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Croft Circuit

Croft Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Dalton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, England.[1] The tarmac circuit is 2.127 mi (3.423 km) long and is based on the lands of an airfield, but has long since moved on from being a basic airfield circuit. The circuit holds meetings of the British Touring Car Championship, British Rallycross and Pickup Truck Racing race series.

Croft Circuit
Main Circuit (1997–present)
LocationNorth Yorkshire, England
Time zoneGMT (UTC+0)
BST (April–October, UTC+1)
Coordinates54°27′21″N 1°33′46″W / 54.45583°N 1.56278°W / 54.45583; -1.56278
FIA Grade3
OwnerBritish Automobile Racing Club (2006–present)
Opened3 August 1964; 60 years ago (1964-08-03)
Re-opened: 14 May 1995; 29 years ago (1995-05-14)
Closed1981
Major eventsCurrent:
BTCC (1997–present)
TCR UK (2018–2019, 2023–present)
Former:
BSB (2004–2011)
British F3 (1997–2005, 2007–2008)
British GT (1997–2002, 2005, 2007)
FIA European Rallycross Championship (1994)
Interserie (1970)
Main Circuit (1997–present)
Length3.423 km (2.127 miles)
Turns16
Race lap record1:13.656 (Mexico Sergio Pérez, Dallara F308, 2008, F3)
Club Circuit 'A' (1997–present)
Length1.997 km (1.241 miles)
Turns8
Autodrome (1995–1996)
Length2.897 km (1.800 miles)
Turns13
Autodrome (1964–1981)
Length2.816 km (1.750 miles)
Turns12
Race lap record1:04.800 (United Kingdom Chris Craft, McLaren M8C, 1970, Group 7)

History

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The first records of racing at Croft date back to the 1920s, but it was after the Second World War that Croft circuit became a significant motorsport venue.

At the beginning of the Second World War an airfield named RAF Croft was built on the site now occupied by the circuit. RAF Croft also known as Croft Aerodrome, was mainly used as a bomber airfield. It was home to a number of different aircraft types including Wellington, Lancaster, Whitley, Stirling and Halifax bombers.

There were a number of notorious accidents mainly involving returning bombers missing their runway. One bomber made it all the way back from Germany only to crash into a tree at Atley Hill, about 4-mile (6.4 km) away; all the crew were killed. The dead stump of the tree survived as a grim memorial on Atley Hill until it was grubbed out by the landowner in the mid 1990s.

Croft Aerodrome was home to a number of squadrons including 419 Squadron from Canada. The platforms at the nearby Eryholme railway station were often crowded with airmen and ground crew during the war years. The verges along the public access road to Croft Aerodrome were used to store racks of bombs and other military equipment, a fascinating attraction to local children at the time.

At the end of hostilities the aerodrome was abandoned by the RAF, it is still possible to see some military era buildings and structures surviving on nearby farmland, though most of the major structures such as hangars have been demolished and used as hardcore in the nearby villages of North Cowton, Dalton-on-Tees and Croft-on-Tees.

In 1947 businessman and councillor John Neasham acquired the lease to the land and formed Darlington and District Aero Club. However, the club folded after only 5 years and the airfield fell into disuse.

During the late 1940s and into the 1950s, Darlington & District Motor Club held Motor Race Meetings on various layouts utilising the runways and perimeter roads and then in 1962 Bruce Ropner and fellow enthusiasts bought half the venue at public auction, completing a track on the site in July 1964. The first meeting in August 1964,[2] attracted a crowd of between 30,000 and 50,000 people.

 
Irishman Dermot Carnegie (MG Metro 6R4) leading Englishman Will Gollop (MG Metro 6R4 BiTurbo) during the 1990 FIA Internations-Cup Rallycross at Croft Circuit

Over the years the circuit has played host to many famous names and has hosted national and international meetings. However, slowly attention focussed on circuits in the south of England such as Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Lydden and in December 1967 Croft began hosting Rallycross. The events were utilised by ITV's World Of Sport and were televised live. Whilst Rallycross was considered to be a winter sport, circuit racing continued. By 1981 the profitability had fallen and with the circuit requiring a total resurfacing, it closed to circuit racing. Local farmer, George Shield, agreed a lease to run Rallycross and, in conjunction with Darlington & District Motor Club, successfully developed the track for this sport. Croft held the FIA Internations-Cup events of 1987 and 1990 as well as the 1994 British round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship.

With the attention brought by Rallycross the decision was taken to reintroduce tarmac racing and became a popular host of motorcycle and car racing.

 
Corners 1 & 2
 
Fabrizio Giovanardi at the complex

In 1997 the circuit underwent a major transformation – the circuit was extended to 2.127 mi (3.423 km) and new pits, paddock complex, control tower and spectator areas were constructed.

