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 The "oval" speedway (2001–2018) | |
 International Super Sports Car Circuit (2001–2018) | |
| Location | Rockingham,Northamptonshire,England,United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°30′54″N0°39′27″W / 52.51500°N 0.65750°W /52.51500; -0.65750 |
| Capacity | 52,000 |
| Broke ground | 1999 |
| Opened | 15 January 2001; 24 years ago (2001-01-15) |
| Closed | 24 November 2018; 7 years ago (2018-11-24) |
| Major events | Former: CART Rockingham 500 (2001–2002) BTCC (2003, 2007–2018) British GT (2001–2003, 2006–2018) BRDC British F3 (2015–2018) British F3 (2002–2003, 2007–2014) BSB (2001–2003) ASCAR (2001–2008) EuroBOSS (2001) |
| Oval Circuit (2001–2018)[2] | |
| Surface | Tarmac |
| Length | 1.479 mi (2.380 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | 3.5 – 7.9º |
| Race lap record | 0:25.217 (211.144 mph (339.803 km/h)) ( Jimmy Vasser,Lola B02/00,2002,CART) |
| International Super Sports Car Long Circuit (2001–2018)[3] | |
| Surface | Tarmac |
| Length | 2.050 mi (3.299 km) |
| Turns | 13 |
| Banking | 7.0º (turn 1) |
| Race lap record | 1:18.627 ( Jack Harvey,Dallara F312,2012,F3) |
| International Super Sports Car Circuit (2001–2018) | |
| Surface | Tarmac |
| Length | 1.940 mi (3.122 km) |
| Turns | 12 |
| Race lap record | 1:12.620 ( Marko Asmer,Dallara F307,2007,F3) |
| International Long Circuit (2001–2018) | |
| Surface | Tarmac |
| Length | 2.560 mi (4.120 km) |
| Turns | 16 |
| Race lap record | 1:32.880 (Tony Worswick,Jordan 194,2001,F1) |
| International Short Circuit (2001–2018) | |
| Surface | Tarmac |
| Length | 2.436 mi (3.920 km) |
| Turns | 14 |
| Race lap record | 1:29.183 ( Nelson Piquet Jr.,Dallara F303,2002,F3) |
| Superbike Circuit (2001–2018) | |
| Surface | Tarmac |
| Length | 1.740 mi (2.800 km) |
| Turns | 13 |
| Race lap record | 1:09.893 ( Yukio Kagayama,Suzuki GSX-R1000,2003,SBK) |
| National Circuit (2001–2018) | |
| Surface | Tarmac |
| Length | 1.700 mi (2.736 km) |
| Turns | 9 |
| Lake Circuit (2001–2018) | |
| Surface | Tarmac |
| Length | 0.670 mi (1.078 km) |
| Turns | 5 |
| Handling Circuit (2001–2018) | |
| Surface | Tarmac |
| Length | 0.970 mi (1.561 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
Rockingham Motor Speedway was amotorsport racing venue inRockingham,Northamptonshire,England,United Kingdom, near the town ofCorby. It hosted professional and club races, as well as testing, track days, driver training, exhibitions and conferences. It claimed to be Europe's fastest racing circuit,[4] and was the first banked oval constructed in Britain since the closure ofBrooklands in 1939.[5]
The venue entered administration in 2017 and hosted its final motor race in November 2018.[6] In 2021, the facility was purchased by Constellation Automotive for £80million.[7]
Construction of Rockingham started late in 1999, with the opening meeting planned for May 2001.[8]
Rockingham Motor Speedway was constructed on a British Steel worksbrown field site known as theDeene Iron Ore Quarry which gave the facility its original name ofDeene Raceway.[9] The Speedway was built as a banked oval with the intention of bringing the American oval racing, bothNASCARStock Cars and theCART Indycars, across the Atlantic for the first time. The opportunity was also taken to use the vast infield to build a combination of road circuits (most asRovals using parts of the Speedway) aimed at both national and international use.[10][8]
After almost ten years of planning and 23 months of construction work, Rockingham opened for business on Monday 15 January 2001. It was formally opened byQueen Elizabeth II on 26 May 2001.[10]
After the sale of the venue, Rockingham held a "super send-off" to mark its final day as a racing circuit on 24 November 2018.[6] The circuit was sold to Rockingham Automotive Limited, who used the facility for vehicle storage and logistics.[11] In mid-2021, Constellation Automotive who own brands such as Cinch, and We Buy Any Car purchased the site.[12]
Since then, Constellation Automotive's online car sales brand,Cinch, has used the circuit to film YouTube content,[13] including car reviews and lap time challenges, titled on its channel as 'Fast Laps'. Cinch Motoring Editor, Sam Sheehan, has driven cars ranging from the Hyundai i20N hot hatch to a road-legal track car produced by Spartan Motor Company.
