It has now been more than 20 years since you designed and established GotlandRing on the island of Gotland. How did you end up building a racetrack there?
Alec Arho-Havrén:
- ‘I have always spent large parts of my summers on Gotland since my childhood. My work is conducted globally within various areas, with a focus mostly on sustainability. The consulting projects include racetrack layout design as well. The summertime on Gotland is still a big part of my life. Driving on one’s own race circuit is not a bad addition to one’s summer programme. The Eco-Region of Gotland is not that well known outside Sweden; the island of Gotland is de facto the most popular tourist destination in Sweden. In addition to having the world-class 7.3 km GotlandRing, Gotland can also boast about its number 1-ranked golf course in Sweden. The island offers a unique blend of attractions and activities, including history through its UNESCO-protected capital of Visby, culture, Viking treasures, beaches, water sports, gastronomic experiences, and much more.
What other circuit projects have you been involved in?
Alec Arho-Havrén:
- ‘Since the late 1990s, I have been involved as a consultant for circuit design in 17 different countries. Historically, my clients have struggled to get construction permits and financing for their projects. In China, more than 25 years ago, the Shanghai project actually had the financing capacity because of a Chinese billionaire’s efforts to realize the project; It’s a long story with a lot of learning curve, but unfortunately, the Chinese Communist Party politics and corruption got in the way. Eventually, the governor of Shanghai and the leadership in Beijing were swayed to support another project that ended up being the current Shanghai International F1 Circuit. As an aftermath, jail sentences resulted for some key people involved in the project, as they were linked to a larger corruption and embezzlement scandal involving government pension funds in Shanghai. Our client did not get his project approved with the intended schedule, thus eventually backing out due to the frustrating delays. Sadly, our vision for a tailored family theme park that included the racetrack, Shanghai Speed World, which my business partner, Petri Ilmarinen, and I had worked on, could not be realized.
- Another race circuit project I consulted was in Thailand. That project was all set for success; the land area was sourced and approved, the financing looked to be in place as well, since I was about the sign the consulting agreement. However, that project ended even more drastically. The client died the day before we were about to sign the ready agreement.
- Yet another radical turnaround for a project happened for a track that my company consulted on in Egypt in 2011. That time, the Egyptian revolution happened. Even that time, the contract was ready for signing. It has been a colorful bunch of unpredictable regions to deal with, indeed.’
What does the race circuit business look like today?
Alec Arho-Havrén:
- ‘Lately, one can see that the business concepts and models are maturing, which can be seen through a growing number of lavish private race resorts and clubs popping up around the world – often in conjunction with very affluent areas. I just got back from Japan, from Magarigawa Club, near Tokyo, the most luxurious race resort in the world. This is the most recent example of surprising success within the now strongly expanding industry. It was my second visit to this remarkable facility. It is beyond one’s wildest expectations. It is the vision of this project’s founder, Kenzo, that enabled this architectural masterpiece to be realized. The famous racetrack engineering and design company, Tilke, is behind the actual track design.’
- ‘I have a couple of interesting projects to consult in a couple of countries. Let’s see how they evolve. Advantage Group will partner with other companies and experts to help realize them. My expertise is the layout design and sustainability aspects. These projects take many years before they yield any concrete results. That is the nature of the business.’