A hidden gem

The Circuit de Catalunya is not the only track in Barcelona to have hosted the Spanish Grand Prix.

It's an unfortunate consequence of Formula 1's desire to establish itself on new frontiers that the resulting facilities, impressive as they are in catering for a mass-marketed 21st century sport, inevitably lack the intangibles that can inspire as much as the races themselves. Tracks like Monza and Monaco remain, as do Silverstone and Spa - the latter pair albeit much-altered from their original layouts and the venue for the Belgian Grand Prix hanging on by a frayed thread. In place of such classics have come the likes of the Bahrain International Circuit, located on the edge of a desert and devoid of anything remotely approaching charisma, let alone heritage. Of the latter quality, the Circuit de Catalunya, venue for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, continues to strive. The race will be the 22nd to be held there, making it far and away the event's most venerable home. And given the workout it offers an F1 car, the track is also popular amongst teams as a testing venue. Yet from its location - non-descript and on the north-eastern fringes of Barcelona - on down, it's hardly a place to stir the senses. Of course, none of this will matter too much if Sunday's race turns out to be another cracker. Yet there is a much more evocative example of the species within walking distance of Las Ramblas - one with a far more prepossessing air and yet, almost inevitably given the era in which it was used, one also marked by tragedy. You have to know what you're looking for, though, because the venue, Montjuich Park, gives nothing away. In fact, walking the streets which once made up the 2.35-mile circuit, it's difficult to imagine that F1 cars actually raced there. But they did, on four occasions between 1969 and 1975 as the likes of Jackie Stewart and Emerson Fittipaldi sped to victory up, down and around the Palau Nacional on the park's hillside. In sporting terms, Montjuich is far better known for its Olympic Stadium, perched on top of Montjuich hill itself and originally built as an anti-fascist alternative to Berlin in 1936 before being rebuilt for the 1992 Games. The track's start-finish straight passes right by the stadium before cresting a brow over which cars would become airborne before braking sharply for a hairpin bend. It's the scene of some wonderful, hair-raising photographs and film footage which encapsulate the perilous thrill of the sport at that time. But it also proved the track's undoing. During the first race in 1969, Lotus drivers Graham Hill and Jochen Rindt both suffered rear wing failures over the crest and crashed heavily within a few laps of each other - the latter suffering a broken nose when his car hit the wreck left by his team-mate. Then, six years later, the car of race leader Rolf Stommelen (entered, incidentally, by Hill) also suffered a wing failure on the same stretch of track. On this occasion, however, the car went over the barriers. Four spectators were killed, while the driver suffered broken legs, a broken wrist and fractured ribs. Chaos ensued, with the race eventually stopped after just 29 laps. In David Tremayne's book 'The Lost Generation', fellow journalist Nigel Roebuck described the scene thus: "After the accident the Guardia Civil was just lashing out at anyone and everyone and there was complete bedlam. The gutters were awash with fuel from Rolf's car, and all it needed was for somebody to drop a fag end... "It was unforgettable, seeing Rolf still slumped in the wreckage of the car at the top of the hill, conscious and staring ahead, and clearly in huge pain. And under the monocoque there was a body, and the place was strewn with wreckage. It really was the scene from hell, with a total absence of control." Jochen Mass was handed the dubious honour of victor while sixth-placed Lella Lombardi became - and remains - the only woman to score a point in F1 history (although she was actually awarded half a point since the race failed to go the distance). With hindsight, the weekend seemed fated. Concerns over the installation of Armco barriers had already led to the threat of a drivers' strike but as mechanics picked up spanners to help finish the job themselves, Fittipaldi stood firm and refused to race. Stommelen's accident ensured, though, that no-one raced a Formula 1 car at Montjuich after 1975. Much like the old Nurburgring, which disappeared from the calendar the following year, it was deemed unsafe. Walking the tight, tree-lined descent down the hill from where the tragedy occurred, it also seems an anachronism; more suited to the horse-drawn carriages that quietly pass by. Yet the majority of the layout appears to have been very fast indeed and one gets the impression of a 'proper' racing circuit - certainly more so than Monaco, a grand prix whose survival owes more to its status as a glitzy event than anything else. It's nice to think that fans heading to Barcelona will spend a little time seeking out its motor racing past; given that there are two more Spanish Grand Prix venues of years past located nearby, it's not as if they're anything other than spoiled for choice. The first, a street track in the suburbs of Pedralbes, hosted the race in 1951 and 1954 while the other, a two-kilometre oval located close to the nearby town of Sitges, staged it just once in 1923 before falling into disuse. The latter track still stands, although the surrounding land apparently now serves its purpose as a chicken farm. Sporting venues have a habit of leading such mundane afterlives and it's easy to imagine the Circuit de Catalunya sharing a similar fate. That will never be the case with Montjuich Park; one simply needs to be aware of its hidden past. Mike will be Sky Sports Online's in-the-field reporter at Barcelona for the Spanish GP this weekend and will be part of the team providing a live interactive commentary of all the sessions at the Circuit de Catalunya