Sheehan used the Spartan to set an overall lap record for Rockingham's National Circuit on 26 May 2023, beating the previous fastest time of 1:14.20, set by a Palmer Jaguar JP1 prototype, by five-hundredths of a second.[14]
Rockingham had 13 configurations of track, which could be used for anything fromtouring cars tomotorcycles torally cars. The circuit was overlooked by the 6280 seat Rockingham Building, a steel-framed, glass-fronted grandstand building containing suites, offices, bars and kitchens, and by four grandstands. Together, the building and grandstands offered a total seating capacity of 52,000. The inner pit and paddock complex was accessed from the Rockingham Building via two pedestrian tunnels and there was a further spectator viewing area on top of the pit garages.[1]
The 1.479 mi (2.380 km) American-style banked oval circuit was 60 ft (18.3 m) wide and had a maximum bank angle of seven degrees and comprised four very distinct corners. Rockingham's oval was unique in the UK and one of only two speedways in Europe (the other beingLausitzring). The oval circuit could also be converted to a road course layout for events by positioning temporary chicanes and curves both on the main area and apron of the circuit.[citation needed]
In early September 2001, theChamp cars came to Germany and England for the first time, to contest oval racing at theGerman 500 (kilometer, not miles) and the Rockingham 500, rounds of the2001 CART season (Championship Auto Racing Teams) FedEx Championship Series. After the11 September terrorist attacks and subsequent closing of airspaces, but with most equipment and personnel already being in continental Europe, the first ever German 500 was held under difficult circumstances. Unreliable weather and a bad crash of Alex Zanardi did not help, either.[citation needed]
The British round at the weekend of 20–22 September was in jeopardy, too. However, the logistics were worked out, with many of the teams stripping off their sponsors' logos ("livery") as a mark of respect for the victims of the attacks. The race distance was also shortened to 300 km. Victory was snatched on the exit of Turn Four of the last lap byGil de Ferran driving theMarlboro Team PenskeHonda–poweredReynard 01I at a race average speed of 153.41 mph (246.89 km/h) fromKenny Bräck at the wheel of theTeam Rahal Lola-Ford Cosworth B1/00, and theNewman-Haas Racing Lola-Toyota B1/00 driven byCristiano da Matta. The fastest lap, and therefore outright lap record, was set byPatrick Carpentier in 25.551secs (210.59 mph (338.91 km/h)) in thePlayer's Forsythe Racing Reynard-Cosworth. Carpentier became for first Canadian to ever hold the outright lap record at an English circuit.[8]
The US-based series returned in September 2002. This was the last time Champ Cars raced at this facility. The race ran over the full distance of 500 km, Scotland'sDario Franchitti took the chequered flag in hisTeam KOOL Green Lola-Honda, beatingCristiano da Matta by just 0.986 of a second .[15]
The ISSC was 1.940 mi (3.122 km) long and between 36 and 60 ft (11 and 18.3 m) wide, with a maximum bank angle of seven degrees at turn one. Rockingham's International Super Sportscar Circuit was used by the Dunlop MSABritish Touring Car Championship, as well as for most other car race events. The circuit combined long straights, sweeping high-speed bends (including the infamous Turn 1 and Gracelands) with a lower speed, highly technical infield layout. Average lap speeds around the circuit ranged from 1m 24s in the BTCC to 1m 12s in British F3.
The site had a wet handling area with a kick plate which was used to simulate a variety of driving conditions including ice, rain and slippery wet leaves. These different road conditions were simulated at much slower speeds than in normal driving and in a fully controlled environment. The area was designed to give drivers a greater understanding of the latest ABS, traction control and crash mitigating technologies, and the way that they affect vehicle control.
