Lydden Race Circuit
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| Location | Kent, United Kingdom |
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| Major Events | British Rallycross Championship, club meetings |
| Circuit Length | 1.609 km (1.000 mi) |
| Turns | 4[1] |
| Lap Record | 38.3 (Rob Cox, Lola LC88, 1989) |
Lydden Race Circuit (formerly known as Lydden Circuit) is the UK's shortest road racing circuit (many shorter oval tracks exist) at exactly one mile (1609 m), based at Wootton about half-way between Canterbury and Dover in Kent. It is often falsely called Lydden Hill, referring to the hill crest with road between the small village of Lydden and the A2. The track is mainly used for rallycross, saloon and sports car racing as well as motorcycle racing. It may be only a mile long, but Lydden is a testing circuit, with many undulation changes.
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[edit] History
The track was founded by the late Bill Chesson and the Astra Motor Club in 1955. They promoted stock-car racing and grass-track racing for motorcycles, and it wasn't until 1965 when asphalt was laid for the circuit, for hosting car racing up to Formula 3.
On February 4, 1967 the sport of Rallycross was born at Lydden. Combining tarmac and non-tarmac elements, the inaugural race was won by Vic Elford in a Porsche 911. Between 1973 and 1996 Lydden Circuit saw a total of 23 rounds for the Embassy/ERA European Rallycross Championships and FIA European Championships for Rallycross Drivers, all organised by the Thames Estuary Automobile Club (TEAC). To this day, Lydden, as the so-called "Home of Rallycross", still holds British Rallycross Championship racing, especially with its Easter Monday meeting. For the 40th anniversary event in 2007, 8000 people packed into Lydden, which is currently the spectator record for the circuit[2].
In 1989, after disagreements between venue owner Chesson and the RAC MSA about the safety precautions of the track, the circuit was bought by plant-hire entrepreneur and regular rallycross competitor Tom Bissett.
In 1991 McLaren bought the track and leased it to the British Motorcycle Racing Club (BMCRC) from 1993 on, thus allowing both cars and bikes to have full use of the track. BMCRC have been based at Lydden since, and it forms this home track, playing host to the annual 'Lord of Lydden' and 'Sidecar burnup' races, together with a number of club motorcycle race meetings.
Another piece in the history of Lydden came in 2003, when McLaren had an application turned down for Lydden to become a private testing venue.
From 2008 on the new lease holder of the circuit will be, for at least five years, the Waste Recycling Consultant, former MSA British Rallycross Champion (2002 and 2005) and FIA European Rallycross Championship runner-up (1992) Pat Doran. "Plastic Paddy" Doran, an Englishman of Irish origin from Thorverton in Devon, is planning several improvements for the venue as well as an extension of the racing programme (for cars and bikes alike) and his oldest daughter Amy (23) has been appointed as director for day-to-day running of the circuit.
[edit] Rallycross Track Record
- Martin Schanche (Ford RS200 E2) drove 3 ½ laps (1 lap = 1400 m) in 2:28.8 Minutes during the 1990 FIA ERC round
[edit] Current Events
[edit] Major events
- British Rallycross Championship
[edit] Local meetings
- South East Motor Sport Enthusiasts Club (SEMSEC)
- Tunbridge Wells Motor Club (TWMC)
- Rochester Motor Club (RMC)
- 750 Motor Club
- British Automobile Racing Club (BARC)
- British supermoto practice days and races
[edit] External links
- Lydden Race Circuit home page
- A photo archive of the kind of stock-cars that raced at Lydden 1955–1975
[edit] References
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