Let’s be clear, the Jarama Circuit was poorly conceived from the start. Without a license because when it was built things didn’t have to be done properly. Then came the houses, the extension of the end of the straight, the horse riding… And the mix of everything has given rise to a war without quarter in which the possibility of being left without activity on the circuit is a real threat.
And when things are done so badly from the start, it is only a matter of time before someone takes advantage of them for their own benefit. Needless to say, the Jarama Circuit was built in the midst of expansionism, at the end of the dictatorship, when Spain wanted to open up to the world and show itself to be modern. And it also goes without saying that at that time it was all countryside, and both San Sebastián de los Reyes and San Agustín del Guadalix, the two closest towns, were very far away.
Today, these towns are still just as far away, but the urbanisations have been closing in on the track. These urbanisations are what are strangling it. In fact, the high value of the area has already put Jarama on the ropes. And if everything was not torn down and a new RACE circuit was created (it should not be forgotten that Jarama is private), it was because things did not fit. Because there were plans for the circuit to be just a memory today, and the new RACE track to be located near Barajas Airport.
And obviously they would not have been social housing but luxury homes, because the land where the circuit is located is very valuable. Despite all this, it is clear that the RACE has continued to make ends meet, because the activity on the track is very high. And this despite the fact that there are no major competitions, and that there is this noisy area where you have to go slowly.
The Jarama Circuit has diversified. In the paddock area there is a karting rental and a drifting school. In the cafeteria area, galas and events are organised in its renovated facilities. And although the project that was announced with great fanfare is currently only embodied in the tower and the first two buildings, the circuit is very much alive.
But we have to admit that there is a very serious problem, and that is that the horses in the riding stables must be frightened by the noise without knowing why or where it comes from. Just kidding, the riding stables are also owned by the RACE and thank goodness, because if not… The fact is that, and this is incredible, the houses in the surroundings, including those on the Paseo del Circuito (it seems that they were not very clear about where they were), are affected by the noise.
Does the noise of the Jarama Circuit bother you? A curious consequence of buying a house on the track
And this is where it doesn’t matter if things are done right or not. And it doesn’t matter because it’s a question of each action having its repercussion. The circuit didn’t have a license because they weren’t available at the time? Perfect. They let you build your house next to a race track? Perfect. The noise bothers you? A curious consequence of buying a house right next to the track.
The funniest thing is that the neighbours argue that it is the 1993 extension that is affecting it. Well, that extension is not from 1993, it is from 1990. If that is how strict they are… And the fact is that at the beginning many of the people who bought the house near the circuit were passionate about motor racing. But of course, 34 years have passed since then, purchases, sales, big hits… and we find ourselves in the situation we are in.
Knowing what the future holds for the Jarama Circuit is complicated, but things look bad. And they look bad because there is no desire for understanding on the part of those involved. And we have to ask ourselves why this is so.
Perhaps, and just perhaps, the disappearance of the circuit will be conducive to a new urban development boom. Perhaps, and just perhaps, behind these demands there are interests that go beyond a comfort that, mind you, can only be affected during the central hours of the day.
They say that there is no possibility of making improvements to the houses and their surroundings that would solve the acoustic problems. I suspect that they simply do not want to. That this is a foregone conclusion, that economic interests are above everything and that sooner rather than later the Jarama will disappear, and will be a memory of glorious afternoons and moments of suffering.
At least, personally, I can say that I have enjoyed it from both sides of the wall, that I have indelible memories and that even today, when I cross the tunnel like last week and enter the paddock, the butterflies in my stomach return.
