| Rockingham Motor Speedway [1] | |
| Location: | Rockingham, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Time: | GMT (UTC+0) BST (April–October, UTC+1) |
| Coordinates: | 52.515°N -0.6575°W |
| Broke Ground: | 1999 |
| 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) |
| Miles First: | True |
| Layout1: | Oval Circuit (2001–2018)[2] |
| Surface1: | Tarmac |
| Length Km: | 2.380 |
| Length Mi: | 1.479 |
| Turns: | 4 |
| Banking: | 3.5 – 7.9º |
| Record Time: | 0:25.217 |
| Record Driver: |  Jimmy Vasser |
| Record Car: | Lola B02/00 |
| Record Year: | 2002 |
| Record Class: | CART |
| Layout2: | International Super Sports Car Long Circuit (2001–2018)[3] |
| Surface2: | Tarmac |
| Length Km2: | 3.299 |
| Length Mi2: | 2.050 |
| Turns2: | 13 |
| Banking2: | 7.0º (turn 1) |
| Record Time2: | 1:18.627 |
| Record Driver2: |  Jack Harvey |
| Record Car2: | Dallara F312 |
| Record Year2: | 2012 |
| Record Class2: | F3 |
| Layout3: | International Super Sports Car Circuit (2001–2018) |
| Surface3: | Tarmac |
| Length Km3: | 3.122 |
| Length Mi3: | 1.940 |
| Turns3: | 12 |
| Record Time3: | 1:12.620 |
| Record Driver3: |  Marko Asmer |
| Record Car3: | Dallara F307 |
| Record Year3: | 2007 |
| Record Class3: | F3 |
| Layout4: | International Long Circuit (2001–2018) |
| Surface4: | Tarmac |
| Length Km4: | 4.120 |
| Length Mi4: | 2.560 |
| Turns4: | 16 |
| Record Time4: | 1:32.880 |
| Record Driver4: | Tony Worswick |
| Record Car4: | Jordan 194 |
| Record Year4: | 2001 |
| Record Class4: | F1 |
| Layout5: | International Short Circuit (2001–2018) |
| Surface5: | Tarmac |
| Length Km5: | 3.920 |
| Length Mi5: | 2.436 |
| Turns5: | 14 |
| Record Time5: | 1:29.183 |
| Record Driver5: |  Nelson Piquet Jr. |
| Record Car5: | Dallara F303 |
| Record Year5: | 2002 |
| Record Class5: | F3 |
| Layout6: | Superbike Circuit (2001–2018) |
| Surface6: | Tarmac |
| Length Km6: | 2.800 |
| Length Mi6: | 1.740 |
| Turns6: | 13 |
| Record Time6: | 1:09.893 |
| Record Driver6: |  Yukio Kagayama |
| Record Car6: | Suzuki GSX-R1000 |
| Record Year6: | 2003 |
| Record Class6: | SBK |
| Layout7: | National Circuit (2001–2018) |
| Surface7: | Tarmac |
| Length Km7: | 2.736 |
| Length Mi7: | 1.700 |
| Turns7: | 9 |
| Layout8: | Lake Circuit (2001–2018) |
| Surface8: | Tarmac |
| Length Km8: | 1.078 |
| Length Mi8: | 0.670 |
| Turns8: | 5 |
| Layout9: | Handling Circuit (2001–2018) |
| Surface9: | Tarmac |
| Length Km9: | 1.561 |
| Length Mi9: | 0.970 |
| Turns9: | 4 |
Rockingham Motor Speedway is a former racing motorsport venue in Rockingham, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom, near the town of Corby. 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 of Brooklands 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.
Rockingham Motor Speedway was constructed on a British Steel works brown field site as a banked oval with the intention of bringing the American oval racing across the Atlantic for the first time. The opportunity was taken to use the infield for further circuits.[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 by the Queen on 26 May 2001.[8]
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.[9] In mid-2021, Constellation Automotive who own brands such as Cinch, and We Buy Any Car purchased the site.[10]
Since then, Constellation Automotive's online car sales brand, Cinch, has used the circuit to film YouTube content,[11] 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.[12]
Rockingham had 13 configurations of track, which could be used for anything from touring cars to motorcycles to rally 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 American-style banked oval circuit was 18.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on 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 being Lausitzring). 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.
