Karlskoga, Sweden : Moss and the Lotus 19 \u201cThe Winner takes All\u201d 1961<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n The purpose of this series of articles is: –<\/p>\n These articles are not essentially a tabulation of race results or the personalities involved. This information is easily obtained and the references quoted will assist.<\/p>\n Where entry lists are included its intended subscribers can benchmark.<\/p>\n Subscribers may like to see other articles in the series: –<\/p>\n Karlskoga Location <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cKarlskoga Motorstadion is located at Geller\u00e5son, Sweden, near to near to Karlstad, Kristineham and \u00d6rebro. The nearest international airport is at \u00d6rebro, around 30 minutes from the circuit.<\/p>\n By road, the circuit is located around 6kms north of the town of Karlskoga on route 205. Follow the signs for ‘Motorbana’ to reach the circuit.\u201d<\/p>\n In broad terms the circuit is due west of the capital Stockholm.<\/p>\n Sweden: geography, socio-economic context <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSweden is the largest Scandinavian country in both population and area.It has an enviable welfare and civil rights mechanism.<\/p>\n Heavily forested, with many lakes.The Northern Plateau extends beyond the Arctic Circle.<\/p>\n The Southern Lowlands are widely cultivated.<\/p>\n Southern coasts are warmed by the Gulf Stream. Northern areas have more extreme continental climate.<\/p>\n The population is circa 10 million with the capital Stockholm on the eastern coast.<\/p>\n Companies of global importance including Volvo, Saab, SFK, Ericson with highly developed infrastructure, up-to-date technology and a skilled labour force.\u201d<\/p>\n The following are the main economic powerhouse of Sweden: –<\/p>\n Karlskoga circuit from website: –<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cKarlskoga Motorstadion<\/strong> (also known as Geller\u00e5sen Karlskoga<\/strong>), opened in 1949, is the oldest racing circuit in Sweden and the venue of several non-championship Formula One events (so-called Kanonloppet<\/strong> races) in the early 1960s. The Swedish Grand Prix<\/strong>, held under Formula 2 rules, also took place at Karlskoga in 1967.<\/p>\n In recent years, Karlskoga is mostly hosting national or regional events, such as Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia or Camaro Cup.<\/p>\n Figure 1. Track layout from the net<\/p>\n STCC race is the highlight of the season at Karlskoga<\/p>\n The idea of a racetrack in Karlskoga, in Orebro County in central Sweden, was born in the head of Gunnar Olsson<\/strong>, the chairman of Karlskoga Motor Klub<\/strong> during the 1940s. After a World War II, the races were held mostly on the public roads but Olsson wanted to build a permanent racing facility.<\/p>\n When he met Elias Frisk, a motorsport enthusiast and local landowner, an idea was converted into reality. They built a race track on Frisk\u2019s land, using gravel from his quarry to form the track surface. They needed just a week to construct the 1.55-km circuit.<\/p>\n Kanonloppet events always attracted lots of spectators<\/p>\n The inaugural race was the first Kanonloppet<\/strong> on 4 June 1950. About 15,000 spectators visited the race. After this success, Olsson wanted more, dreaming about international races with world famous stars. The first step was to resurface the track with a sealed surface. For the 2nd Kanonloppet, held in 1952, the whole course was asphalted and extended to 1.6 kilometers.<\/p>\n Further upgrades were made in the next couple of years, with length extensions in 1953 and 1958. In 1958, with the addition of two straights linked by steeply banked hairpin bend called Velodromkurvan, the track length was extended to 3,000 meters.<\/p>\n The inaugural Kanonloppet in 1950 was the first ever race at Karlskoga Motorstadion<\/p>\n The race winner that year was the superstar Stirling Moss<\/a>. It was the race for the sports cars and it remained the main form of racing until 1961 when the 7th Kanonloppet was held under Formula One<\/strong> rules. It was the first Formula One race in Sweden and a dream of Gunnar Olsson became true.<\/p>\n The grid was full of international stars. The winner of the 30-lap race was Stirling Moss<\/a>, who was driving Lotus-Climax for UDT Laystall Racing Team. He won 12 seconds ahead of Swedish racer Joakim Bonnier<\/a> with Porsche. John Surtees<\/a> completed the podium. Other drivers in that historic race were Roy Salvadori<\/a>, Tim Parnell<\/a>, Jack Brabham<\/a>, Jim Clark<\/a>, Innes Ireland<\/a>, Geoff Duke<\/a>, Ulf Norinder and Carl Hammarlund.<\/p>\n After fulfilling his dream, Gunnar Olsson died at the end of 1961. The Formula One non-championship races came to Karlskoga two more times, in 1962 and 1963. Resurfacing of the track before the 8th Kanonloppet in 1962 led to lap times dropping for 5 seconds compared to 1961. John Surtees<\/a> took the pole position with a lap time of 1.25.4. A year before, Jim Clark<\/a> was a pole-sitter with a lap time of 1.30.1.<\/p>\n The winner in 1962 was Masten Gregory<\/a>, driving the Lotus-BRM for UDT Laystall Racing Team. Roy Salvadori<\/a> finished second, just two-tenths of a second ahead of Jo Bonnier<\/a>. In 1963, Jack Brabham<\/a> set the record lap time of 1.22.6, taking the pole position. In the race, Jim Clark<\/a> earned his first win in Sweden, ahead of Lotus teammate Trevor Taylor<\/a>. Jack Brabham was third.<\/p>\n In 1964, the Kanonloppet wasn\u2019t Formula One race anymore. It switched to Formula 2 rules instead. Jack Brabham<\/a> was the winner three times in a row, from 1964 to 1966.<\/p>\n The race in 1967 was also named the Swedish Grand Prix. Jackie Stewart<\/a> took the victory. The Sportscar Grand Prix also took place at Karlskoga in 1967, with Jacky Ickx winning the race in Mirage M1-Ford and beating Jo Bonnier<\/a> in the same car.<\/p>\n From 1968, there were no more F1 or F2 races at Karlskoga but Formula 3 and sports cars also attracted a lot of spectators. In 1968, David Piper<\/a> (Ferrari 412 P) won the Sportscar Grand Prix. Jo Bonnier<\/a>, who was driving McLaren M6B-Chevrolet, was second again. In 1969, Brian Redman<\/a> won the Sportscar Grand Prix race.<\/p>\n Karlskoga 1961: Lotus 19 and Stirling Moss<\/strong><\/p>\n The following tabulation has been taken from the net: –<\/p>\n\n
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![](\"http:\/\/colinchapmanmuseum.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/word-image-11.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nGunnar Olsson\u2019s idea became a reality<\/h3>\n
![\"Kanonloppet,](\"http:\/\/colinchapmanmuseum.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/kanonloppet-karlskoga.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nSuccessful start and track improvements<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/colinchapmanmuseum.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/the-inaugural-kanonloppet-in-1950-was-the-first-ev.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nFormula One cars came to Karlskoga in 1961<\/h2>\n
Karlskoga hosted F1 non-championship races three times<\/h3>\n
Formula 2 ruled out at Karlskoga until 1967<\/h3>\n
Sports cars marked the late 1960s<\/h3>\n
![](\"http:\/\/colinchapmanmuseum.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/word-image-12.jpeg\")
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