# Shah Alam Circuit

Shah Alam Circuit or Batu Tiga Speedway Circuit was a racing circuit in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The circuit layout was designed by Dutchman John Hugenholtz.

## History

The circuit was opened in 1968. The 1968 Malaysian Grand Prix was held there on 8 September as a Formula Libre race and was won by Indonesian Hengkie Irawan driving an Elfin 600. The circuit was the venue for the Malaysian Grand Prix until 1982, with the starting field consisting alternately of vehicles from the Formula Atlantic, Formula Pacific or Formula 2. The last Malaysian Grand Prix race held in Shah Alam was held for Formula Brabham in 1995.
The circuit was closed in 1977 after an accident that killed six children, although it later reopened after improvements of fences and guard rails around the track were carried out. In 1985 the track was lengthened from 3.380 km (2.100 mi) to 3.693 km (2.295 mi) with the addition of the curve 11. In the same year, the first international racing event was held. Titled as the 1985 800 km of Selangor, the race was the tenth and final round of the 1985 World Endurance Championship, and was won by Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass driving a Porsche 962C.
The circuit hosted rounds of the Superbike World Championship in the 1990 and 1991, and from 1991 to 1997 it hosted the Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix. Mick Doohan is the all-time leader in motorcycle Grand Prix victories at the venue, winning the event four times. The motorcycle Grand Prix was later moved to the Johor Circuit, and later to the Sepang International Circuit.
In 2003 the circuit was sold by Selangor state government to a property developer, which then developed the area into a luxury housing project by the name D'Kayangan.

## Details

The Batu Tiga Speedway Circuit Track Details In Brief:
* Total Area: 143 acres (0.58 km$^2$)
* No. of Pits: 57 units, 42 units concrete pit (22' x 17'), 15 units wooden pits (22' x 7')
* Spectator capacity: Covered grandstand - 8000, Uncovered grandstand - 18,000
* Track length: 3.380 km (2.100 mi) (1968–1984) / 3.693 km (2.295 mi) (1985–2003)
* No. of Turns: 14. Left -4, Right -10
* Straights: 3. The longest straight was 600 m (2,000 ft)
* Gate Entrances: 3

## Lap records

The fastest official race lap records at the Shah Alam Circuit are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
| Grand Prix Circuit (1985–2003): 3.693 km |||||
| Group C | 1:24.520 | Jochen Mass | Porsche 962C | 1985 800 km of Selangor |
| 500cc | 1:24.840 | Mick Doohan | Honda NSR500 (NV0X) | 1997 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix |
| 250cc | 1:25.994 | Max Biaggi | Aprilia RSV 250 | 1996 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix |
| World SBK | 1:28.690 | Doug Polen | Ducati 888 SBK | 1991 Shah Alam World SBK round |
| Asian Formula 2000 | 1:29.979 | Parthiva Sureshwaren | Argo Formula Asia | 2000 Shah Alam Formula Asia 2000 round |
| 125cc | 1:31.594 | Emilio Alzamora | Honda RS125R | 1996 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix |
| Supersport | 1:32.590 | Toshiyuki Hamaguchi | Suzuki GSX-R600 | 2002 Shah Alam ARRC round |
| Super 2000 | 1:38.820 | Charles Kwan | BMW 320i | 2000 Shah Alam ATCC round |
| Original Circuit (1968–1984): 3.380 km |||||
| Formula Pacific | 1:16.400 | Tiff Needell | March 79B | 1980 Selangor Grand Prix |
| Formula Two | 1:21.000 | Ken Smith | March 782 | 1979 Malaysian Grand Prix |
| Formula Atlantic | 1:22.700 | John MacDonald | Brabham BT40 | 1973 Malaysian Grand Prix |
| Formula Libre | 1:25.700 | Max Stewart | Brabham BT11 | 1968 Malaysian Grand Prix |
| Tasman Formula | 1:31.500 | Tony Maw | Elfin Type 600 | 1969 Malaysian Grand Prix |

## In popular culture

The track was used as one of the shooting locations for Jackie Chan's 1995 film Thunderbolt.