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Old 15 Aug 2018, 17:06 (Ref:3843831)   #1
Greem
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End of an era - Rockingham (UK) to close

Looks like someone has jumped the gun on a press release - a track day organiser, Track Obsession, has announced this afternoon that Rockingham Motor Speedway (Corby, UK, not North Carolina!) will close at the end of 2018.

I've one more meeting to attend, sitting on my butt in the Safety Car at the C1 Racing Club 24 hour race at the beginning of September.

What's next for the site, I wonder? Over and above the business park that's already got planning permission to be built over the car park, I mean...
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Old 15 Aug 2018, 17:08 (Ref:3843833)   #2
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While I was writing that:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockingham Motor Speedway on Facebook
Notice:
A sale of Rockingham Motor Speedway Ltd has now completed and as a result, there will be changes in business operations at the venue.

We would reassure all customers that these changes will not impact any aspect of events scheduled to run during 2018, nor the opportunity to stage further events this year. Until the end of the year, the Rockingham team will remain 100% committed to delivering the venue and associated services as professionally and proudly as ever before.

We thank you for your continued support and a further statement will follow shortly.
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Old 15 Aug 2018, 19:14 (Ref:3843868)   #3
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"Sale" doesn't impact 2018, but what about 2019 and beyond???
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Old 15 Aug 2018, 19:38 (Ref:3843873)   #4
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After 2018 I would be surprised to see any circuit activity.

I think the circuit will be levelled and then either housing or a business park will be built on the site.

A sad end to a circuit that has been mired in problems before it was completed, it was built with one championship in mind and hosted 2 major events but it just wasn't popular enough to survive.
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Old 15 Aug 2018, 20:07 (Ref:3843884)   #5
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After 2018 I would be surprised to see any circuit activity.

I think the circuit will be levelled and then either housing or a business park will be built on the site.

A sad end to a circuit that has been mired in problems before it was completed, it was built with one championship in mind and hosted 2 major events but it just wasn't popular enough to survive.
I wrote over on the BTCC thread:

There's already a planning application been approved to turn the car park area into a business park, dating back to 2016.

Housing would be somewhat more difficult due to the history of the land use and the likely contamination within it.
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Old 15 Aug 2018, 22:53 (Ref:3843919)   #6
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it was built with one championship in mind and hosted 2 major events.
It's a shame if we lose it, but at least I've got the memory of both those events, one from each side of the fence. Standing on the inside of Turn 3 watching an IndyCar pointing at you doing 215mph is not something you forget.
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Old 16 Aug 2018, 08:07 (Ref:3843959)   #7
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chunder should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridchunder should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridchunder should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
It was flawed from the moment it was built, the banking was not correct (I hear rumours this was something to do with MSA, which wouldn't surprise me) and it was built on a water basin or something so suffered with seepage at the major meeting, plus they tried to price it far too high.

Shame it's gone, but no real surprise, always looked like a white elephant.
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Old 16 Aug 2018, 11:56 (Ref:3843982)   #8
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From a letter emailed to 'Casual Employees' yesterday morning:

'the new owner intends to close the circuit activities with effect from1st January 2019 , as part of the plan to create an automotive logistics hub.'

This was signed by Peter Hardman Chief Executive Officer.
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Old 16 Aug 2018, 21:51 (Ref:3844110)   #9
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.'

This was signed by Peter Hardman Chief Executive Officer.
Of F3 in the 80s and Modern Historics fame?
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Old 17 Aug 2018, 05:36 (Ref:3844145)   #10
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No tears shed - who the hell thought Indy racing would work in drizzly old Northants? I missed the Indy races and regret having done so, hugely , but since then..? I saw some ASCAR and lost the will to live and having seen the place used for 'normal' racing you have to think why choose this quite useless track, with appalling viewing , instead of tracks of character like Mallory , Donington , Cadwell, Brands , Cadwell and Oulton ?



Somebody will be along to say you can't have BTCC and F3 at Mallory and Cadwell to which the answer is '********' of course - I've seen F1 , 2 and 3 and F5000 as well as BTCC at Mallory and F3 (if not , sadly BTCC) at Cadwell.
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Old 17 Aug 2018, 07:19 (Ref:3844160)   #11
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Rob29 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the gridRob29 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Agree there-only been once(for the Indycar race) and was not impressed-watching TV coverage since never seen a single spectator in the open stands-
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Old 17 Aug 2018, 08:00 (Ref:3844178)   #12
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Amazing how much misinformation there is about this.

On FB there people who genuinely think that it's closing because the BTCC demanded more money from Rockingham and then pulled the series because they wouldn't pay it.

The majority of posts I've seen to think that's it closing because of noise complaints as well. Guess economics is too hard a concept to grasp.
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Old 17 Aug 2018, 08:17 (Ref:3844185)   #13
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Amazing how much misinformation there is about this.

On FB there people who genuinely think that it's closing because the BTCC demanded more money from Rockingham and then pulled the series because they wouldn't pay it.

