Ever since rumours of an oval racetrack were muttered in the PF office, we were singing and dancing. But now Rockingham Motor Speedway is finally complete, should we really be humming?

If you're lucky enough to have seen NASCAR on TV, or even in the flesh, you'll understand the enthusiasm those mad Americans have for the awesome 700bhp machinery. Ear-bleedingly noisy with top-end speeds capable of pushing weedy F1 cars into the greenery make this type of racing very, very interesting when there's a gird of 40 of 'em! They're big, heavy and look the nuts.
But that doesn't make it right, does it? The reason it can reach speeds of up to 200mph is the huge oval circuits, which are as common over there as seeing a blonde in Essex. I'm not denying the engine, chassis or even the driver of its pace, but if us British lads had a track with massive straight aways and only a handful of corners surely we could do the same?

Well now is our chance to prove ourselves, thanks to the fresh-faced Rockingham Motor Speedway. Its 1.5mile oval circuit (there's an extra two alternative infield circuits) has just four corners, is 60 feet wide and has cost around £50 million. But with a couple of races under its belt, was it all worth it?
Well, yes and no. The circuit is a stunner and the facilities for the teams and public are out of this world. Stands are huge and with one thing in mind - safety. With no run-off, the only way for charging cars to exit the circuit is to head straight for concrete, ie: the wall. There are no tyre barriers or even a soft grass verge, so the chances of debris hitting the crowd is drastically increased.

Good job then that Rockingham has thought ahead. Its huge fencing is designed to do away with the stray wheel coming over and smacking you on the head, as is the chances of carbon fibre wings slicing your arms and legs off. The chances of something like this ever happening at Rockingham are reduced, thanks to an enlarged gap from the stands to the wall. And the drivers? Well, rubbing any wall up the wrong way is heading for trouble, so they're told not to hit it.

But with all the fancy facilities, stands and flashy lights what about the actual racing? Like we said, there's not only the oval circuit. The infield track is set to pack a lot of happy punters off from the day's events with a huge grin because there a loads of overtaking opportunities and some real fast curves. At the COYS Historic Festival, which we attended on Sunday 27 May, it was all a bit bland. Great cars held the day together with vast amounts of stunt riders and drivers, along with the red arrows, but we didn't see Rockingham's full potential.

Everybody turned up to see the British equivalent of NASCA, otherwise known as the ASCAR Mintex Cup, but sadly we were only teased with a 20-lap demo race. Not quite what we had in mind, but the bad boys fitted with six litre V8 engines can propel themselves to 200mph if need by and it wasn't to be missed. Although underneath the Chevy or Ford shell is just an old NASCAR, it's not a bad thing, especially for the newcomers to the series, as it's certainly a lot cheaper to get into.
Okay, it was a bit of a letdown, but don't let that fool you. When ASCARS gets a bigger grid, the walls at Rockingham will shake. But in the meantime, get saving and buy a ticket to watch the Rockingham 500 CART FedEx Championship World Series Race on 20-22 September. The Champ Cars are great, but this means that tickets will set you back anything from £40 for qualifying to a staggering £80 for the race day itself. It will be entertaining, honest!

ASCAR RACE
John Cleland took the chquered flag for the opening round of the ASCAR Mintex Cup. Other wise known for his British Touring Car antics, John celebrated winning the Goodyear 100 in front of 12000 fans. The Cleland's Speedsport Chevrolet started on pole and led the opening laps. But it was only after six lead changes and a pit stop that Cleland slowly eased past oval track champion, Colin White, on turn four of the final lap to secure victory. Although the race was only 20 laps long, due to unstable weather conditions, ASCAR managing director, Mike Schmidt said:
"It would have been unsafe to put on a full-blown race, but we wanted to ensure that the fans had the show they had come to see. When we return to Rockingham on 29th July, the cars and drivers will run at 110%"

Rockingham Motor Speedway
PO BOX 500, Corby, NN17 5RR
Tel: 01536 500 500
Fax: 01536 500 555
Web: www.rockingham.co.uk
24-hour credit car booking line: 0870 013 4044