Croft Circuit
Croft Circuit
RACE TRACK ENGLAND
Croft Circuit
Length 3.423 km (2.127 mi)
Turns 16
Croft Circuit Main is 3.4 km, 16 turns, clockwise.
Two shorter club configurations exist: Club Circuit A at 1.241 miles (1.997 km) and Club Circuit B at 0.950 miles (1.529 km).
Croft has hosted major races since 1996, including the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and support series.
The circuit reopened for circuit racing in 1997 after redevelopment. The current tarmac circuit measures 2.127 miles (3.423 km) with 16 turns and holds an FIA-3 rating.
Croft Circuit is a motorsport facility located near Dalton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, England, approximately six miles south of Darlington.
The circuit's history dates back to 1940 when 160 acres of farmland were purchased to build RAF Croft, an airfield that served as a bomber base during World War II, housing Wellington, Lancaster, Whitley, Stirling, and Halifax bombers.
In 1947, businessman John Neasham acquired the lease and formed Darlington and District Aero Club, which operated until 1952. During the late 1940s through the 1950s, Darlington & District Motor Club held motor race meetings on various layouts using the runways and perimeter roads.
1962, Bruce Ropner and fellow enthusiasts purchased half the venue and completed a dedicated race track in July 1964.
A legal battle from local residents (2000-2009) resulted in an injunction limiting "noisy days" to 40 per year.
Croft Circuit History
The origins of Croft Circuit date back to the 1940s, when the site near Dalton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire was developed as a Royal Air Force bomber station during the Second World War. Known then as RAF Croft, it opened in 1941 and operated as a satellite airfield, hosting aircraft such as Wellingtons, Halifaxes and Lancasters before being closed for flying in 1946.
In 1962, a consortium of motorsport enthusiasts purchased part of the site and began developing a permanent racing circuit, which officially opened in August 1964 as Croft Autodrome, attracting large crowds for its first meetings.
The circuit was redeveloped in the 1990s, reopening in its modern form in 1995 and later extended and upgraded in 1997 with new facilities and an updated layout. Since then, Croft has become a regular fixture on the British Touring Car Championship calendar and continues to host major national racing events today.