Hydrex

Little Budworth
Tarporley
Cheshire
CW6 9BW

Tel: 01829 760301
Fax: 01829 760378

Ticket Hotline: 0870 950 9000
Website: www.motorsportdirect.co.uk

Lap Record: 1m 35.436s
Lap Record Holder: Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda

Directions:
Oulton Park lies next to Little Budworth and is signposted from the cross over of the A54 and A49. From the north, take the A556 to Chester and then join the A49. From the south, take junction 18 off the M6 and then the A54 to Chester. Regular mainline rail services operate to Crewe and Chester from London Euston.

Track Info:
Oulton Park has a fascinating and star-studded history. Located in picturesque Cheshire parkland, it is a glorious place to go motor racing, and lends itself particularly well to classic car and historic racing thanks to its unique place and great moments in UK motorsport history.

In 1953, the original circuit was constructed by Cheshire Car Circuit Ltd and was 30 feet wide and a few yards over a mile and a half in length. On August 8th that year, the Mid-Cheshire Car Club promoted a trial motor race meeting, and Oulton Park the racetrack was born. The RAC banned the public from attending the meeting but some 3000 club members and their guests managed to watch the car races, which was run over the original rectangular shaped track of 1.504 miles.

This circuit was extended to include a high-speed section along the lakeside and up to Island bend in 1954, giving a 2.22-mile length. The race lap distance grew to 2.761 miles when the slightly banked Esso bend, now the Shell bend, was incorporated later and this variation lasted until 1975.

Oulton very quickly outgrew its beginnings as a club race venue, with the world famous Gold Cup becoming not only Oulton Park’s first major international race meeting but also a cult event which survives in a revival form today.

The Gold Cup, originally a non-championship race for the Formula 1 cars of the day and traditionally staged on Good Friday, attracted the stars of the Grand Prix racing, with Stirling Moss winning the first two Gold Cups in 1954 and '55.

Formula 1 cars and drivers continued to contest the Gold Cup until 1969, when the ever-changing climate of motorsport saw a ban on non-championship F1 races. From 1969 until 1972, the Gold Cup was run for the newly created Formula 5000 and then the British F1 categories.

Oulton Park was also the venue for the long-established Tourist Trophy between 1965 and '69 and also has a history of top-line motorcycle and sportscar internationals.

Reacting to the need for short, sharp club and national races, the Fosters link, which joined Cascades and Knickerbrook, was built in 1975. This provided a lap distance of 1.65 miles for the new Fosters configuration of the circuit.

For 1984, the Island circuit was resurfaced and brought into use again and the lakeside loop was reintroduced for car racing in 1989 after further track revisions were made.

During the rest of the 1980s and ‘90s, Oulton Park continued to be one of the UK’s most prestigious circuits, attracting top national and international meetings. It still hosts rounds of Britain's top bike and car race championships and is acknowledged as one of the most technically demanding tracks in the country.

The circuit has been extended over the years, and boasts the unique distinction of having three circuits in one which unusually accommodates spectators mainly within the perimeter of the track, providing unrivalled views of the action.

From April to October the 320 acres of glorious Cheshire countryside plays host to a positively mouth-watering selection of car and bike racing, which includes visits from British Superbikes, British Touring Cars, Formula 3, GTs and the fabulously historic racing cars with the recently revived Gold Cup.

These major race meetings are a real treat for the whole family providing an abundance of entertainment, displays, roadshows and activities to complement the exhilarating track action. Stilt walkers, walkabout street theatre and bands are now a regular feature at Oulton Park, together with endless entertainment and fun for the children with bouncy castles, fairground rides and entertainers- always an enjoyable round of the British Superbikes Championship.

Over the years, this picturesque circuit has staged some of the great motor sporting events – full of challenges. It has tight and twisty sections and also long fast straights. Knickerbrook, revised for this season, and Deer Leap are two key sections.