ROCKINGHAM

The International circuit of 2.6 miles includes a massive array of corners, including very slow corners in dips, to negative camber medium corners, to long fast banked corners... enough room to stretch cars top speed on the pit straight entering into a fast but tight chicane. It has enough corners and change of terrain to never become boring, and more than enough room to make overtaking easy (if with the right company like BAT). Grip was terrible in the wet, but the track dried quickly and became a pleasure to drive hard on. Run-off area's are a pretty good mix of gravel and grass, but if your the type to keep crashing, then eventually Rockingham will eat your car alive with a concrete wall... but to be fair, there is no reason at all for that to happen! This circuit will test your brakes to the limit if driven really hard, but as with most circuits, it's up to the driver how much you want to punish your car!!! The on-site facilities are pretty good, and there is a BP station just 5mins off the circuit. Loads of good, sensible priced hotels in and around Corby make it an easy place to make a weekend of.

I like this track. Favourites: the Chicane (can be really fast), Yentwood (can throw your car as it's slightly uphill), Gracelands (opposite of Yentwood;)) Too many irritating hairpins is my main critisism especially with International Long.

The facilities at Rockingham are second to none, as you'd expect from a new circuit. The track itself is very challenging, and trying to find the fastest line through a lot of the corners can be tricky. On the International layout, the first chicane is great fun as you drop down from the banking at speed and straight line it past the cones. After that Deene sees you moving to the infield section. There is a very late turn in here and as you drop onto the different tarmac the back can become very unsettled and twitchy. Yentwood is a easy enough right hander, but make sure you get your gear changed done early as this slightly off camber corner can send the back end out. Chapman is a fast following right hander which leads nicely into Pif Paf, the fast chicane, and then down towards Kirkby. No problems there. Kirby is a little tricky as you need to get good drive out of this up to Gracelands. Gracelands was the most challenging for me, as it's wide but the best line is not obvious and I spun out here trying to find the best line through. The Tarzan hairpin and Brook are easy enough, but watch out for the very late and sharp turn in on Tarzan. Then the final hairpin, Gretton was the only corner I failed to hook up well. Another late and tight turn in, and the change in cambers from infield to oval track really makes this a very technical corner. Get the drive out of there wrong, and it will impede you along Oval turn 4 and the main straight. All in all, another excellent day on track, and big thanks go to BookATrack. I look forward to my next event.

Slightly curious. Scarily slippery in the wet - though the hairpins can be great fun for this reason. A very slow infield section may take you several visits to the track to learn properly because of the sheer number of corners. A surprising amount of elevation around the lap, and the impressive facilities should make it worth a visit alone.

Excellent pies. Track is very good too.

Awesome venue with real wow factor when you walk onto the pit road. Does start to go down hill from there however. The banking is fun, and flat in a hot hatch with a chicane that demands commitment. The rest of the circuit is a bit flat, with no real definition and few challanging corners. Turn 2/3 is good fun as is the pif-paf but its all a bit too samey - 75% of the circuit you never leave 3rd! Make sure you have big breaks to get the most out of the day, you'll cook most standard road car setuops

First time at Rockingham (int long) and it took quite a few laps to remember the circuit. Make sure you have good brakes, as there are quite a few slow corners at the end of the fast straights. The banked oval part of the track was great fun, but you have to respect the concrete wall!

Very entertaining track and very impressive sight. Grippy in the dry and very fun in the wet! Cant wait to go again!

Super grippy surface in the dry. Shocking in the wet. Good track layout. quick corners. Scary wall on the banking.

Rockingham International Really enjoyed this layout, I guess the infield is of course where the excitement happens. A nice chicane section that follows a tight right hander which is essential to get right in order to get the right line into the chicane where you can hang a wheel over the grass due to the weight transfer. Banking isn't much to talk about although you do feel the car being pushed toward the wall when accelerating flat out into turn four. Loved the chicane at the end of the pit wall, really ballsy stuff!

International Short. At first it seems slightly sterile, but the more I drive this circuit, the more I like it. Very well suited to a seven. Good combination of very fast and slow corners, and the banking is unique and a real blast. Decent, safe, runoff, and excellent facilities/spectating.

I wasn't expecting much for my visit to Rockingham, but I was very plesantly surprised. The banked turn 4 takes huge gonads to go round flat out, and provides a huge contrast to the huge twisty turny infield section. There aren't that many dates here, but when there are make sure you've booked your place

Great circuit. Nice and wide for overtaking, good technical circuit, although there could be more variation in both types of corners and elevation.

Fantastic first track day helped by good tuition from Simon. If only my front tyres had enjoyed it as much as me.

This curcuit is so different from anything else in the UK that you have to try it. It's a real experience to take the banked corners flat out, and hit the exit flat out in top gear with the concrete wall inches from your door mirror. The chicanes that are set up to take you from the banked oval to the infield are very rewarding if you get them right too. Unfortunately, the infield is a bit uninspired, but it isn't long until you get back to the fun bit again.

My first visit in my new car in the pouring rain and howling wind... not ideal. An impressive circuit -very large with scary banking. Obviously a versatile circuit, but the presence of traffic cones to indicate the track in use gave it a bit of a mickey mouse feel and made it seem soulless. It is unfair to be too harsh as track conditions were so lousy, but there are other circuits I would much rather drive on. Nonetheless an interesting experience as some of the corners are hard to read (and harder to get round in the wet!). The chicane at the end of the banking was great.

Looked like good fun for most but not for TVRs. Could have done without all the hairpins - clipped the apex, visited the grass on the outside, still got overtaken by the Caterhams. Fast on the banking (what banking?) but picked up loads of crap from all over the circuit and my tyres don't look good.

As soon as you turn up you are impressed, it new and big and impressive. with 'exhaust appreciation tunnels' on the way into the infield, well thats what the sign said!. The banking is different to anything else, the main thing is that wall really does focus you. The banking and stright gives plenty of chance for faster cars to go for it. the infield then gives the smaller cars a turn. Not a lot to look at but lots of twists and turns and a very enjoyable techincal circuit. i would jump at the chance to go again in just about any car.

Superb facilities and great road surface, marred by slighly boring (albeit safe) course design. You would do well to check your brakes before, after and during the day, because there are many tight corners/hairpins throughout the cicuit.

visited Rockingham 10/05/02,superb venue with some interesting/thrilling sections. Braking needs to be spot on to get the best from it.Fantastic,my best to date, the use of the pit garage was a bonus. No problems with noise

A superb circuit the requires both skill and power to do well, but if you have neither is still great fun. The 180 degree corners are the most fun once you have the confidence to start sliding the car (it might not be the fastest way, but is much more fun). The banked turn 4 is much faster than you think, and you build up you speed steadily through the day. A top track and no noise measurements either!

The infield has lots of technical corners but most of them are 90 degrees or 180 degrees! Would be nice to have a little more variation. The banked turn 4 is great with the loud exhaust echoing off the wall! See www.xr4x4.co.uk for more details