When was the track built?

Cremona's story is much newer than most famous Italian circuits, but that is part of the appeal. The idea was pushed through in the early 2000s by local backers who wanted a serious motorsport facility in southern Lombardy, yet the project had to fight through years of bureaucracy before construction finally gathered pace in 2011. The original circuit was completed and officially inaugurated in 2012 as the Circuito di San Martino del Lago, a 3.450 km anti-clockwise track aimed more at testing, track days and local competition than immediate world-championship glamour. The big turning points came later. A major 2021 overhaul stretched the lap to 3.702 km and made it much more race-ready, then another heavy round of work in early 2024 extended it to 3.768 km, resurfaced key areas, reworked the final sector and upgraded the spectator facilities for WorldSBK.

When was its first race?

Cremona spent much of its early life as a popular test and track-day venue, so its real competitive identity arrived later than the construction date suggests. The circuit's first widely documented sanctioned race on the modern rebuilt layout came on May 30, 2021, during the Trofei MotoEstate weekend, when Luca Salvadori won the 1000 Open class on a Ducati. That mattered because it showed the revamped circuit could host proper racing rather than just private running. From there the track's rise was quick - national bike meetings, then bigger Italian-level events, then WorldSBK in 2024, which turned Cremona from a local project into an international talking point almost overnight.

What's the circuit like?

• It feels like a stadium sprint: Cremona is short enough that the lap never really lets you relax. Riders are always turning, loading the tyres or trying to line up the next exit properly.
• The opening left sequence is deceptively hard: Turn 1 bends in fast, then tightens into the next lefts. It looks simple on a map, but it is easy to compromise the whole first sector by getting greedy too early.
• The middle sector is where the lap gets clever: Turns 4, 5 and 6 are awkward and reference-light, so consistency matters more than heroics. Good riders look smooth here. Everyone else looks busy.
• T8 is the big braking event: After the long back straight, the right-hand hairpin is one of the clearest overtaking opportunities on the circuit. If you want late dives and defensive lines, this is the spot.
• T10 decides a lot: The second hairpin is another genuine passing chance, but it also launches riders onto the straight that leads into the tight final sector. Mess up the exit and the lap falls apart quickly.
• The last three corners are a real quirk: The final T11-T13 sequence is tight, busy and slightly banked in places, which is unusual in modern circuit design. It rewards precision and punishes anyone who arrives there with a bike or car already out of shape.
• Surface and grip matter: The 2024 resurfacing improved the track, but Cremona still evolves quickly over a weekend. Rubber goes down fast, and because the lap is short, tiny balance changes show up immediately on the stopwatch.
• Overtaking is possible, but not free: This is not a giant wide-open circuit. Moves usually need to be built through exits and positioning, especially in the quicker first half of the lap.

Lap records and benchmarks

• WorldSBK - official race lap (3.768 km): 1:27.980 - Nicolo Bulega - Ducati Panigale V4 R - 2025.
• WorldSBK - all-time lap: 1:27.866 - Nicolo Bulega - Ducati Panigale V4 R - 2025 qualifying.
• WorldSSP - official race lap: 1:32.001 - Lucas Mahias - Yamaha YZF-R9 - 2025.
• WorldWCR - official race lap: 1:40.005 - Roberta Ponziani - Yamaha YZF-R7 - 2025.
• Older layout benchmark - 3.702 km version: 1:32.434 - Fabrizio Perotti - Aprilia RSV4 - 2022 Alpe Adria Superbike.
• Why the split matters: Cremona's 2024 upgrade changed the last part of the lap and the official length, so older 3.702 km and original 3.450 km figures belong to different versions of the circuit.

Cremona is a good example of a track where lap time comes from getting several small things right rather than one giant commitment corner. The best laps carry speed through the opening sequence, attack the two hairpins cleanly and stay disciplined through the final sector.

Why go?

Cremona is exactly the kind of place fans love once they visit it in person. It still has the feel of a hungry, rising circuit rather than a polished corporate giant, and that gives race weekends a more intimate edge. You are close to the paddock atmosphere, close to the action and close to one of the best bike-racing countries in the world. For WorldSBK especially, the place works brilliantly - Ducati-red crowds, loud support for the Italian riders and a circuit short enough that something is always happening. It also helps that you are in Lombardy, with Cremona, Parma and the Emilia-Romagna motor valley all within easy reach, so a race weekend can turn into a proper motorsport road trip rather than just a day at the track.

Where's the best place to watch?

• Turns 1-3 grandstands: The best all-round starting point. You get the launch into the fast opening left sequence and can immediately see who has confidence and who is just surviving the first sector.
• Turns 4-6: A smart pick if you want to study rider quality. This section is awkward, technical and easy to get wrong, so the fast laps really stand out here.
• Turn 8 hairpin: One of the headline overtaking spots on the circuit. The long straight builds the move, then the braking zone settles it.
• Turn 10 hairpin: Another excellent spectator zone, especially late in races when riders start forcing the issue and defending harder.
• Turns 11-13 final sector: Best for seeing Cremona's unusual character. The last sequence is tight and slightly old-school in feel, and a clean run out of here makes all the difference onto the straight.

Not just one series - headline events at Cremona Circuit

WorldSBK weekend: Cremona's breakthrough event is the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, backed by WorldSSP and WorldWCR. That is the meeting that turned the circuit into a genuine international venue.

Italian and regional motorcycle racing: Before WorldSBK arrived, Cremona built its reputation through categories such as Trofei MotoEstate, Coppa Italia Velocità and other national-level bike meetings that suited the layout's stop-go rhythm and heavy focus on exits.

Testing and development: The circuit remains a major test venue for superbike and supersport teams, which matters because it keeps the place active and relevant between headline race weekends.

Karting and wider motorsport use: The adjacent kart track and the circuit's constant programme of track days, coaching and manufacturer activity mean Cremona is busy far beyond one world-championship weekend. It is a working circuit, not just a once-a-year showpiece.