Rockingham [ Mar 2008 ]

Rockingham Motor Speedway track day, March 2008

Rockingham Motor Speedway, near Corby in Northamptonshire, opened in 2001 as a purpose-built banked oval, something very unusual in Britain. Alongside the oval, an infield road course was used for car and motorcycle racing, including rounds of the British Superbike Championship, as well as for track days.

Riding Rockingham meant combining sections of the banked oval with a tight, twisty infield, a mix you would not find at any traditional British circuit. The wide, smooth surface and big run-off areas made it a relatively forgiving place to push.

The venue closed for motorsport in 2018, so these photos capture a circuit that riders can no longer visit. For many, it remains a memorable part of British track day history and a very different experience from the classic circuits. Its central location made it easy to reach from across the country, and the slow infield corners were a good test of hard braking and getting the bike turned quickly. Few circuits have offered such a distinctive combination of speed and technical riding, which is why Rockingham is still talked about by riders who knew it.

The banked sections gave a sensation of speed unlike any other British venue, and the transition from the oval onto the slower infield required careful braking and good judgement. Photos from Rockingham are now a record of a circuit that played a short but memorable part in British motorcycling.