The Autodromo di Pergusa is the only circuit in Sicily, and is situated around the edge of a lake immediately to the south of the town of Pergusa and just under 5 km to the south of Enna.

Opening in 1951, the original circuit was built from access roads around the lake and was a simple design, featuring fast flowing right-hand corners which tested the nerve of any racer taking the course on.

In 1962, the profile of the circuit rose with the establishment of the non-championship Mediterranean Grand Prix, which initially ran to F1 rules, before latterly running to Formula 2 and then Formula 3000 rules. The last use of the name was in the 1998 season.

The first chicane, known as ‘Proserpina’ was added in 1970, in order to reduce increasing speeds. The same year saw a pit and paddock complex built. A year later, another pair of chicanes was added, known as ‘Zagaria’, in order to slow speeds just before the new pits.

1976 saw the first corner effectively bypassed with a new pair of chicanes, providing new braking points to make the circuit as much about traction out of the corners as it was about speed.

Little changed until the mid-90s, when a seventh chicane was added before the ‘Curvone’ bend, the longest radius turn on the circuit. The chicane was extremely tight, as the circuit was unable to be expanded either side due to the whole area also being a nature reserve.

Ultimately, F3000 departed after 1998, and with the transition of the Italian Super Touring Championship into a resurrected European Touring Car Championship, the facility was able to continue hosting FIA races from 2000 to 2003.

The circuit’s licence was revoked by the FIA in 2004 on safety grounds, causing the circuit to fall silent. Re-homologated to FIA Grade 3 in 2011, the FIA European Touring Car Cup visited for three years from 2013.

Today, the circuit is limited to local competition – even Italy’s national touring car series no longer pays a visit.