The majority of posts I've seen to think that's it closing because of noise complaints as well. Guess economics is too hard a concept to grasp.
Unfortunately this is indicative of the way things are nowadays. Everything and anything has to be someone's fault and this culture is then magnified by mindless people on discussion forums and FaceBook! Fortunately there seems to be generally more properly informed posters, readers and commenters on here, so the situation isn't so bad, but FaceBook most certainly seems to attract a lot of the mindless...
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Old 17 Aug 2018, 10:10 (Ref:3844203)   #14
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Amazing how much misinformation there is about this.

On FB there people who genuinely think that it's closing because the BTCC demanded more money from Rockingham and then pulled the series because they wouldn't pay it.

The majority of posts I've seen to think that's it closing because of noise complaints as well. Guess economics is too hard a concept to grasp.
To be fair, there's been little mention in public of the small matter of the around £30 million pound debt that the operating company had been carrying. I read some analysis yesterday that the circuit only turned an annual profit once.

Nature abhors a vacuum, though, and there are plenty of rumour-mongerers ready to fill one...
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Old 17 Aug 2018, 13:32 (Ref:3844242)   #15
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If you read about the Priors Hall Housing Development the connection with the circuit becomes apparent. I think the true reasons for the demise are nothing to do with BTCC/noise,another council shafted by developers.
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Old 17 Aug 2018, 13:35 (Ref:3844243)   #16
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Reported locally, that it is going to be a car storage and 'de-fleeting' centre for a car auctioneers.
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Old 17 Aug 2018, 15:39 (Ref:3844263)   #17
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Reported locally, that it is going to be a car storage and 'de-fleeting' centre for a car auctioneers.
Well, there's certainly been a lot of that going on at Bruntingthorpe over the last goodness knows how long, so there obviously is a demand for that typr of thing.
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Old 17 Aug 2018, 18:36 (Ref:3844319)   #18
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There cant be many noise complaints, its on a massive industrial estate!

I would think the car storage is a perfect answer, no need to build and there are probably already issues about building, I gather the outer stands are never used for that reason. And we all know the histiry behind the previous usage meant issues with seepage subsidence.

So storage is the perfect solution.

Wonder if they would let us build a short oval there...
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Old 18 Aug 2018, 09:46 (Ref:3844423)   #19
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Having run motorcycle race meetings at Rockingham, I have to say that it isn't the best track for bikes (or anywhere near it).
I did remove it from our calendar last year due to ongoing issues that I won't go into. The circuit staff have always been excellent and I really feel for those who have lost their jobs. Whichever circuit is lucky enough to secure their services will certainly benefit from their positive attitudes.

If they had been open to the idea of abandoning the big oval (and maybe replacing it with a 3/4 mile oval on the infield, to acknowledge the oval roots) in order to make the main track more appealing to both competitors and spectators, it may well have not only survived, but prospered.

The really sad bit from my perspective, is that none of the mainstream motorsport publications seem to care about it. When Mallory Park and Donington Park were facing extinction, there was loads of media coverage and support. With Rockingham they seem to be reacting with no more than a gallic shrug.......... Sad.
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Old 18 Aug 2018, 10:09 (Ref:3844424)   #20
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Hopefully, I have managed to attach an article I wrote for our Race Programme back in 2016.
Sadly whilst the Automotive Hub may be arriving, it appears that it won't be in conjunction with an active circuit like the old Brooklands.
What a wasted opportunity.
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File Type: pdf Pages 06 09 The Raceways are our Battlefields.pdf (1.56 MB, 14 views)
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Old 18 Aug 2018, 12:14 (Ref:3844440)   #21
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Reported locally, that it is going to be a car storage and 'de-fleeting' centre for a car auctioneers.
isn’t that exactly what it is at the moment? presumably it’s just going to scale up.

personally i wouldn’t value the old debt at anything. it’ll be a convenient tax write-off for someone somewhere that’ll be conveniently lost. so much money now is imaginary.

like woolley, i have some good memories there from the champcar days, but from a present day perspective i won’t miss it one bit. nothing looks good racing there thanks to the empty, condemned stands and it doesn’t exactly produce great racing unless it’s raining.

which in common with silverstone, it only ever does sideways.
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Old 18 Aug 2018, 20:10 (Ref:3844532)   #22
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I've been to Rockingham twice - the temperature never got above freezing either time. I don't think I saw it at its best but it's a strangely souless place.
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Old 20 Aug 2018, 10:06 (Ref:3844931)   #23
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Sad to read this about Rockingham. But after all, the oval course was largely outdated by any US-based major series standards. And racing at the road course - a common problem with all 'roval' courses outside Daytona - seemed artificial "direct-to-TV" or "British Touring Car Lite".
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Old 20 Aug 2018, 15:57 (Ref:3845016)   #24
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I've been to Rockingham twice - the temperature never got above freezing either time. I don't think I saw it at its best but it's a strangely souless place.
Echo that sentiment, been twice for rally stage meetings along with a few other hardy souls. I also attended the CART race with Gil de Ferran winning on the last bend but only after hours of sitting around waiting for the track to be dried out with gas turbine heater/blowers!
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Old 20 Aug 2018, 18:10 (Ref:3845045)   #25
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Agree there-only been once(for the Indycar race) and was not impressed-watching TV coverage since never seen a single spectator in the open stands-
I think that the outer stands have never had a single spectator in them. The dreaded Health and Safety said they had to fully man any grandstand with any spectators at all, so they were always closed to save money.
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