Aintree Circuit
Aintree Circuit at a glance
- Location
- Aintree, Liverpool, Merseyside
- Type
- road course
- Length
- 2.47 km (1.535 mi)
- Turns
- 4
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1954
- Owner
- Jockey Club Racecourses (Aintree Racecourse); club circuit run by Liverpool Motor Club and Aintree Motor Cycle Racing Club
- Website
- aintreemrc.co.uk
Track map and layout
Aintree exists in two layers. The full 3-mile, 8-turn Grand Prix circuit built in 1954 around the outside of the Grand National horse-racing course hosted five British Grands Prix but has not been used as a complete lap since 1964, and much of its outer perimeter is now inaccessible or built over. What survives and remains active is the Club Circuit, a 1.535-mile, 4-turn loop using roughly half of the old Grand Prix lap, laid out around a public golf course inside the racecourse grounds. The Club Circuit keeps the flat, flowing character of the original Aintree, including sections of the old back straight, but without the long full-speed straights that once made this 'Goodwood of the North' a genuine Grand Prix venue.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix Circuit (1954-1964) | 4.83 km | 8 turns; hosted the British Grand Prix in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1962; last used for major racing in 1964 |
| Club Circuit (1954-present) | 2.47 km | 4 turns; roughly half the old Grand Prix lap, the only configuration still used for racing and track days today |
Events and race weekends
The Club Circuit stays busy without ever again hosting the kind of racing Aintree is historically known for. Aintree Motor Cycle Racing Club runs four motorcycle meetings a year, typically in May, June, July and August, covering classes from classic solos and sidecars to modern superbikes, plus an annual machine test day. Liverpool Motor Club separately runs car sprints and track days on the same tarmac through the season. No car or bike racing uses the old full Grand Prix layout, which has not staged a complete lap of competitive racing since 1964.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aintree Motor Cycle Racing Club meetings | Classic solos, sidecars, superbikes and club racing | May-August | Four race meetings a year on the Club Circuit, plus a test day |
Getting there and parking
Aintree sits about 5 miles north of Liverpool city centre, just off the M57/M58 motorway junction; circuit access for race meetings and track days is via Melling Road rather than the racecourse's main Ormskirk Road entrance. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the nearest airport, roughly 12 miles and 25-30 minutes' drive south-east, and Aintree railway station on the Merseyrail network is a short walk from the circuit.
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL) · about 28 min drive
Parking
Parking is included with admission for motorcycle race meetings; for Liverpool Motor Club sprints and track days, parking is on site next to the circuit.
Aintree is best known for the Grand National, so use Melling Road, not the racecourse's main gates, when heading to a motorsport event on the Club Circuit.
Hotels and camping near Aintree Circuit
Because Aintree's motorsport events are small club meetings rather than major race weekends, there is no significant accommodation squeeze to plan around; most visitors stay in Liverpool city centre, a short drive or train ride south, which has a full range of hotels at every price point given the city's size and its Grand National business.
Where to look
Liverpool city centre offers by far the widest hotel choice; Bootle and other suburbs closer to Aintree itself are a cheaper, closer alternative for those with a car.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
The Club Circuit is genuinely open to enthusiasts: Liverpool Motor Club runs a handful of car sprints (May, June and September) and two track days a year (April and August) on the Club Circuit, while Aintree Motor Cycle Racing Club runs an annual bike test/track day alongside its race meetings. None of this uses the old full Grand Prix layout, which is no longer intact as a single lap.
Who runs days here
- Liverpool Motor Clubcar
- Aintree Motor Cycle Racing Clubmotorcycle
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula One (Grand Prix Circuit) | 1:51.800 | Jim Clark | Lotus 25 | 1963 |
Spectator guide
Spectating today means a small club motorcycle meeting rather than a Grand Prix crowd: Aintree Motor Cycle Racing Club charges around £10 per person on race days (plus £2 for a race programme), with under-16s admitted free alongside a paying adult and parking included in the price. There are no grandstands dedicated to the Club Circuit; spectators watch from fenced trackside areas around the lap.
