Rockingham

[Beany]

Reportedly sold, and no plans to race on it in future.

[Beany]

Motorsport.com report

And from their FaceyB:

Notice:
A sale of Rockingham Motor Speedway Ltd has now completed and as a result, there will be changes in business operations at the venue.

We would reassure all customers that these changes will not impact any aspect of events scheduled to run during 2018, nor the opportunity to stage further events this year. Until the end of the year, the Rockingham team will remain 100% committed to delivering the venue and associated services as professionally and proudly as ever before.

We thank you for your continued support and a further statement will follow shortly.

[scotta]

yep been on the cards for a while - no BTCC there next year. Sounds like flattened and housing built which is bad. Another Motorsport venue lost.

[integrale_evo]

Shame as a lot of people seemed to like the infield layouts, but it's a massive facility which is completely wasted the vast majority of the time, and the oval layout was always going to be a flawed concept with the uk climate.

I can't imagine they ever filled a fraction of the huge grandstands.

[scotta]

Shame as a lot of people seemed to like the infield layouts, but it's a massive facility which is completely wasted the vast majority of the time, and the oval layout was always going to be a flawed concept with the uk climate.

I can't imagine they ever filled a fraction of the huge grandstands.

Biggest meeting in the year is the BTCC - they dont even open two of the grandstands.

There are no other ovals in this country to compete on so getting a race series to work with ovals was never going to happen.

[JonMad]

Oh well.

I enjoyed a couple of trackdays there (or maybe three) and a few sessions on the skid pan with the kicker as you drove over it. And a coned course thing in the car park of the place but that was in the Golf R and was just disappointing as it was all 1st/2nd gear.

[duncs500]

My sister used to work there in the early 00s, so I used to go up there quite a lot because I'd get free tickets.

It was pretty good at the time, you had the Rockingham 500 with the likes of Dario Franchitti, there was a 50 cent concert (among others) at a time when he was big, etc. They did get a lot of people in back then... although I still don't think they filled all of the grandstand space!

Oh, I also had a fast p-ride in a NASCAR round the oval which was fun.

[V8Granite]

Being in Corby doesn’t help, the dirt hole of East Anglia.

Dave!

[Jobbo]

The trouser press link can't have harmed it. Is Corby really in East Anglia? Would it have been better situated on the Hamleton peninsula in Rutland?

I shall miss Rockingham. There was a point at which virtually every Bookatrack track day was there.

[duncs500]

Being in Corby doesn’t help, the dirt hole of East Anglia.

Dave!

That was one of my local towns, so I am hurt and offended!

Thank goodness I don't have a Corby accent though, got to be one of the most messed up accents in the country.

Edit - Although technically East Anglia, I don't really associate it with the area.

[JonMad]

Forgot I also drove a single seater round the oval on one of their experience sessions for a friend's 30th (a while ago, as he's now at least 45)

[Jobbo]

It's not technically East Anglia. It's not East Anglia at all. It's in Northamptonshire!

[duncs500]

It's not technically East Anglia. It's not East Anglia at all. It's in Northamptonshire!

Well I just took Dave's word for it, as a kid we always had Anglian TV.

[integrale_evo]

Yeah, the anglia news always seemed to mention it, I think although not strictly speaking easy anglia by county it still tends to get included by area.

[duncs500]

Yeah, the anglia news always seemed to mention it, I think although not strictly speaking easy anglia by county it still tends to get included by area.

Maybe it's a hangover from this:

Other definitions of the area have been used or proposed over the years. For example, the Redcliffe-Maud Report in 1969, which followed the Royal Commission on the Reform of Local Government, recommended the creation of eight provinces in England. The proposed East Anglia province would have included northern Essex, southern Lincolnshire and a small part of Northamptonshire as well as Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

[Jobbo]

A 1969 proposal which wasn't enacted and didn't include Corby (it went as far into Northants as Oundle)?

[duncs500]

I love that you bothered to look that up.

[Jobbo]

If you want to argue something, probably best that you know the answer

[JLv3.0]

If you want to argue something, probably best that you know the answer

That's an absolutely epic response I'm going to start using that and claim it as my own

[Coaster1]

Ha ha, good one Jobbo.