Circuit de Lignières

Between 1964 and 1968, Fribourg's two-time Grand Prix winner Jo Siffert came up to the Diesse plateau to drive demonstration laps. The track he drove is still here, and it is still the only permanent circuit in Switzerland.

The Circuit de Lignières opened in 1961, the idea of French officer Robert Souaille, who saw early on that drivers needed proper training. In 1964 it grew from 1,006 m to its current 1,350 m. Graham Hill visited, Formula Vee had its Swiss premiere here in 1965, Carlo Abarth presented his racing team in 1970, and BMW M1 Procar cars ran with Marc Surer and Markus Hotz in 1979 and 1980.

Switzerland banned circuit racing after the 1955 Le Mans disaster, and Lignières became best known as a training circuit. The ban was finally lifted on 1 July 2026. Today the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) owns the circuit and runs it as a training and events centre.

Besides the anti-clockwise track with its 190 m longest straight, there are dynamic areas with slippery surfaces and mechanical obstacles, an off-road zone for 4x4s, quads and motorbikes, a training room and the Motorex Bistrot. TCS runs courses for cars, motorbikes, vans and off-road driving, and since 2022 the Porsche Driving Center Switzerland has run its Porsche Pilot courses here.

The circuit sits above Lake Biel at the foot of the Chasseral, about 20 km from both Neuchâtel and Biel/Bienne and just under two hours from Zurich by car.