Best places to watch
Trackside areas near the tighter sections of the Club Circuit give the closest views of the bikes; the old Grand National grandstands nearby are for horse racing and not generally used for motorsport spectating.
Weather
- May-Aug: Typical Merseyside weather for the race season: mild, changeable, highs around 16-20°C with regular rain
History of Aintree Circuit
Built to rival Silverstone
Aintree Motor Racing Circuit was built in 1954 by the Topham family, owners of Aintree Racecourse, who laid a 3-mile, 8-turn tarmac circuit around the outside of the Grand National steeplechase course. Deliberately nicknamed the 'Goodwood of the North', it offered the same combination of a flat, fast layout and established grandstands that had made Goodwood a success in the south, and it was quickly taken seriously enough to be added to the Formula One World Championship calendar.
Five British Grands Prix
Aintree hosted the British Grand Prix five times between 1955 and 1962. Its first, in July 1955, produced one of the most celebrated results in British motorsport history when Stirling Moss won in a Mercedes ahead of teammate Juan Manuel Fangio, in front of an ecstatic home crowd, becoming the first British driver to win his home Grand Prix. Aintree returned to the championship in 1957, 1959, 1961 and finally 1962, when Jim Clark won for Lotus in what proved to be the circuit's last Formula One race.
Falling out of the rotation
From 1963 the British Grand Prix alternated between Silverstone and Brands Hatch, and Aintree, despite hosting a final non-championship Aintree 200 meeting in 1964, never returned to top-level international racing. Rising costs, competition from more modern circuits, and the difficulty of upgrading a circuit built around a horse-racing course all worked against it, and the full Grand Prix lap gradually fell out of use through the 1960s.
Survival as a club circuit
Rather than disappearing altogether, Aintree shrank. A roughly 1.5-mile Club Circuit, using about half of the original lap and looping around what is now a public golf course inside the racecourse, stayed in continuous use for smaller club events. Liverpool Motor Club and Aintree Motor Cycle Racing Club still run sprints, track days and motorcycle race meetings on this Club Circuit today, keeping a working link to a track that once hosted Moss, Fangio and Clark, even as the wider racecourse remains best known for the Grand National.
Frequently asked questions
Does Aintree still host Formula One or Grand Prix racing?+
No. The full Grand Prix circuit last hosted a British Grand Prix in 1962 and its last competitive meeting in 1964; from 1963 the race moved permanently to Silverstone and Brands Hatch.
Can you still race or ride at Aintree?+
Yes, on the surviving Club Circuit, a roughly 1.5-mile loop using about half of the old Grand Prix lap. Aintree Motor Cycle Racing Club runs four bike meetings a year there, and Liverpool Motor Club runs car sprints and track days.
How long was the original Aintree Grand Prix circuit?+
The full circuit used for the British Grand Prix was 3 miles (4.828 km) with 8 turns; the current Club Circuit is 1.535 miles (2.47 km) with 4 turns.
Who won at Aintree's first British Grand Prix?+
Stirling Moss won the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree in a Mercedes, becoming the first British driver to win his home Grand Prix, ahead of teammate Juan Manuel Fangio.
Is Aintree Circuit the same as Aintree Racecourse?+
The motor circuit was built inside and around the grounds of Aintree Racecourse, home of the Grand National; the surviving Club Circuit sits within the racecourse estate but is a separate facility from the horse-racing track and grandstands.
What is the Aintree lap record?+
On the old Grand Prix circuit, Jim Clark set the fastest lap of 1:51.8 in a Lotus 25 during the non-championship 1963 Aintree 200; no comparable outright record is published for the current Club Circuit.
Other tracks nearby
- Three Sisters Race Circuit · 21 km · road course
- Oulton Park · 40 km · road course
- Anglesey Circuit / Trac Môn · 108 km · road course
- Isle of Man TT Mountain Course · 126 km · public road circuit
- Donington Park · 127 km · road course
- Clypse Course · 128 km · historic circuit (defunct)
Facts checked against 6 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.