# Rockingham Motor Speedway

Rockingham Motor Speedway is a former motorsport racing 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, and was the first banked oval constructed in Britain since the closure of Brooklands in 1939.
The venue entered administration in 2017 and hosted its final motor race in November 2018. In 2021, the facility was purchased by Constellation Automotive for £80million.

## History

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.
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.
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. The circuit was sold to Rockingham Automotive Limited, who used the facility for vehicle storage and logistics. In mid-2021, Constellation Automotive who own brands such as Cinch, and We Buy Any Car purchased the site.
Since then, Constellation Automotive's online car sales brand, Cinch, has used the circuit to film YouTube content, 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.

## The circuit

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.

### The oval circuit

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 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 153.41 mph (246.89 km/h) 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 (210.59 mph (338.91 km/h)) in the Player's Forsythe Racing Reynard-Cosworth. Carpentier became for first Canadian to ever hold the outright lap record at an English circuit.
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 .

### The International Super Sportscar Circuit (ISSC)

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 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.

### Wet handling facility

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.

### Layout configurations

* Oval Circuit (2001–2018)
* International Super Sports Car Circuit (2001–2018)
* International Long Circuit (2001–2018)
* International Short Circuit (2001–2018)
* National Circuit (2001–2018)

## Lap records

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 by Tony Kanaan in his Lola B01/00 Champ 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 since Brooklands in 1907. It has an all-seating capacity of 52,000 and has both an oval and a racing circuit. The fastest official race lap records at Rockingham Motor Speedway are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
| Oval: 2.380 km (2001–2018) |||||
| Champ Car | 0:25.217 | Jimmy Vasser | Lola B02/00 | 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500 |
| Stock car racing | 0:34.475 | Ben Collins | Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 2003 6th Rockingham ASCAR round |
| Pickup truck racing | 0:40.391 | Michael Smith | PickupSport Pickup 2.0 16v | 2009 Rockingham Pickup Truck Racing round |
| International Super Sports Car Circuit: 3.122 km (2001–2018) |||||
| Formula Three | 1:12.620 | Marko Asmer | Dallara F307 | 2007 Rockingham British F3 round |
| Formula Palmer Audi | 1:17.329 | José Alonso Liste [es] | Formula Palmer Audi car | 2010 Rockingham Formula Palmer Audi round |
| GT3 | 1:17.769 | Marco Sorensen | Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 | 2018 Rockingham British GT round |
| Formula 4 | 1:18.898 | Lando Norris | Mygale M14-F4 | 2015 Rockingham MSA Formula round |
| Formula BMW | 1:20.978 | Henry Surtees | Mygale FB02 | 2007 Rockingham Formula BMW UK round |
| Formula Ford | 1:21.633 | Callum MacLeod | Mygale SJ07 | 2007 Rockingham British Formula Ford round |
| GT2 | 1:22.872 | Luke Hines | Panoz Esperante GTLM | 2006 Rockingham British GT round |
| NGTC | 1:23.193 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic Type R (FK2) | 2015 Rockingham BTCC round |
| GT4 | 1:23.642 | Patrik Matthiesen | Ginetta G55 GT4 | 2018 Rockingham British GT round |
| Super 2000 | 1:24.588 | Jason Plato | Chevrolet Cruze | 2011 Rockingham BTCC round |
| BTC Touring | 1:24.698 | Tom Onslow-Cole | BTC-T Vauxhall Vectra | 2008 Rockingham BTCC round |
| SEAT León Supercopa | 1:48.334 | Gavin Smith | SEAT León Cupra R | 2003 Rockingham SEAT Cupra Championship round |
| International Super Sports Car Long Circuit: 3.299 km (2001–2018) |||||
| Formula Three | 1:18.627 | Jack Harvey | Dallara F312 | 2012 Rockingham British F3 round |
| LMP675 | 1:23.803 | Mike Millard | Rapier SR2 | 2013 Rockingham Britcar Endurance GT round |
| GT3 | 1:25.145 | Phil Keen | Porsche 911 (997) GT3-R | 2012 Rockingham British GT round |
| GT4 | 1:31.164 | Philip Glew | Lotus Evora GT4 | 2012 Rockingham British GT round |
| International Short Road Course: 3.920 km (2001–2018) |||||
| Formula Three | 1:29.183 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Dallara F303 | 2003 Rockingham British F3 round |
| GT1 | 1:37.918 | Colin Blower | Ultima GTR | 2003 Rockingham British GT round |
| Formula BMW | 1:38.790 | Matthew Howson | Mygale FB02 | 2005 Rockingham Formula BMW UK round |
| Formula Ford | 1:39.217 | Tom Gaymor | Van Diemen RF03 | 2003 Rockingham British Formula Ford round |
| Porsche Carrera Cup | 1:40.310 | Barry Horne | Porsche 911 (996) GT3 Cup | 2003 Rockingham Porsche Carrera Cup GB round |
| BTC Touring | 1:43.592 | Alan Morrison | BTC-T Honda Civic Type-R | 2003 Rockingham BTCC round |
| International Long Road Course: 4.120 km (2001–2018) |||||
| Formula One | 1:32.880 | Tony Worswick | Jordan 194 | 2001 Rockingham EuroBOSS round |
| Formula Three | 1:33.817 | Robbie Kerr | Dallara F302 | 2002 Rockingham British F3 round |
| GT1 (GTS) | 1:41.536 | Ian McKellar | Saleen S7-R | 2002 Rockingham British GT round |
| GT2 | 1:43.211 | Tim Sugden | Porsche 911 (996) GT3-R | 2002 Rockingham British GT round |
| Superbike Course: 2.800 km (2001–2018) |||||
| SBK | 1:09.893 | Yukio Kagayama | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 2003 Rockingham BSB round |
| Supersport | 1:11.429 | Stuart Easton | Ducati 748 R | 2003 Rockingham BSB round |

