In Inner Mongolia, Ordos City is known better to the Western world as “China’s Ghost City” – a name that came about after a report by Al Jazeera and an article by Time magazine, both of which featured the newly built Chinese prefecture-level city, in all its failure.
The name comes about because of the massive construction projects taking place in Ordos, and the essentially non-existent population that lives in them.
This situation even more true in the Kangbashi New Area, where there is a goal to house one million residents (the actual current capacity is 300,000), though only 50,000 to 100,000 people claim the city as their home.
Many words have been written about Ordos, its buildings, its failures, and its future, though little has been said about the Ordos International Circuit.
A freshly made 2.33-mile circuit, OIC features 18 corners, 114 feet of elevation change, and a complex of turns that looks like a horse head from above — a nod to area’s history as the birthplace of Genghis Khan.
In fact, the circuit is home to the Genghis Khan Cup, a three-round series that sees 20 or so competitors at each outing. OIC has also played host to the FIA GT1 World Championship and Superleague Formula, and it continues to be a venue for the China Touring Car Championship and Scirocco Cup China.
We first got tipped off to the circuit by A&R reader Monty Fendt, who help make a short video on the Ordos International Circuit. He shared with us his work, which you can watch below — it’s very well done.
Like its surrounding townscape, the Ordos International Circuit looks both massively under-used and incredibly tempting to witness first-hand.
Source: OIC, Al Jazeera, & Time
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