ASK ANYONE in the industry about Rockingham Speedway and you'll hear all sorts of conspiracy theories about its setup. From EU grants to secret money, everyone's got a mad story about how it came about.
The reality was bizarre enough. A gigantic, NASCAR-style banked semi-oval racetrack, with seating for tens of thousands of spectators, and a European-type wiggly track plonked in the middle as a bit of an afterthought. And while Corby has many fine attributes, it's a little bit off the beaten track in terms of access for big race events.
Still. We're sad to hear that its future is now hanging by the proverbial thread. The site has been sold to new owners, and a press release suggests that while all the remaining 2018 gigs will go ahead, a 'change in business operations' will take place. We're taking that to mean 'no more car or bike events' and 'lots of profitable housing being built'. We are terrible cynics here though.
In a moderately pleasing symmetry, there are loads of online conspiracy theories about it closing as well, with 'noise complaints from bastard NIMBY homeowners' at the forefront. We're not convinced on that to be honest: if Rockingham had been a thriving, well-loved circuit packed with BSB rounds and the like, the noise problems would have been controlled and sorted. Sadly, it was probably always just the wrong racetrack in the wrong place.
Check out the remaining events for 2018, and pop along for a last hurray here!