In early September 2001, the Champ cars came to Germany and England for the first time, to contest oval racing at the German 500 (kilometer, not miles) and the Rockingham 500, rounds of the 2001 CART season (Championship Auto Racing Teams) FedEx Championship Series. After the 11 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.
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 by Gil de Ferran driving the Marlboro Team Penske Honda–powered Reynard 01I at a race average speed of from Kenny Bräck at the wheel of the Team Rahal Lola-Ford Cosworth B1/00, and the Newman-Haas Racing Lola-Toyota B1/00 driven by Cristiano da Matta. The fastest lap, and therefore outright lap record, was set by Patrick Carpentier in 25.551secs in the Player's Forsythe Racing Reynard-Cosworth. Carpentier became for first Canadian to ever hold the outright lap record at an English circuit.[13]
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's Dario Franchitti took the chequered flag in his Team KOOL Green Lola-Honda, beating Cristiano da Matta by just 0.986 of a second .[14]
The ISSC was long and between wide, with a maximum bank angle of seven degrees at turn one. Rockingham's International Super Sportscar Circuit was used by the Dunlop MSA British 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 1.479miles oval set at 24.719 seconds by Tony Kanaan in his Lola B01/00 Champ Car on 22 September 2001 – an average speed of 215.397mi/h. Rockingham was the first purpose-built banked oval in the UK since Brooklands in 1907. It has an all-seating capacity of 52,000 and has both an oval and a racing circuit.[8] 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 |
| Year | Race | Driver | Car | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2002 Green Flag British F3 Championship Round 17 | Green Flag British F3 Championship, Rd 17 | Shinya Hosokawa | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F302 |
| 2002 Green Flag British F3 Championship Round 18 | Green Flag British F3 Championship, Rd 18 | Robbie Kerr | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F302 | |
| 2003 | 2003 Green Flag British F3 Championship Round 15 | Green Flag British F3 Championship, Rd 15 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F303 |
| 2003 Green Flag British F3 Championship Round 16 | Green Flag British F3 Championship, Rd 16 | Jamie Green | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F303 | |
| 2007 | 2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 Championship Round 21 | Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 Championship, Rd 21 | Marko Asmer | Dallara-Mercedes F307 |
| 2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 Championship Round 22 | Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 Championship, Rd 22 |  Maro Engel | Dallara-Mugen-Honda F307 | |
| 2008 | 2008 British F3 Championship Round 7 | British F3 Championship, Rd 7 |  Atte Mustonen | Dallara-Mercedes F308 |
| 2008 British F3 Championship Round 8 | British F3 Championship, Rd 8 |  Sebastian Hohenthal | Dallara-Mercedes F308 | |
| 2009 | 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 5 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 5 | Nick Tandy | Mygale-Mercedes M-08 F3 |
| 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 6 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 6 | Marcus Ericsson | Dallara-Mercedes F309 | |
| 2010 | 2010 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 13 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 13 |  Jean-Éric Vergne | Dallara-Volkswagen F310 |
| 2010 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 14 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 14 | Daniel McKenzie | Dallara-Mercedes F310 | |
| 2010 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 15 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 15 | Felipe Nasr | Dallara-Volkswagen F308 | |
| 2011 | 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 22 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 22 | Pietro Fantin | Dallara-Volkswagen F308 |
| 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 23 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 23 |  Scott Pye | Dallara-Mercedes F308 | |
| 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 24 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 24 |  Kevin Magnussen | Dallara-Volkswagen F308 | |
| 2012 | 2012 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 9 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 9 |  Jazeman Jaafar | Dallara-Volkswagen F312 |
| 2012 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 10 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 10 | Harry Tincknell | Dallara-Volkswagen F312 | |
| 2012 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 11 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 11 | Jack Harvey | Dallara-Volkswagen F312 | |
| 2014 | 2014 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 1 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 1 Race 1 | Sam MacLeod | Dallara-Mercedes F312 |
| 2014 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 1 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 1 Race 2 | Sam MacLeod | Dallara-Mercedes F312 | |
| 2014 Cooper Tires British F3 Championship Round 1 | Cooper Tires British F3 Championship, Rd 1 Race 3 | Matt Rao | Dallara-Mercedes F312 | |
| 2016 | BRDC British F3 Championship Rd.7 | Tatuus-Cosworth F4-016 | ||
| BRDC British F3 Championship Rd.8 | Tatuus-Cosworth F4-016 | |||
| BRDC British F3 Championship Rd.9 | 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 | 2003 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 9 | Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 9 | Matt Neal | Honda Civic Type-R |
| 2003 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 10 | Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 10 | Yvan Muller | ||
| 2007 | 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 4 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 4 |  Fabrizio Giovanardi | |
| 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 5 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 5 | Fabrizio Giovanardi | ||