Rockingham is Europe's fastest banked oval racing circuit, with the unofficial lap record for the 1.479 mi (2.380 km) oval set at 24.719 seconds byTony Kanaan in hisLola B01/00Champ Car on 22 September 2001 – an average speed of 215.397 mph (346.648 km/h). Rockingham was the first purpose-built banked oval in the UK sinceBrooklands in 1907. It has an all-seating capacity of 52,000 and has both an oval and a racing circuit.[10] The fastest official race lap records at Rockingham Motor Speedway are listed as:
| Year | Race | Driver | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Rockingham 500 + | Gil de Ferran | Reynard 01I |
| 2002 | Sure For Men Rockingham 500 |  Dario Franchitti | Lola B02/00 |
+ Race shortened due to lack of practice.[15][48]
| Year | Race | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Green Flag British F3 Championship, Rd 17 | Shinya Hosokawa | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F302 |
| Green Flag British F3 Championship, Rd 18 |  Robbie Kerr | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F302 | |
| 2003 | Green Flag British F3 Championship, Rd 15 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F303 |
| Green Flag British F3 Championship, Rd 16 | Jamie Green | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F303 | |
| 2007 | Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 Championship, Rd 21 | Marko Asmer | Dallara-Mercedes F307 |
| Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 Championship, Rd 22 |  Maro Engel | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F307 | |
| 2008 | British F3 Championship, Rd 7 |  Atte Mustonen | Dallara-Mercedes F308 |
| British F3 Championship, Rd 8 |  Sebastian Hohenthal | Dallara-Mercedes F308 | |
| 2009 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 5 | Nick Tandy | Mygale-Mercedes M-08 F3 |
| Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 6 | Marcus Ericsson | Dallara-Mercedes F309 | |
| 2010 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 13 |  Jean-Éric Vergne | Dallara-Volkswagen F310 |
| Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 14 | Daniel McKenzie | Dallara-Mercedes F310 | |
| Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 15 | Felipe Nasr | Dallara-Volkswagen F308 | |
| 2011 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 22 | Pietro Fantin | Dallara-Volkswagen F308 |
| Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 23 |  Scott Pye | Dallara-Mercedes F308 | |
| Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 24 |  Kevin Magnussen | Dallara-Volkswagen F308 | |
| 2012 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 9 |  Jazeman Jaafar | Dallara-Volkswagen F312 |
| Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 10 | Harry Tincknell | Dallara-Volkswagen F312 | |
| Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 11 | Jack Harvey | Dallara-Volkswagen F312 | |
| 2014 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 1 Race 1 | Sam MacLeod | Dallara-Mercedes F312 |
| Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 1 Race 2 | Sam MacLeod | Dallara-Mercedes F312 | |
| Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 1 Race 3 | Matt Rao | Dallara-Mercedes F312 | |
| 2016 | BRDC British F3 Championship Rd.7 | Lando Norris | Tatuus-Cosworth F4-016 |
| BRDC British F3 Championship Rd.8 | Thomas Randle | Tatuus-Cosworth F4-016 | |
| BRDC British F3 Championship Rd.9 | Ricky Collard | Tatuus-Cosworth F4-016 | |
| 2017 | BRDC British F3 Championship Rd.4 | Enaam Ahmed | Tatuus-Cosworth F4-016 |
| BRDC British F3 Championship Rd.5 | Cameron Das | Tatuus-Cosworth F4-016 | |
| BRDC British F3 Championship Rd.6 | Ben Hingeley | Tatuus-Cosworth F4-016 |
| Year | Race | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 9 | Matt Neal | HondaCivic Type-R |
| Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 10 | Yvan Muller | VauxhallAstra Coupé | |
| 2007 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 4 |  Fabrizio Giovanardi | VauxhallVectra |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 5 | Fabrizio Giovanardi | VauxhallVectra | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 6 | Jason Plato | SEATLeón | |
| 2008 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 4 | Gordon Shedden | HondaCivic |
| HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 5 | Mat Jackson | BMW320si | |
| HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 6 | Matt Neal | VauxhallVectra | |
| 2009 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 25 | Stephen Jelley | BMW320si |
| HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 26 | Jason Plato | ChevroletLacetti | |
| HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 27 | Stephen Jelley | BMW320si | |
| 2010 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 4 | Matt Neal | HondaCivic |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 5 | Jason Plato | ChevroletCruze | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 6 | Matt Neal | HondaCivic | |
| 2011 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Jason Plato | ChevroletCruze LT |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Gordon Shedden | HondaCivic | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | James Nash | VauxhallVectra | |
| 2012 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Jason Plato | MG6GT |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Gordon Shedden | HondaCivic | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Gordon Shedden | HondaCivic | |
| 2013 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Andrew Jordan | HondaCivic |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Rob Austin | AudiA4 | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Andrew Jordan | HondaCivic | |
| 2014 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 |  Colin Turkington | BMW125i M Sport |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Colin Turkington | BMW125i M Sport | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Rob Austin | AudiA4 | |
| 2015 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Mat Jackson | FordFocus ST |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Gordon Shedden | HondaCivic Type R | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Jason Plato | VolkswagenCC | |
| 2016 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Gordon Shedden | HondaCivic Type R |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Sam Tordoff | BMW125i M Sport | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 |  Árón Smith | VolkswagenCC | |
| 2017 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | James Cole | SubaruLevorg GT |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Ashley Sutton | SubaruLevorg GT | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Andrew Jordan | BMW125i M Sport | |
| 2018 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 19 | Adam Morgan | Mercedes-BenzA-Class |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 20 | Ashley Sutton | SubaruLevorg GT | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 21 | Chris Smiley | HondaCivic Type R |
| Year | Race | Rider | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2001 British Superbike Championship Rd.23 | Sean Emmett | 996ccDucati 996 |
| 2001 British Superbike Championship Rd.24 | Michael Rutter | 750ccKawasaki ZX-7RR | |
| 2002 | 2002 British Superbike Championship Rd.13 | Michael Rutter | 996ccDucati 996 RS |
| 2002 British Superbike Championship Rd.14 | Michael Rutter | 996ccDucati 996 RS | |
| 2003 | 2003 British Superbike Championship Rd.13 + | Yukio Kagayama | 999ccSuzuki GSX-R1000 |
| 2003 British Superbike Championship Rd.14 | Yukio Kagayama | 999ccSuzuki GSX-R1000 |
+ Qualification cancelled due to dangerous track conditions, grid decided by championship positions.