British Touring Cars and British Superbikes soon came to the circuit. British Superbikes remained a regular feature until 2011, while British Touring Cars remain a regular feature on the calendar.

A regular Monster Energy British Rallycross Championship fixture continues the long history of Rallycross at Croft. The MSA British RallyCross Grand Prix featured at Croft in 2013.

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In 2000, an official complaint was upheld by local residents over the noise produced by the racing car engines. This was claimed to be having an effect on some people's health, although Darlington Borough Council later quashed this, Croft Circuit gives a number of free tickets to local residents as compensation for the noise.

The circuit lost a court case in April 2008 and the claimants were awarded a total of £149,600 in compensation for the noise suffered but their request for an injunction against the existing operation of the circuit was refused. Both parties appealed this judgement. The appeal was heard on 15 January 2009 with the decision being made on 26 January 2009. The claimant's appeal was upheld; the injunction was granted and was the only substantive impact of the case. "Noisy days" were limited to 40 days. This had been the primary objective of the claimants and the outcome of the lawsuit was that the 40-day injunction was granted instead of monetary damages. The damage payments were therefore reduced to a nominal level, though the circuit was still liable for legal costs. The primary reasoning behind this outcome was that the circuit could make no reasonable case that its economic survival would be affected by this injunction. The circuit continues to operate its major race days which account for the vast majority of its revenue. (Feb 2009)

A copy of the appeal judgement can be found at http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2009/15.html. (Feb 2009)

Major races

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Croft has been staging major races since 1996. They are the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), along with support series Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain, Renault Clio Cup, Historic Car Racing, and Ginetta Junior Championship: and formerly hosted the UK Formula Renault, Formula BMW UK, SEAT Leon Cupra Championship.

The British Superbike Championship left the calendar following the 2011 season and is not yet scheduled to return to Croft.

Croft last featured on the F3/GT calendar for the 2007 and the 2008 season.

Event list

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Current
Returning
Former

Lap records

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As of July 2024, the fastest official race lap records at the Croft Circuit are listed as:[3]

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event
Main Circuit: 3.423 km (1997–present)
Formula Three 1:13.656[4] Sergio Pérez Dallara F308 2008 Croft British F3 round
GT1 1:16.759[5] Tim Sugden McLaren F1 GTR 1999 Croft British GT round
Formula Renault 2.0 1:17.451[6] Ollie Millroy [de] Barazi-Epsilon FR2.0-10 2010 Croft Formula Renault 2.0 UK round
Formula 4 1:17.465[7] Alex Dunne Tatuus F4-T421 2022 Croft British F4 round
Superkart 1:18.601[8] Matt Robinson Anderson Division 1 Superkart 2023 Croft Historic Race Weekend
Porsche Carrera Cup 1:18.839[9] Hugo Ellis Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup 2024 Croft Porsche Carrera Cup GB round
Superbike 1:19.695[10] Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda CBR1000RR 2007 Croft BSB round
Formula Ford 1:19.754[11] Jayde Kruger Mygale M12-SJ 2014 Croft British Formula Ford round
Ferrari Challenge 1:21.493[12] Jamie Clarke Ferrari 488 Challenge 2019 Croft Ferrari Challenge UK round
Super Touring 1:21.611[13] Rickard Rydell Ford Mondeo Zetec 2000 Croft BTCC round
NGTC 1:21.781[14] Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport 2020 Croft BTCC round
Formula BMW 1:21.810[15] James Sutton Mygale FB02 2004 Croft Formula BMW UK round
Supersport 1:22.043[16] Alex Lowes Yamaha YZF-R6 2010 Croft BSS round
TCR Touring Car 1:22.784[17] Jac Constable Audi RS 3 LMS TCR 2023 Croft TCR UK round
BTC Touring 1:25.749[18] James Thompson BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Coupe 2002 Croft BTCC round
Super 2000 1:26.297[19] Gordon Shedden Honda Civic 2010 Croft BTCC round
SEAT León Supercopa 1:28.389[20] Jonathan Adam SEAT León Supercopa Mk2 2007 Croft SEAT Cupra Championship round
Renault Clio Cup 1.30.200[21] Jack Young Renault Clio R.S. IV 2019 Croft Renault UK Clio Cup round
Autodrome: 2.816 km (1964–1981)
Group 7 1:04.800[22] Chris Craft McLaren M8C 1970 RAC Croft Interserie round
Formula Three 1:07.400[23] Mike Wilds March 733 1973 Croft British F3 round
Group 4 1:08.000[24] Trevor Taylor Lola T70 Mk.IIIB GT 1969 Wills Trophy
Group 5 prototype 1:09.400[25] Jeremy Lord Lola T212 1973 Croft MN GT round
Group 5 sports car 1:09.900[26] Peter Brown Ferrari 512 M 1972 Croft MN GT round
Group 3 1:17.400[27] John Coundley[a]
Brian Redman[a]		 Tojeiro EE[a]
Jaguar E-Type[a]		 1965 BARC Croft GT race
Clubman 1:23.000[28] David Preston Lotus Seven 1965 BARC Croft Sports/Clubman race
Group 1 1:25.600[29] Bob Smith Austin Mini Cooper S 1965 BARC Croft Handicap race

