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Founders welcome
Please read the recent article in Road and Track here
Dear Visitors and Guests
Dear Visitors and Guests,
Let me first welcome you to our extraordinary environment – the picturesque and sunny island of Gotland. Developing the vision in this ultimate enabling environment is a grand privilege of a lifetime.
GotlandRing, the world’s first and most sustainable race and test circuit, is now the longest modern standard track in the world with its Southern Loop extension. The combined Northern Loop with the new Southern Loop provides one of the world’s most exciting race tracks with its 7.3 km picturesque configuration.
The 20th anniversary of the 3.2 km Northern Loop was celebrated together with Top Gear in September 2023. GotlandRing was chosen to host a more sustainable Top Gear Speed Week. The event was the first of its kind and featured EV sportscars, a FIA Formula E new generation development car, and super sportscars run on synthetic zero-emission fuels. To ensure that Top Gear’s Sustainable Speed Week would be a success regarding carbon emissions, electric and bio-fuel trucks were used for transportation. Even the ink for the magazine was sourced in a way to minimize the carbon footprint.
We are pleased and honored to have worked with BBC Top Gear, the multi-platform mega motoring brand, on this trailblazing event, and the coincided timing of the production and GotlandRing’s anniversary makes it even more special. The enabling driving environment provided versatile activities and a creative ambiance.
About GotlandRing
GotlandRing, built in 2003, is the world’s most sustainable race circuit as well as the longest circuit of modern standard. The 4.53 mile (7.29 km) island-based race and test circuit is located within the Eco-Region of Gotland, which is the most popular tourist destination in Sweden. As of August 2023, the complex also offers EV supercharging with 100 percent sustainable energy. GotlandRing and its strategic partner World Ecological Forum also initiated the SmartRoad Gotland project, the world’s first electric road system with dynamic charging on a public road. For more information, go to gotlandring.com.
Located on the historic, Swedish island of Gotland and within an official eco-region, GotlandRing utilizes 100 percent sustainable energy. It is also praised for its pioneering sustainability and e-mobility initiatives such as SmartRoad Gotland, the world’s first electric road system with dynamic charging, and 600 kW supercharging solutions, launched in cooperation with Kempower, Nimbnet, and Virta. In the next development phase, WEF Solar Park will provide even more sustainable low-cost energy for the GotlandRing facility.
The main business focus for GotlandRing continues to be within international new model launches, corporate high-end and edutainment events, and testing & development. However, the track experiences tremendous popularity among individual enthusiasts, clubs, and trackday operators, both for motorcycles and cars. On enthusiast forums, one can clearly detect that GotlandRing is popular because of its combination of driving pleasure and safety – a kind of modern and safe version of the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife.
The future synergetic Gotland Green Business Campus will host an experimental and modular Smart Energy Road and Traffic System (SERTS – an energy harvesting infrastructure project), developed by the World Ecological Forum and its cluster of companies. Related to that, WEF activated GR and Electeon to initiate the Smartroad Gotland project, the world’s first electric road system with dynamic (inductive) charging for EVs. This was a part of the four-year pre-commercial knowledge procurement program with Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration). The successful pilot project ended end of September 2023, but the Electreon technology is now spread around the world with significant benefits, part of the crucial mission of decarbonizing transport.
Already in 2010, during the World Ecological Forum and Almedalen (see http://www.worldecologicalforum.com/), WEF and GR hosted zero-emission vehicle workshops.
In 2009, GotlandRing hosted exhibition racing, in benefit for UNICEF with F1 Grand Prix & WRC World Champion drivers, and other champions. Already in 2009, GotlandRing incorporated electric cars in some of its competitive showcase events and especially in driver training, such as Safety & Eco Driving events.
For electric propulsion and beyond, GotlandRing provides 100% sustainable energy. The most popular RingTaxi ride is an EV Porsche Taycan.
Experience all the different seasons on Gotland – the island and the track provide a variety of experiences depending on which time of year you visit.
If you visit us in the summertime, you will be able to witness and experience the very best after-race activities in the world. We can guarantee a unique mix of activities and ambiance, including exquisite gastronomic experiences.
I look forward to seeing you on our dynamic and picturesque island and GotlandRing.
Best regards,
Alec Arho Havrén, MIM/MBA
Founder/Circuit Architect
Follow Alec on Twitter: @AlecArhoHavren
Alec Arho-Havrén
- Founder and Chairman, World Ecological Forum/Advantage Group
- Founder and Circuit Architect, GotlandRing (world’s first sustainable race and test circuit)
- Social and environmental entrepreneur, green tech evangelist
- Smart Energy Road and Traffic System inventor/concept developer
- Gotland Green Business Campus & Eco Resort developer
- Vehicle industry and smart infrastructure expert and consultant
- Strategy & policy consultant
- Graduate of California Lutheran University and Thunderbird Global School of Management
Alec is a frequent speaker on subject matters, such as the paradigm shift of the vehicle industry, mission specific vehicles, traffic electrification, traffic safety, entrepreneurship, green leadership, and eco innovation. Within motorsport (racing formula, touring, and GT cars), the “Flying Finn-Swede” has experienced many wins and pole positions on various international race circuits, including the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife which has inspired his circuit profile design for GotlandRing. From Racing technique, Alec has also derived unique edutainment driver training courses, such as Safety & Eco Driving and advanced specialised programmes. Additionally, Alec is a top world ranked senior tennis player (many time European Champion – in singles, doubles, and mixed) on the ITF Senior Tour.
Kära Besökare och Gäster
Som ung lovande tennisspelare fick Alec Arho Havrén, efter studentexamen i Finland, ett kombinerat tennis- och akademiskt stipendium för att studera i USA. Efter utbildningar i ekonomi och management vid några av världens ledande universitet, arbetade han en tid inom finansmarknaden i London innan hans ursprungliga miljöintresse kunde ta över även på jobbsidan. Redan i mellanskolan och i gymnasiet var miljöfrågorna nära hjärtat och ursprungligen ville Alec bli marinbiolog.
– Mina föräldrar ”konsulterade” mig dock att gå den ”säkrare vägen” och välja business då jag reste till USA som 18-åring för att börja på universitet.
– Mitt första jobb fick jag i London där jag jobbade i ”city” på finansmarknaden. Efter det jobbade jag inom management consulting runt i Europa. Strax efter det så blev jag entreprenör och har jobbat med diverse intressanta projekt, berättar Alec.
Under senaste åren har Alec jobbat med miljöteknik, trafikelektrifiering och sin egen uppfinning med energivägen, mm. Han konsulterar även olika miljörelaterade projekt i Kina. Nätverket World Ecological Forum grundade Alec 2008. Sedan arrangerade han även ett event med miljöexperter från hela världen som samlades strax innan Almedalsveckan i kongresshallen i Visby 2010. Fler WEF events och projekt har följt efter det första i Visby.
– I framtiden hoppas vi se många elbils- och elmotorcykelrace på GotlandRing. Om det blir tävlingar med elbilar, så ställer jag själv upp gladeligen som förare, säger Alec Arho Havrén som annars inte har så mycket tid längre för att själv köra tävlingar.
Men tennis spelar han fortfarande. Femfaldig Europamästare i olika seniorklasser med segrar i singel, dubbel och mixed, flera olika titlar utomhus och inomhus. Mixed-dubbel har han vunnit tillsammans med sin fru Lina Havrén – före detta bulgariska tennisproffset (rankad världsetta i seniorsammanhang i singel, dubbel och mixed) flyttade till Visby 2012.
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