Brooklands and Rockingham. Two oval venues in the UK, and both defunct. One lost because of circumstance because of the Second World War, the other not being a successful business endeavour.
But they’re worth a look, right?
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After the war, in the early 50s I assume, my parents joined this group called the World Tape Pals (there is a point to this, honestly!) It was like penpals on reel-to-reel tape, and they had friends all over the world, including England 😉.
One family they were pals with were living somewhere near Brooklands and were very well off (this is all before my time, sadly. I was a "late surprise" lol). The husband had a fricking huge Bentley from the 1930s – iirc it had something like 12 or 16 valves, and it was definitely painted in BRG so of course, it was fast!
Because Dad was a highly trained driver, and licenced for every kind of vehicle including PSV for work because he was in the transport division at one of the world's biggest steelworks at the time (ended up as head foreman), and in the Civil Defence where he basically drove everything required, from busses to ambulances and fire engines (oh yes, and steam trains, both when he was working for the GWR and on-site at the works), and he was a top amateur rally driver at the time, the gentleman of that house invited the family to visit. (Dad got to take a fire engine on a skid pan. Another story there, but he had fun! He trained with the Met police at Hendon – somewhere I ended up working at one point (not the Met, but in Hendon. It's a small world 🤷🏻♀️) to drive with bells & whistles for emergencies!)
While Mum stayed at the apparently enormous house, especially for someone living in a 2½ bedroom post-war council house (almost identical to the one I've been living in for over 20 years – it was like moving back home lol), the men went in the Bentley to Brooklands.
Dad got the chance to hammer the thing around whatever track was still open for use at the time, and he had the time of his life. Though because the exhaust pipes were running down either side of the open topped car (pipes plural down both sides, that is – iirc something like 3 either side. It might have been adapted for racing, I don't know much about Bentleys, especially pre-war ones), they had to sit in the car for about 30 minutes to let them cool down or else a quick touch could have burned their legs badly. He did say after I asked him what would happen if they had to get out in a hurry, that they'd have to have jumped and hoped!
Thanks for this story, Aidan. While I was thoroughly enjoying your story (I saw both the BTCC "incident" – why JP wanted to wind up a 6 foot plus heaven only knows how many inches, black belt in karate, I don't know. It looked like MN was going to carry out his threat!; and the BSB race meeting – it was a disaster), you brought my parents back to life for a few minutes, particularly how they looked in the '70s when Dad told me the story. I'm both moved and very happy, and I appreciate you setting me up for a great day – emotionally at least.
I'm still in awe of that gent in the 24 hour race flying solo! What a trooper!
Rockingham still has all the grandstands. And the track is now fully clear. And is still really smooth.
As of last month
The Gil in Gil de Ferran is pronounced alittle different. Look up his 2000 closed course record at Fontana, the ESPN crew got pretty used to talking to him in those years
On any race weekend you could jist turn up and pay to race in your family car.
Your videos keep freezing on me. Always in the same place. Says "loading", but nothing happens. Any ideas?
PS I don't have this issue with any other videos.
That Nascar championship was won by a certain Ben Collins, aka the Stig.
I watched the video and being born in the 60s I don't understand km 🙂 Speedometers and road signs still in miles so speeds and distances in km are like a foreign language to me as km measurements do not come up in day to day life. This country is a mess of different measurements. We buy fuel in litres but still measure economy in mpg not kpl.
Not to worry young man sure things will change in your lifetime and all those nasty mile measurements will be gone 😂
Keep up the interesting content 🙂
P.s. I attended Brooklands the w/e they reopened the original start/finish straight. Good event.
Your what if he needed a poo caught me off guard and I’ve had to rewind near 2 mins now I’ve stopped laughing 😂
I'd love a Rockingham return. All it'll take us a company like MSV to take over. It nay not have the history now but in 20 years time ir so we'll all have nost for it
I grew up near Brooklands and a few years ago I was at the museum and they had people with classic cars that they would drive people up a section of the old banking. It was amazing
We had the Rockingham track in the old N4 days 20 years ago. Always seemed like a larger Nazareth and was fun to race on
A desperately sad & frustrating story
Funny thing is neither one was a oval . Mallory park has a oval and there's lots of short ovals from north Scotland to Cornwall and it's these short ovals that have the best racing in the UK.
I remember playing Pro Race Driver back in the day and seeing that my next race was going to be at "Rockingham." I was taken aback. "Wait, an American track?" I asked, thinking of a track that was then current on the NASCAR schedule. Imagine my surprise to find a weirdly-shaped D on the track map. I enjoyed racing it, don't get me wrong, but it was definitely not what I expected when I saw the name.
liked for the music lone…. billiant as always
Brooklands, you are such a amazing deathtrap to drive in amazing deathtraps.
Rockingham, I wish you were actually in videogames so I could drive there.
I've been round the banking at Brooklands; at least the part that's left. It's part of the museum and you can sometimes pay a couple of quid to get a ride in a replica of an old race car round the banking. I was quite thrilled as I know my dad (actually my grandad but that's another story) had gone round it in full with a pal of his before the war.
always liked the fork on the oval, feel like it was such a cool design i would like to see a modern oval with that.
Also we were delighted to have the cars over in 01 back in Poole! 🙂 it was so cool seeing Gil take the win the Penske factory was pretty happy.
Ah and Euro-NASCAR it was a weird series it was bloody cool to see the cars on the EU tracks though! i think Villenuve raced in it once?
Raced at Rockingham in 2003 but my fondest memory of it was meeting Rachel Stevens
My main memory of Rockingham is Katherine Legge doing an over-ambitious wheelie in British F3 circa 2003. Other than that, sadly forgettable. Brooklands on the other hand….
I loved Rockingham, their driving experience days were brilliant fun. I did low grip training and stunt driving, and it remains the only circuit I've ever done laps around at speed. As a spectator I really enjoyed watching BTCC there, I remember the atmosphere in the grandstand was brilliant when Rob Austin brought home his first ever BTCC race win. I seem to recall a superb battle there between Tom Ingram and Jason Plato which was when I realised Ingram would one day win the championship.
I miss it a lot. I know it was plasticky and unnecessary, and that it was doomed from the start, but it was fun to drive with some good corners and amazing views of the track for spectators. That and the ability for spectators to stand on top of the pit garages! Just perfect 😚👌
I think it is a tremendous shame that Rockingham wasn't used to it's full potential. It should have been a regular round of the Indy Car series once CART collapsed. And a round of NASCAR too. The blame for this I believe should be beared on the shoulders of UK television for not giving the initial CART races thier due coverage and the British public for not taking enough interest. We should have packed out the grandstands. I did a few bike trackdays at Rockingham. Amazing facility just for a trackday. Massive missed potential.
Weirdo track
Fast corners before downforce.