international chains, making Biķernieki one of the most convenient European circuits to combine with a city stay.
Where to look
Riga city centre and the Old Town, both a short drive from the circuit.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Biķernieki offers bookable track time and driving experiences on its various configurations, and its forest road network doubles as a year-round training and recreation venue for runners and cyclists. Motorsport track days and club sessions are arranged through the circuit's own booking system.
Who runs days here
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outright (High Speed Ring) | 1:12.725 | Tõnis Vanaselja | supercar | 2024 |
Spectator guide
The forest setting means much of the lap is watched through trees rather than from open grandstands, with the best views concentrated near the pit straight and the tighter sections of the Ring of Skill configuration.
Best places to watch
The pit straight and the technical sections of the Ring of Skill layout give the closest views of the racing.
Weather
- May-September: warm Baltic summer, typically 18-23°C, the main racing season
- December-February: the same grounds are used as a cross-country ski complex
History of Biķernieki Complex Sports Base
Built through a Riga forest
Biķernieki was designed from 1962 under director Eduards Kiope and built into the pine forest on Riga's eastern edge, with construction starting in January 1966. The swampy, spring-fed ground demanded excavation as deep as seven metres in places before the track surface could be laid, an unusually difficult build for the era. The circuit opened in July 1966 with motorcycle racing and quickly became one of the Soviet Union's leading motorsport venues, staging the Cup of Peace and Friendship and drawing competitors from across the Eastern Bloc through the following decades.
Multiple configurations, one forest
Rather than a single fixed lap, Biķernieki grew into a complex of interlocking configurations cut through the same stretch of forest: the 3.662 km High Speed Ring used for most modern car racing, a longer 5.949 km Big Circle, the tighter, 21-turn Ring of Skill, a short oval, and eventually a dedicated part-dirt rallycross loop. That flexibility let the venue host everything from touring cars to drifting to rallycross on the same site without rebuilding infrastructure for each discipline.
Rallycross era and present day
Fifty years after opening, Biķernieki entered a new chapter as a fixture of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, hosting World RX rounds from 2016 to 2022 before the series moved on for 2023; the circuit continues to host FIA European Rallycross Championship rounds. It has been a permanent stop on the Baltic Touring Car Championship since 2000 and has run Drift Masters events since 2016. Outside race weekends the forest roads double as one of Riga's most popular recreational venues, used by runners and cyclists in summer and converted into a cross-country skiing complex each winter — a dual identity, sporting complex and motor circuit, that has defined the site since its Soviet-era origins.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Biķernieki circuit?+
The main High Speed Ring configuration is 3.662 km (2.275 miles) with 14 turns; the complex also has longer and shorter layouts up to 5.949 km.
Does Biķernieki still host World Rallycross?+
It was a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship from 2016 to 2022 but was dropped from the calendar for 2023. It continues to host FIA European Rallycross Championship rounds.
Is Biķernieki easy to reach without a car?+
Yes — unusually for a racing circuit, it sits inside Riga's city limits in the Biķernieki forest, about 10-15 minutes from the centre by bus or taxi.
What else happens at Biķernieki besides racing?+
The forest grounds are used year-round by runners, cyclists and inline skaters, and convert into a cross-country skiing complex each winter.
When did Biķernieki open?+
The circuit opened in July 1966, after construction that began in January that year on swampy, spring-fed ground near Riga.
Other tracks nearby
- auto24ring · 160 km · road course
- Lange Motokeskus · 212 km · motocross
- Palanga Circuit · 225 km · street circuit
- Keimola Motor Stadium · 374 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Ahvenisto Race Circuit · 449 km · road course
- KymiRing · 454 km · road course
Facts checked against 3 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.