Rockingham Stages 2018
Rockingham Stages 2018
The end of an Era
2018 Rockingham Stages.
The last competitive event at Rockingham Motor Speedway.
Love it or hate it – and both emotions have been applied to Rockingham - there’s no doubt that it is, or perhaps more accurately was, different.
Conceived in the late nineties in a moment of visionary entrepreneurism, Rockingham was opened by the Queen in May 2001 ahead of the first Champ Car (US Indy style single seaters) race in September 2001. In that race, won by Gil de Ferran, Tony Kanaan’s fastest lap of the 1.48 mile banked oval circuit was an average speed of 215.397mph !
The race was, however, preceded by the events of 9/11 on a global level and, for the teams, Zanardi’s huge accident at the German Lausitzring track in the first event of the European double-header. Most of the US teams were just keen to get home and when the race itself was first delayed and then shortened due the weepers (water coming up through the track following rain) proceedings were somewhat dampened.
The attendance of around 40,000, including yours truly, were impressed by the Champ Cars – especially when watching an apparently quick lap only to see the car on the really quick lap sweep past at pace.
Flick Haigh and Jonny Adam British in the 2018 GT Champions.
In 2002, the Champ Cars returned to a smaller 25,000 crowd; Dario Franchitti won but they never again rolled up to Rockingham. A one off trip to the Brands Hatch Indy circuit followed in 2003, which produced a fast but processional race.
Since then, Rockingham has hosted a wide range of racing, corporate events, skid training and – the subject of this article - rallying. Think about it, you could go and stand in the forest, miles from food, drink and toilets or you could go to a venue where you can see virtually every mile of the stage, sit in a grandstand and get food and drink on demand.
Billy Monger racing Manuel Maldonado in the 2018 British F3 Championship.
It’s all tarmac, the weather can be freezing cold (was there), tipping it down (was there), blowing a gale (was there) or all three at the same time (yup !). You can’t get as close to the cars generally and its all concrete rather than natural beauty, but the competitors do seem to like it as a venue based on the comments over the event weekend. Perhaps Corby has hidden charms.
With the recent sale of the site, 1st and 2nd December 2018 saw the 15th and last running of the Rockingham Stages and the last competitive activity there following the final race meeting the week before. There will, therefore, not be a circuit guide produced !
Stanley Ballantine and Jamie Vaughan 2018 Rockingham Stages.
So, to the event, 12 stages of 90+ miles of good quality tarmac, using the access roads, the infield used by F3, British GT and the like and parts of the oval itself. The main event ran over both days, along with a Sunday Stages and for Saturday retirements, a Trophy Rally.
Of course, all the home comforts don’t necessarily give the access you might find at one of the other Circuit Rallies, or indeed the forests. There’s a superb view over the whole complex from the Grandstand but the people look like ants below you and you never know which of the ten or more cars in action at any time to follow.
Better is to get down to the pits building where you can stand on the roof and see the cars using the track, pit lane and pit garage apron in front of you and for some stages, negotiate the cones and tyres in the paddock behind you.
There’s even a couple of spots at ground level where you can see the cars even more close up. Plus it has got to be said that a Mk2 Escort screaming up the pit-lane just below your toes is an impressive sight and sound in anyone’s book.
David Gathercole and Glyn Odell who were 6th in 2017.
In 2017, I could only go on Saturday, which worked out well as it snowed heavily overnight and the Sunday stages were cancelled. That was the first time I used my new 70-200mm f2.8 lens – verdict - superb !
Paul King Alicia Miles winners 2018 Rockingham Stages 2.
This year, my son Andrew and I could only go on Sunday, which suited, as we wanted to see the last competitive action at the track and it was dry and reasonably mild – there was even some blue sky !
Equipment wise, we mixed and matched – using 24m, 24-120mm zoom, 70-200mm and 200-500mm lenses – I use a Nikon D610 and Andrew has a Nikon D3400.
John Stone and Alex Stone Winners Sunday Stages 2018.
So that concludes the last article from Rockingham Motor Racing Circuit, the Stages Rally 2018. A big thank you to David and Andrew Harbey for the article. All words and pictures are by David and Andrew Harbey Photography.
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