The author gets up to speed on the banking of England’s Rockingham Speedway. Photo: Mike Jiggle
When Champ Cars made a very rare appearance in Europe a couple of years ago, many of us thought this would be a dream come true for those people who had never been to Indy or to any important oval race. I dragged as many friends as I could to the first race at Rockingham, mainly because I hadn’t had the experience myself and I thought it was something that couldn’t and shouldn’t be missed.
I think I was right. The cars flying out of Turn Four at the new Rockingham Speedway at full tilt came at you so fast you couldn’t catch your breath and you twisted your neck as you tried to follow them down the straight. But it was a commercial and “racing” failure. Not enough people turned up, with a circuit that wouldn’t dry out, Zanardi’s horrendous crash at the Lausitzring…and 9/11…cast a pall over the spectacle, and the foreign venture didn’t work. Not many Europeans got to see Indy cars on an oval, and probably never would. As an American who had turned rapidly into a road racing enthusiast in his early teenage years, midgets, sprint cars and Indy Roadsters had been left behind, and I’d have to admit that I saw them as rather “second class” racing at the time, so I was looking for a second chance to capture what I had missed.
Become a Member & Get Ad-Free Access To This Article (& About 6,000+ More)
Access to the full article is limited to paid subscribers only. Our membership removes most ads, lets you enjoy unlimited access to all our premium content, and offers you awesome discounts on partner products. Enjoy our premium content.