## Major racing results
### CART Championship

| 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.

### British Formula Three season

| 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 |

### British Touring Car Championship

| Year | Race | Driver | Car |
| 2003 | Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 9 | Matt Neal | Honda Civic Type-R |
| | Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 10 | Yvan Muller | Vauxhall Astra Coupé |
| 2007 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 4 | Fabrizio Giovanardi | Vauxhall Vectra |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 5 | Fabrizio Giovanardi | Vauxhall Vectra |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 6 | Jason Plato | SEAT León |
| 2008 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 4 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic |
| | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 5 | Mat Jackson | BMW 320si |
| | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 6 | Matt Neal | Vauxhall Vectra |
| 2009 | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 25 | Stephen Jelley | BMW 320si |
| | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 26 | Jason Plato | Chevrolet Lacetti |
| | HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 27 | Stephen Jelley | BMW 320si |
| 2010 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 4 | Matt Neal | Honda Civic |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 5 | Jason Plato | Chevrolet Cruze |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 6 | Matt Neal | Honda Civic |
| 2011 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Jason Plato | Chevrolet Cruze LT |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | James Nash | Vauxhall Vectra |
| 2012 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Jason Plato | MG6 GT |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic |
| 2013 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Andrew Jordan | Honda Civic |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Rob Austin | Audi A4 |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Andrew Jordan | Honda Civic |
| 2014 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Colin Turkington | BMW 125i M Sport |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Colin Turkington | BMW 125i M Sport |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Rob Austin | Audi A4 |
| 2015 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Mat Jackson | Ford Focus ST |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic Type R |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 24 | Jason Plato | Volkswagen CC |
| 2016 | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 22 | Gordon Shedden | Honda Civic Type R |
| | Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Rd 23 | Sam Tordoff | BMW 125i M Sport |
| | 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 |

### British Superbike Championship

| 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 |
+ Qualification cancelled due to dangerous track conditions, grid decided by championship positions.

### The Rockingham Stages

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 |

### Oval racing

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.

## Other activities

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 French Car Show
* The Site Equipment Demonstration (SED) Show
* Greenfleet
* The LCV Show
* Stobart Fest
* Japfest 2

## Media appearances
### Television

* Fifth Gear
* Wheeler Dealers
* Saturday Night Takeaway
* The Grand Tour
* Top Gear

### Magazines and newspapers

The Telegraph and Fiat held a track day at Rockingham in 2012 and published a number of articles featuring the circuit. Autosport's 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.