Mantorp Park – Swedish STCC and European F2 Circuit Guide

Originally published February 2017. Last updated September 2026: added labelled circuit map (Wikimedia Commons, with attribution in caption)

Mantorp Park is a permanent road-racing circuit in Östergötland, Sweden, between Linköping and Mjölby on the E4 motorway. Opened in 1969 with finance from BP Sweden, it hosted European Formula Two and later became a home of STCC TCR Scandinavia, Swedish Formula Three, drag racing, and club events — a Swedish national venue rather than a Formula One stop, but central to Scandinavian tin-top history.

The track matters because Ronnie Peterson and Stefan Johansson won Formula 2 races here in front of huge home crowds, and because the long layout mixes a 301 m NHRA-spec drag strip with fast curves and heavy braking zones. For Nordic contrast read Scandinavian Raceway Anderstorp or Karlskoga Motorstadion; for European touring-car heritage see Brands Hatch.

Today Mantorp Park runs Gatebil festivals, Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia, and national championships on either the 3.106 km long course or the shorter Paris loop ΓÇö modest grandstands, on-site camping, and a pit building that still feels like classic Nordic club racing scaled up.

Mantorp Park facts

Lap record note: categories use different car specifications. The venue’s official track record is 1:11.690 by Johnny Cecotto on the long course. Published STCC and TCR times are several seconds slower ΓÇö compare only within the same series and layout.

Mantorp Park — long circuit (3.106 km) — Map: Wikimedia Commons

Good start ΓÇö BP Sweden and Ronnie Peterson

The original 4.098 km course was fairly flat but offered a strong mix of corners and a long straight that doubled as a drag strip. Mantorp became popular immediately after hosting Formula 2 in 1971, won by local hero Ronnie Peterson.

Ronnie Peterson, Formula 2 at Mantorp Park

Well attended F2 races returned until 1974, when the Swedish round moved to Karlskoga. Mantorp still hosted the European Touring Car Championship, European Formula Three, and other international categories through the 1970s.

Reconstruction in the late 1970s and 1981 layout

Financial trouble closed the circuit for much of the late 1970s. When Swedish stars such as Stefan Johansson and Eje Elge revived interest, funds arrived for a major rebuild. In 1981 two short courses were added and the full lap was shortened to about 3.125 km, with a chicane before the drag strip after a fatal accident in the 1970s.

V8 Thunder Cars race at Mantorp

Formula 2 returned in 1981 and Johansson won again for the home crowd. The 1982 F2 round was the last; since then national and regional series ΓÇö Swedish Formula Three and Scandinavian touring cars ΓÇö have been the headline acts. Club racing and drag events fill the rest of the calendar.

Two layouts available

Organisers today use the long circuit (3.106 km, 13 turns) or the short Paris loop (1.868 km). STCC occasionally switches to the short layout for closer racing. Mantorp was the first European drag strip to adopt the NHRA’s 301.75 m format in July 2008.

STCC and Scandinavian tin-top racing

After international single-seaters left, the Swedish Touring Car Championship ΓÇö now STCC TCR Scandinavia ΓÇö kept Mantorp on the national map alongside GT4 Scandinavia, Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia, and Gatebil track-day festivals.

STCC race at Mantorp Park

Garages and pit lane at Mantorp Park

Long straights, heavy braking, and overtaking spots

Mantorp really does offer a bit of everything ΓÇö long straights, fast curves, and slow hairpins. The contrast between the fast left-hander and the tight section after Mj├╢lby F2 corner drops speeds from about 150 km/h to 50 km/h, giving heavy braking and passing chances.

Facilities are modest but practical: a distinctive pit building with VIP terraces, event tents, and camping opened during race weekends. Official information and tickets are at mantorppark.com.

Getting to Mantorp Park

Mantorp Park sits just off the E4 between Mjölby and Linköping. By car, take exit 110, continue a few hundred metres toward Skänninge, and turn left at the main entrance past the Statoil station.

Most trains stop at Link├╢ping or Mj├╢lby; local services connect to Mantorp. Link├╢ping has a regional airport; Stockholm Skavsta (Nyk├╢ping) offers more low-cost flights from Europe.

Fast facts about Mantorp Park

• Mantorp Park opened on 31 August 1969 with BP Sweden backing.
• The original course measured 4.098 km.
• Ronnie Peterson won the 1971 Formula 2 race here.
• The 1981 rebuild created the modern long and short layouts.
• Stefan Johansson won the 1981 Formula 2 return.
• European F2 last visited in 1982.
• The long circuit is 3.106 km with 13 turns.
• Johnny Cecotto holds the official lap record at 1:11.690.
• STCC TCR Scandinavia is the headline touring-car series.
• The drag strip uses the NHRA 301.75 m standard since 2008.

Related reading

• Scandinavian Raceway Anderstorp ΓÇö Swedish Grand Prix history
• Karlskoga Motorstadion ΓÇö Sweden’s oldest racing circuit
• Ring Knutstorp ΓÇö popular Swedish club circuit
• Brands Hatch ΓÇö British touring-car legend
• Spa-Francorchamps ΓÇö Belgian Grand Prix circuit guide
• Silverstone Circuit ΓÇö British Grand Prix guide

Address: Mantorp Park, 590 17 Mantorp, Sweden ┬╖ Phone: +46 142 29 88 50 ┬╖ Website: mantorppark.com