Rockingham Motor Speedway
Rockingham Motor Speedway at a glance
- Location
- Corby, Northamptonshire
- Type
- historic circuit (dormant)
- Length
- 2.38 km (1.479 mi)
- Turns
- 4
- Direction
- counter-clockwise
- Banking
- 3.5°-7.9° on the oval
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 2001
- Owner
- Constellation Automotive Group (cinch / We Buy Any Car)
- Capacity
- 52,000
- Address
- Mitchell Road
Track map and layout
Rockingham was built on a former British Steel quarry as Britain's only purpose-built banked oval since Brooklands closed in 1939, with a 1.479-mile, four-turn oval banked between 3.5 and 7.9 degrees combined with a set of infield road-course configurations that could be linked to it. The longest, the International Long Circuit, ran to 2.56 miles and 16 turns; shorter layouts included the International Short Circuit (2.436 miles, 14 turns), the Superbike Circuit (1.74 miles, 13 turns), the National Circuit (1.7 miles, 9 turns) and the tight Lake Circuit (0.67 miles, 5 turns) used for club racing and driver training. Since the last meeting in November 2018 the tarmac has stayed physically intact but the circuit itself is dormant: the site's current owner uses parts of the layout only for occasional private vehicle testing and content filming, not for any public racing or track-day programme.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Oval | 2.38 km | Four-turn banked oval, the track's signature layout; last raced by BTCC/British GT in 2018 |
| International Long Circuit | 4.12 km | 16 turns, the longest road-course configuration, used for British F3 and demonstration/test running |
| International Short Circuit | 3.92 km | 14 turns |
| Superbike Circuit | 2.80 km | 13 turns, used for British Superbike Championship rounds 2001-2003 |
| National Circuit | 2.74 km | 9 turns, a club and BTCC-support-race layout |
| Lake Circuit | 1.08 km | 5 turns, the shortest layout |
Events and race weekends
Rockingham has held no public race meetings since its last day of racing on 24 November 2018, and there is no return to a racing calendar in prospect: the site's owners have converted the majority of the facility to vehicle logistics and storage. The circuit's active years (2001-2018) hosted CART's Rockingham 500, the British Touring Car Championship, British GT, British Formula Three, British Superbike and the Rockingham Stages rally, but none of these currently run there.
Getting there and parking
The former circuit sits on the edge of Corby, Northamptonshire, just off the A6003/A43, roughly 85 miles north of London and 20 miles north-east of Northampton. The site is not open to the public and there is no visitor programme, so there is no standing travel guidance beyond the town of Corby itself; East Midlands Airport is the nearest airport with scheduled flights, around 30 miles and 45 minutes' drive north-west.
- East Midlands Airport (EMA) · about 45 min drive
Parking
Not applicable: the site is a private automotive logistics facility and does not admit spectators or visitors.
Do not plan a visit expecting circuit access; Rockingham is now Constellation Automotive's vehicle processing and storage hub and is closed to the public.
Hotels and camping near Rockingham Motor Speedway
There is no spectator event to plan accommodation around, so Rockingham does not need the hotel guidance a working circuit would; anyone with business reasons to be near the site would look at Corby itself or the larger town of Kettering, both a short drive away.
Where to look
Corby town centre and nearby Kettering have the closest hotel options, though neither is a circuit-specific destination any longer.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Rockingham does not run public track days. Since the circuit's 2018 closure, running on the tarmac has been limited to occasional private manufacturer testing, filming and record-attempt sessions arranged directly with the site's owner, Constellation Automotive, rather than any bookable public trackday programme.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CART (oval) | 0:25.217 | Jimmy Vasser | Lola B02/00 | 2002 |
| British Superbike (Superbike Circuit) | 1:09.893 | Yukio Kagayama | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 2003 |
| British Formula Three (International Super Sportscar Circuit) | 1:12.620 | Marko Asmer | Dallara F304 | 2007 |
| Demonstration/test (International Long Circuit) | 1:32.880 | Tony Worswick | Jordan 194 (ex-Formula One) | 2001 |
Spectator guide
There is no spectator access to Rockingham. The grandstands that once held up to 52,000 fans for CART, BTCC and British GT racing remain part of the site but are not used for any public event, and the facility now operates purely as private vehicle-logistics premises.
Seating
Grandstands built for the track's 2001-2018 racing years remain in place but are not accessible to the public.
History of Rockingham Motor Speedway
Britain's answer to the American oval
Rockingham Motor Speedway was built on a derelict British Steel quarry site near Corby and opened on 15 January 2001, formally inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II that May. Costing around £70 million and taking under two years to build, it was the first purpose-built banked oval constructed in Britain since Brooklands closed in 1939, and it paired a 1.479-mile, four-turn oval with a set of infield road-course configurations aimed at bringing American-style oval racing, alongside mainstream British motorsport, to a single site.
A packed but short-lived calendar
CART's Champ Car series raced the Rockingham 500 there in 2001 and 2002, with Gil de Ferran and Dario Franchitti among the winners, before American open-wheel racing pulled out of Britain. Rockingham instead built its identity around domestic motorsport: the British Touring Car Championship raced there from 2003, British GT and British Formula Three ran regularly through the 2000s and 2010s, British Superbike visited early on, and the Rockingham Stages became a fixture of the British rally calendar from 2004, won five years running by Steve Simpson.
Decline and closure
Despite the variety of racing on offer, Rockingham struggled with the running costs of a 52,000-capacity oval venue and never matched the crowds of established circuits like Silverstone or Brands Hatch. New owners Rockingham Automotive LLP bought the site in 2018 to redevelop it as an automotive logistics hub, and the last day of racing was held on 24 November 2018, ending the venue's run as an active motorsport circuit after less than 18 years.
From racetrack to logistics hub
Since closure, large parts of the infield have been given over to vehicle storage and distribution, with capacity reported at more than 20,000 vehicles on site at any time. Constellation Automotive Group, owner of the cinch and We Buy Any Car brands, bought the 250-acre site for around £80 million in 2021 and has used remaining tarmac for occasional private vehicle testing and filming, but Rockingham has not hosted a public motorsport event since 2018 and there is no indication racing will return.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rockingham Motor Speedway still open for racing?+
No. The last day of racing was 24 November 2018, and the site has since been redeveloped as an automotive logistics and vehicle-storage hub with no public racing calendar.
Can you still visit or drive at Rockingham?+
No. The site is private automotive-logistics premises with no public access; the only running that happens on the remaining tarmac is occasional private manufacturer testing and filming.
How big was the Rockingham oval?+
The banked oval was 1.479 miles (2.38 km) with four turns and banking of 3.5-7.9 degrees, the first purpose-built banked oval in Britain since Brooklands closed in 1939.
What racing did Rockingham host?+
CART's Rockingham 500 (2001-2002), the British Touring Car Championship, British GT, British Formula Three, British Superbike and the Rockingham Stages rally all raced there before the 2018 closure.
Why did Rockingham stop racing?+
The venue's owners judged that redeveloping the 250-acre site for automotive logistics and vehicle storage was more valuable than continuing to run it as a racing circuit, and stopped racing at the end of 2018.
Who owns Rockingham now?+
Constellation Automotive Group, the parent company of cinch and We Buy Any Car, bought the site for around £80 million in 2021 and uses it for vehicle processing, storage and logistics.
Other tracks nearby
- Bedford Autodrome · 34 km · road course
- Mallory Park · 47 km · road course
- Silverstone Circuit · 55 km · road course
- Donington Park · 60 km · road course
- Birmingham Superprix · 84 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Cadwell Park · 97 km · road course
Facts checked against 5 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.