Thruxton Circuit

Thruxton Circuit at a glance

Location

Andover, Hampshire

Type

road course

Length

3.793 km (2.357 mi)

Turns

12

Direction

clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Opened

1950

Owner

Thruxton Motorsport Centre (BARC-affiliated)

Address

Thruxton, Andover

Phone

+44 1264 882222

Website

thruxtonracing.co.uk

Track map and layout

Thruxton follows the perimeter roads of a former Second World War airfield in Hampshire, and its wide, sweeping layout with few really sharp corners has made it the fastest permanent circuit in the UK, with cars reaching speeds well over 190 mph on the straights. The current 3.793 km, 12-turn configuration dates from a major rebuild completed for the 1968 season and opens with the long right-hander at Allard before the tight Campbell-Cobb-Segrave complex, named after land-speed-record pioneers, scrubs off speed through a trio of corners in quick succession. The lap continues through the long, committed sweeps of Goodwood and the notorious Church corner, taken at huge speed with little run-off, before the drag up Woodham Hill leads into the tricky Club chicane, where BTCC and BSB races are frequently decided on the run back to the start-finish line.

Named corners and sections

• Allard. The fast opening right-hander after the pit straight, named after racer and constructor Sydney Allard.
• Campbell-Cobb-Segrave complex. A tight sequence of three corners named after land-speed-record pioneers Malcolm Campbell, John Cobb and Henry Segrave; commonly just called 'the Complex'.
• Church. A fast, committed corner with historically minimal run-off, one of the most respected corners on the UK calendar; safety improvements were made here in 2020.
• Goodwood. A long, sweeping high-speed corner that contributes to Thruxton's reputation as Britain's fastest circuit.
• Woodham Hill. A rising drag leading into the final corner, ending in the Club chicane where BTCC and BSB races are often decided.
• Club chicane. The final, tight chicane before the pit straight, a key overtaking and defending point in BTCC and BSB races.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

Thruxton's calendar centres on the British Touring Car Championship, which has raced there since 1979 and returns each July, and the British Superbike Championship, a regular visitor since the 1990s that races in August. The British Truck Racing Championship also holds a round at Thruxton in May, and historic and club racing, including 750 Motor Club meetings, fill out the rest of the season.

Getting there and parking

Thruxton Circuit sits just off the A303 near Andover in Hampshire, about an hour south-west of London by road. Andover has a mainline railway station with services from London Waterloo, roughly 10 minutes' drive from the circuit gates. Southampton Airport is the nearest airport, about 40 minutes away by road.

• Southampton Airport (SOU) · about 40 min drive

Parking

General parking is available on-site and is usually included with event tickets; arrive early on BTCC and BSB weekends as the A303 and local approach roads get busy.

Andover station has direct trains from London Waterloo, making it a practical car-free option for BTCC and BSB weekends with a short taxi ride to the circuit.

Hotels and camping near Thruxton Circuit

Thruxton runs its own dedicated on-site campsite, positioned between the first corner (Allard) and the Complex, giving campers a short walk to some of the best spectator banking on race weekends. Visitors who prefer a hotel typically base themselves in Andover, a few minutes' drive away and well stocked with budget and mid-range chains, with a wider spread of country inns and hotels in the surrounding Hampshire and Wiltshire villages.

Where to look

Andover is the closest town for hotels, a short drive from the circuit with a range of budget and mid-range options; the surrounding Hampshire and Wiltshire countryside also has country pubs and inns offering rooms.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

Thruxton's high average speed makes it a favourite among experienced track-day drivers, and it is used regularly by third-party organisers including Opentrack Events and Javelin Trackdays, alongside the circuit's own driving experiences, supercar drives and skid-pan sessions. Because the whole lap is fast with few slow corners, some organisers restrict novice access or run separate experienced groups.

Who runs days here

• Opentrack Eventscar
• Javelin Trackdaysboth
• Circuit Dayscar
• Thruxton (in-house driving experiences)both

Typical cost: Open-pitlane car track days from roughly £149-£179 per day depending on organiser

Lap records

Spectator guide

Thruxton's flat, wide airfield setting means much of the circuit can be seen from raised grass banking rather than fixed grandstands, with the area around the Complex and Church corner giving close views of cars and bikes at very high speed. The campsite's location between Allard and the Complex puts overnight visitors right next to some of the best viewing on the circuit.

Seating

Viewing banks are named after nearby corners, including Allard, the Complex, Goodwood and Church, with additional spectator areas added around Noble and Woodham Hill Bank in 2025.

Best places to watch

The banking around the Complex and Church corner offers the closest view of Thruxton's signature high-speed sections.

Weather

• July (BTCC): typically warm, highs around 21-23°C
• August (BSB): similar to July, warm with a chance of showers

History of Thruxton Circuit

From wartime airfield to Britain's fastest circuit

Thruxton occupies the site of RAF Thruxton, a Second World War airfield used by both the RAF and USAAF, from which paratroopers launched as part of the 1942 Bruneval Raid (Operation Biting). Motorcycle racing began on the runways from 1950, and car racing followed on an early circuit configuration using the perimeter roads. A major rebuild was completed in time for the 1968 season, producing the 3.793 km, 12-turn layout that remains in use today, with wide, sweeping corners that quickly earned Thruxton its reputation as the fastest permanent racing circuit in Britain.

Decades of touring cars and bikes

The British Touring Car Championship first raced at Thruxton in 1979 and has returned virtually every year since, with the circuit's long straights and fast corners producing some of the championship's most spectacular racing, particularly through the Complex and around the Club chicane. British Superbike racing has been a near-constant presence since the 1990s, broken only briefly, and the circuit has also hosted historic racing, truck racing and club meetings through organisations including the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC).

Safety investment and the modern circuit

Thruxton's speed has brought a long-running focus on safety, including significant work at the demanding Church corner completed in 2020, and new spectator areas added around Noble and Woodham Hill Bank in 2025. Today the circuit is run as the Thruxton Motorsport Centre, hosting the BTCC, BSB, British Truck Racing Championship and a busy programme of club racing, driving experiences and third-party track days, alongside its own dedicated race-weekend campsite between Allard corner and the Complex.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Castle Combe Circuit · 53 km · road course
• Goodwood Motor Circuit · 71 km · road course
• Brooklands · 81 km · historic circuit (defunct)
• Silverstone Circuit · 104 km · road course
• Battersea Park Street Circuit · 105 km · historic circuit (defunct)
• ExCeL London Circuit · 118 km · street circuit