| 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 6 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 6 | Jason Plato | ||
| 2008 | 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 4 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 4 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic |
| 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 5 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 5 | Mat Jackson | BMW 320si | |
| 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 6 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 6 | Matt Neal | ||
| 2009 | 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 25 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 25 | Stephen Jelley | BMW 320si |
| 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 26 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 26 | Jason Plato | Chevrolet Lacetti | |
| 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 27 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 27 | Stephen Jelley | BMW 320si | |
| 2010 | 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 4 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 4 | Matt Neal | Honda Civic |
| 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 5 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 5 | Jason Plato | Chevrolet Cruze | |
| 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 6 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 6 | Matt Neal | Honda Civic | |
| 2011 | 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 22 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Jason Plato | Chevrolet Cruze LT |
| 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 23 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic | |
| 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 24 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | James Nash | ||
| 2012 | 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 22 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Jason Plato | |
| 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 23 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic | |
| 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 24 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic | |
| 2013 | 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 22 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Andrew Jordan | Honda Civic |
| 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 23 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Rob Austin | Audi A4 | |
| 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 24 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Andrew Jordan | Honda Civic | |
| 2014 | 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 22 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Colin Turkington | BMW 125i M Sport |
| 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 23 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Colin Turkington | BMW 125i M Sport | |
| 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 24 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Rob Austin | Audi A4 | |
| 2015 | 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 22 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Mat Jackson | Ford Focus ST |
| 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 23 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic Type R | |
| 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 24 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Jason Plato | Volkswagen CC | |
| 2016 | 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 22 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic Type R |
| 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 23 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Sam Tordoff | BMW 125i M Sport | |
| 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Round 24 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 |  Árón Smith | Volkswagen CC | |
| 2017 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | James Cole | Subaru Levorg GT | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Ashley Sutton | Subaru Levorg GT | ||
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Andrew Jordan | BMW 125i M Sport | ||
| 2018 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 19 | Adam Morgan | Mercedes-Benz A-Class | |
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 20 | Ashley Sutton | Subaru Levorg GT | ||
| Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 21 | Chris Smiley | Honda Civic Type R |
| Year | Race | Rider | Manufacturer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2001 British Superbike Championship Rd.23 | Sean Emmett | 996cc Ducati 996 | |
| 2001 British Superbike Championship Rd.24 | Michael Rutter | 750cc Kawasaki ZX-7RR | ||
| 2002 | 2002 British Superbike Championship Rd.13 | Michael Rutter | 996cc Ducati 996 RS | |
| 2002 British Superbike Championship Rd.14 | Michael Rutter | 996cc Ducati 996 RS | ||
| 2003 | 2003 British Superbike Championship Rd.13 + | Yukio Kagayama | 999cc Suzuki GSX-R1000 | |
| 2003 British Superbike Championship Rd.14 | Yukio Kagayama | 999cc Suzuki GSX-R1000 |
On 12 December 2004, the first Stage Rally, the Rockingham Stages, was held at the venue. This was jointly promoted by Middlesex County Automobile Club and Thame 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 as ASCAR, 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 357 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.
The Learning 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:
The Telegraph and Fiat held a track day at Rockingham in 2012 and published a number of articles featuring the circuit. Autosport Caterham SP300R video review was made on the ISSC, and Car Magazine did a track test on the Nissan GT-R vs Porsche 911 Turbo in 2012 and a McLaren supercar group test in 2010 . 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 . The circuit also features on the Pistonheads website with videos showing the Caterham SP300 R and the new Astra VXR. Chris Harris on Cars showcased the BAC Mono .