Rallying

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Renault Clio Rally car competing at Croft Circuit's Christmas Stages Rally 2019 
Renault Clio Rally car competing at Croft Circuit's Christmas Stages Rally 2019

Croft Circuit has hosted stage rallies since at least 1983[30] including 2 stages in the Network Q RAC Rally 1996.

From 2001 Croft Circuit has frequently hosted the Christmas Stages Rally organised by Northallerton Automobile Club and Jack Frost Stages Rally organised by Darlington & District Motor Club. Both events used the circuit and roads within the venue during the winter months.

In 2021 British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) boss Ben Taylor issued a statement announcing "that Croft Circuit will not host rallying or rallycross events next season". This came under much criticism from fans and competitors.[31]

However, on 4 September 2022 Northallerton Automobile Club and Darlington & District Motor Club announced a return of stage rallying to Croft Circuit with the Swift Signs & Shirts Winter Stages Rally running on Sunday 27 November 2022.[32][better source needed]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Both drivers took the same lap time independently.

References

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  1. ^ "Croft – Motor Sport Magazine database". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  2. ^ Lloyd, Chris (26 July 2019). "Turning Point in History". Darlington & Stockton Times. No. 30–2019. p. 54. ISSN 2516-5348.
  3. ^ "List of Category's at Croft Racing Clockwise at 28th July 2024" (PDF). 28 July 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  4. ^ "2008 Croft British F3 – Round 4". Motor Sport Magazine. 27 April 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  5. ^ "British GT Croft 1999". 5 September 1999. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  6. ^ "BTCC - Round 5 - Croft - 2010 - Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship - Round 9 - Classification". 19 June 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  7. ^ "2022 ROKiT F4 British Championship Certified by FIA Round 14 – Classification" (PDF). 25 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  8. ^ "2023 Superkarting UK – Superprix" (PDF). 2 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain 2024 - Round 7 – Classification" (PDF). 28 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  10. ^ "BSB - Round 10 - Croft - 2007 - Superbike - Race 5 - Classification". 12 August 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  11. ^ "BTCC - Round 5 - Croft - 2014 - Dunlop MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain - Round 13 - Classification". 28 June 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  12. ^ "2019 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK – Croft – Race 1 – Classification – Amended" (PDF). 20 July 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  13. ^ "BTCC 2000 » Croft Round 13 Results". 25 June 2000. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  14. ^ "BTCC 2020 » Croft Round 21 Results". 11 October 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  15. ^ "BTCC – Round 6 – Croft – 2004 Formula BMW UK Championship – Provisional Result – Round 11". 24 July 2004. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  16. ^ "MCE British Superbikes - Round 10 - Croft - 2010 - Supersport - Race 5 - Classification". 12 September 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  17. ^ "2023 TCR UK Touring Car Championship Croft Race 7 – Classification" (PDF). 7 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  18. ^ "BTCC 2002 » Croft Round 11 Results". 14 July 2002. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  19. ^ "BTCC 2010 » Croft Round 13 Results". 20 June 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  20. ^ "TOCA - Round 4 - Croft - 2007 - Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship - Round 8 - Classification" (PDF). 3 June 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  21. ^ "British Touring Car Championship - Round 4 - 15th/16th June - Croft - 2019 - Renault UK Clio Cup - Round 4 - Classification - Amended". 16 June 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  22. ^ "Interserie Croft 1970". 11 July 1970. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  23. ^ "1973 Croft British F3". Motor Sport Magazine. 12 August 1973. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Wills Trophy Croft 1969". 13 July 1969. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  25. ^ "MN GT Croft 1973". 28 May 1973. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  26. ^ "MN GT Croft 1972". 7 May 1972. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  27. ^ "BARC Croft [GT+1.15] 1965". 3 July 1965. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  28. ^ "BARC Croft [Sports/Clubman] 1965". 8 May 1965. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  29. ^ "BARC Croft [Handicap A] 1965". 8 May 1965. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  30. ^ "SS 4+5 – Croft stage map | Mintex International Rally 1983 [BRC] 🌍". Rally-Maps.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  31. ^ "Croft Circuit boss responds to criticism over Christmas Stages and Jack Frost rallies". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  32. ^ "Facebook Winter Stages Rally post". Facebook. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
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