Click for a map of Imola pre-variante chicanes.
Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari 40026 Imola Italy Tel: (39) 542 31444 Fax: (39) 542 30420Immediately after WW2, impromptu bike races were held around the streets of Imola, straw bales marking out the route. One event took place during a severe rainstorm, after which the organisers looked for a more permanent venue. As part of the Italian effort to revive the post-war economy, new roads were built in the area, linking what is now Tosa and Rivazza in the local park. It was these roads in the park that became the new race track.
The track was radically reprofiled after fatal accidents to Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna in 1994, with the Tamburello corner gaining a new chicane. The Variante Alta was modified over the winter of 2005/6, with the kerbs being eased to stop the F1 cars from taking off. However, this did not stop the San Marino GP from being lost for 2007.
For 2008 the approach to the startline was modified with the removal of the Variante Bassa, changing the lap dostance to 4.909 km.