On 12 December 2004, the first Stage Rally, the Rockingham Stages, was held at the venue. This was jointly promoted byMiddlesex County Automobile Club andThame Motorsport Club. The two day event rapidly grew to be one of the favourite events on the British stage rally calendar. For several years it was a round of the MSN (Motor Sports News) Circuit Rally Championship. The 2018 Rockingham Stages was the last competitive motorsport event to be held at the Speedway.
| Year | Overall winner | co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | John Stone | Lee Carter | MG Metro 6R4 |
| 2004 | John Stone | Lee Carter | MG Metro 6R4 |
| 2005 | Steve Simpson | Mark Booth | Hyundai Accent WRC |
| 2006 | Steve Simpson | Simon Hunter | Hyundai Accent WRC |
| 2007 | Steve Simpson | Simon Hunter | Hyundai Accent WRC |
| 2008 | Steve Simpson | Simon Hunter | Hyundai Accent WRC |
| 2009 | Steve Simpson | Simon Hunter | Hyundai Accent WRC |
| 2010 | Tony Racey | Paul Heath | Subaru Impreza |
| 2011 | Pete Rayner | Aron Rayner | Ford Escort Mk.II |
| 2012 | Paul King | Alicia Miles | Ford Escort RS |
| 2013 | Paul King | Fiona Scarrett | Ford Escort RS |
| 2014 | David Tinn | Marc Fowler | Proton Satria Neo Millington |
| 2015 | David Tinn | Giles Dykes | Proton Satria Neo Millington |
| 2016 | Rhys Yates | Tom Woodburn | Ford Fiesta R5 |
| 2017 | William Hill | Richard Crozier | Ford Fiesta R5 |
| 2018 | Paul King | Alicia Miles | Ford Escort RS |
From 2001 to the end of 2007, Rockingham organised and funded American-style Stockcar racing on the oval. Originally known asASCAR, the series changed name to "Days of Thunder", and then to SCSA (Stock Car Speed Association), before re-branding to the MAC Tools V8 Trophy for its final season in 2007. All cars were UK variants of the American "ASA National-Tour" Howe Racing chassis, running with either Ford, Chevrolet or Pontiac bodies. A change of circuit ownership for 2006 saw the end of promotion and funding for the series, and low grids in 2007 led the organising club (BRSCC) to amalgamate it with a road course series, and eventually to the demise of both championships before the end of 2008.
The circuit was operational 356 days a year and the majority of events that took place at the venue were not motorsport competitions. Events ranged from manufacturer product launches to dealer training, track days and testing, and corporate and experience days.
The City Auction Group holds an auction weekly at the circuit.
TheLearning Grid Rockingham Festival in the first week of July promotes science and engineering to school pupils.
The venue had a sizeable showground area which has hosted the following shows:
TheTelegraph and Fiat held a track day at Rockingham in 2012 and published a number of articles featuring the circuit.[citation needed]Autosport's Caterham SP300R video review was made on the ISSC[citation needed], andCar Magazine did a track test on the Nissan GT-R vs Porsche 911 Turbo in 2012 and a McLaren supercar group test in 2010[citation needed]. Car Dealer magazine reviewed the BMW M5 at Rockingham and compared it with a Mercedes E63 AMG, a Lexus ISF, a Porsche Panamera and an Infiniti M35h[citation needed]. The circuit also features on the Pistonheads website with videos showing the Caterham SP300 R and the new Astra VXR. Chris Harris onCars showcased the BAC Mono[citation needed].
