What goes around... comes around!
New tracks like EuroSpeedway Lausitz bring in the crowds - though not always for oval racing.
Picture: ITR
The demise of Broklands for racing meant that Britain - and indeed Europe - had very few oval circuits still in operation by the end of the 1950s. The Grenzlandring had come and gone, the Autodromo Nacional at Sitges had been forced into a prolonged hibernation, Monza's banking was abandoned, Mirimas had become a test track and Montlhéry had largely faded away to obscurity, hosting national level races only.
The only additional oval circuit of note was in Leicestershire, Mallory Park having emerged out of plans to create a horse racing track in the estate of a country home in 1956. Built around a lake, Mallory has become known as the 'friendly circuit' by crowds and racers alike. Initial plans to extend and upgrade the circuit for Grand Prix racing were never realised - although Formula 2 was a regular visitor into the 1970s.
The 'Mallory Mile' oval circuit was first introduced in 1964 when a new corner was built, bypassing Shaw's hairpin. Mallory has since become the spiritual home of stock car racing in Britain, with the Eurocar series making most use of the oval - occasionally racing it backwards!
But as far as true ovals were concerned, European racing was paying little interest, with a proliferation of road, street and airfield courses springing up alongside several permanent venues.
New ovals emerge
The rise in popularity of NASCAR and CART racing from America and the desire of European crowds to see stars such as Dario Franchitti, Nigel Mansell, Kenny Bräck and Alex Zanardi race on home soil saw new projects spring up in Germany and Great Britain.
First off the blocks was EuroSpeedway Lausitz, built on the site of a former steel mill in eastern Germany. Originally conceived in the early 1980s, formal planning processes did not begin until 1991. Progress in building was relatively slow (being interrupted at one stage by a court order) but the circuit was eventually finished in August 2000.
Viking Motorsport Park.
CART racing had already committed itself at this stage, and the tri-oval course also boasted a road course (later used by World Superbikes and the DTM) and a long test-track. While the racing has proved successful, drawing in good crowds, the circuit has so far been tinged with tragedy; Michele Alboreto and a marshall were both killed on the test circuit and Alex Zanardi suffered appalling injuries in the 2001 Memorial 500.
Britain too had plans for a new oval; businessman Peter Davies had long had the vision to construct the first new permanent circuit since Brooklands at Corby, in Leicestershire. His dream was finally realised in 2001 when the Rockingham Motor Speedway opened after years of raising finance and negotiating planning hurdles. Uniquely shaped, the 1.5 mile oval certainly proved fast when the CART teams got racing underway and the road course has provided a challenge for the British Formula 3 and British Superbike championships.
The success of these two circuits has had a two-fold effect; new championships have sprung up to race on them and these in turn have created a demand for further ovals to be built. Plans are well advanced for a new circuit at Enköping in Sweden - final costings for the Viking Motor Park are currently being calculated, while rumours persist of further oval circuits in France and Spain.
It remains to be seen if these projects come to fruition, but what oval circuits can offer race fans is an unparalleled view of the whole circuit from every seat in the stands and thrilling side-by-side racing. Even if no further oval courses are built, those that remain look set for a secure future.
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