# Rockingham Speedway - Corby - June 2019



## Jazzy_Jefferson (May 13, 2020)

Hi All,

I've a bit of a thing for unused race tracks. Usually they're old RAF bases steeped with heritage coupled with motorsport. Not really in this case though... it was built on an old quarry. 
Rockingham Speedway, whilst a fantastic venue, never really took off in the way they hoped, I don't think they ever filled every seat. That said, it was a firm favourite for the British Touring Car Championship and Formula 3 race series. Motorsport and such activity ceased in 2018 and it's now a vehicle storage site, soon to be development into a logistics hub. There are security patrols and cameras all over hence the view is mainly from the side lines. The grandstands are surprisingly high! 

Here's what Wiki reckons;

"Rockingham Motor Speedway is a former racing motorsport venue in the United Kingdom, that hosted corporate driving days, driver training, conferencing and exhibitions, vehicle manufacturing events, track days, testing, driving experiences and motor racing. It claims 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 hosted its last day of racing in November 2018 after being sold by its owners and will be redeveloped to become a logistics hub for the car industry. 

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. Much of the site will become a logistics hub for automotive logistic companies"

Flickr Album - https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/albums/72157714288680158


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## KPUrban_ (May 13, 2020)

Didn't realise this had closed, some cracking shots.


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## krela (May 13, 2020)

KPUrban_ said:


> Didn't realise this had closed, nice pics. Albeit you shouldn't really be exploring in this lockdown.



There wasn't a lockdown in June 2019.


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## BikinGlynn (May 13, 2020)

Nice one, wondered when this would appear, In my opinion cant wait for em to knock it down, This is a few miles from my childhood home, I used to ride there when it was all woods & fields!


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## KPUrban_ (May 13, 2020)

krela said:


> There wasn't a lockdown in June 2019.



I didn't check the date. My mistake.


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## Jazzy_Jefferson (May 13, 2020)

BikinGlynn said:


> Nice one, wondered when this would appear, In my opinion cant wait for em to knock it down, This is a few miles from my childhood home, I used to ride there when it was all woods & fields!



The grandstands will go and a wonderful vehicle logistics hub shall take it's place. So it will be around for a while yet, albeit with a different use and set up. For me, I'd rather they kept it open for motorsport purposes but it was never going to succeed really.


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## urbexdevil (May 14, 2020)

So gutted this place shut, I got a few track days in there not long before it shut.. I wish I managed to get more in! Fingers crossed for the future of the place, I heard rumors of it re-opening for special days a while back.

Cheeky vid of my last track day there &#55357;&#56866;


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## BikinGlynn (May 15, 2020)

Jazzy_Jefferson said:


> The grandstands will go and a wonderful vehicle logistics hub shall take it's place. So it will be around for a while yet, albeit with a different use and set up. For me, I'd rather they kept it open for motorsport purposes but it was never going to succeed really.



It was shite from the start. Designed for NASCAR which obviously dosent have much of a following here.
There was massive complaints from the first professional drivers that raced there & they had to redo a section of track as it just wasnt right!
As Urbexdevil thats why it mainly got used for track days. I myself have drove it but not in anger just a parade in our VW vans.
Iv raced mountain bikes around the perimeter tracks many times & it made a moderate mtb race venue!
Im a car guy too but as u can tell I dont have much love for the place, removing the stands would be a major bonus as its like something out of independence day looming when you come out of my home village.
Also the amount of dead deer when it was built was shocking, they used to live in brookfield plantation & cross over to this scrub land to feed, as soon as the fences went up they were being hit on the road frequently as they could not get across!
Oh & they didnt have the decency to even name it after one of the 2 villages that its closer too lol

Anyway rant over, did u check out Neils farm while there?
https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/residential-sites/37546-neals-farm-mar-20-a.html


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## Jazzy_Jefferson (May 15, 2020)

BikinGlynn said:


> It was shite from the start. Designed for NASCAR which obviously dosent have much of a following here.
> There was massive complaints from the first professional drivers that raced there & they had to redo a section of track as it just wasnt right!
> As Urbexdevil thats why it mainly got used for track days. I myself have drove it but not in anger just a parade in our VW vans.
> Iv raced mountain bikes around the perimeter tracks many times & it made a moderate mtb race venue!
> ...



No doubt it had its problems. 

I didn't know of Neals farm at the time... is it on the same site or just in the same area?


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## BikinGlynn (May 15, 2020)

Jazzy_Jefferson said:


> No doubt it had its problems.
> 
> I didn't know of Neals farm at the time... is it on the same site or just in the same area?



Not far away ;-)


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## Richard Davies (May 16, 2020)

I was also surprised this had closed, but I guess if they couldn't attract enough oval racing then it was going to struggle.


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## Goldenbeard (May 20, 2020)

I went watched the Indycar race they held here, trouble was it kept spitting so they had to keep putting out yellows so they could dry the track. It was a bit of a let down, shame. Didn't realise it had closed


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## Pinder270 (May 21, 2020)

Supposedly there was 2 more events held last year for bikers. Was kept pretty quiet and no records of it other than 2 dates so not sure if it even happened!

26th August and 21st September, tickets were on sale also.


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## BikinGlynn (May 21, 2020)

Pinder270 said:


> Supposedly there was 2 more events held last year for bikers. Was kept pretty quiet and no records of it other than 2 dates so not sure if it even happened!
> 
> 26th August and 21st September, tickets were on sale also.



Yes I believe it did, & they still do drifting there now


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## Jazzy_Jefferson (May 21, 2020)

Pinder270 said:


> Supposedly there was 2 more events held last year for bikers. Was kept pretty quiet and no records of it other than 2 dates so not sure if it even happened!
> 
> 26th August and 21st September, tickets were on sale also.



From what I understand, the "process" of closing it and turning it into the logistics hub has taken far longer than anticipated, as a result, there has been the odd event here and there. Drifting takes place outside the venue in an old car park section I believe, They've been told a few times to expect an eviction but it hasn't happened yet.


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