Before all the venues disappear...

Have you dealt with them? I made some enquiries with Tockwith previously, the first of which I was told "No the circuit isn't for hire", the second time 18 months later, for the <1 mile 'car circuit', I was told it was around £3k for a half day from memory, which when you look at it is laughable.

A suitable alternative that offered mid-week test days, at either hourly/half-day/full-day rate would be beneficial and I believe there are enough people around locally to support it (hill climbers, circuit racers etc.).

ETA: Snippet of offending circuit @ Tockwith (bottom left side of snip) - people complain about grass roots motorsport, but to pay £3k to hire this is a joke.

Good call, been to a couple of meetings previously and it's a great spectacle.

Can't say i've ever rocked up at the circuit and driven some laps early doors before the dog walkers are out...

I'm on similar mission to you Rob but my MO is more due to coming out of the other side of the pandemic I was thirsty for live motorsport and travelled all corners of England as possible and spectating as much variety as possible. Haven't done rallying yet.

Brum is being redeveloped. The wholesale market and multi-storey car park have been torn down. There used to be bits of armco that still remained from the Superprix which always brought a smile to my face whenever I was in Brum.

I do appreciate the issues with perm venues like estates, but Palmer tracks also do their utmost to try and stop you going on grass, including erecting chicanes that will damage a car rather than going on grass, and trying the best they can to avoid it, this I think is a bit pathetic in an off season. But the crews know the rules, I do feel however it is fairly harsh to penalise a crew with rather a lot of damage for a simple mistake and in times gone past on events with very bad weather making mistakes far more likely, it is just grass for God's sake, it WILL grow back. But they get to be that demanding, so what can you do.

I do understand the issue, and for those venues they are open all year round and need to be presentable to the general public, but if you are holding a rally, it is reasonable to expect the odd mistake from crews,

The application for BA was turned down in favour of an other site.

It wasn't really linked to the French project anyway, which has now been scaled down and will be carbon neutral essentially aimed at EVs.

Croft has come very close to closing several times over the years.

In fact it sort of did in the 90’s, but reopened with a different layout (and a good one at that).

I’d recommend going. As a driver it’s a great circuit, and as a spectator it’s got the largest view of the majority of the circuit.

Currently my local that, hadn't been until a couple of years ago but yes, great circuit to drive and spectate at - aside from the usual airfield issues of potential gale-force winds coming out of nowhere

Awesome I love the part through Jim Clark Esses, trying to stay flat/committed as possible, then trying to get it all slowed down before/through Barncroft without getting horrendously out of shape

I have to admit Croft is a mixed feeling for me, it is too far away now for me to attend, but in the day it was a close rallycross track, this would be until it closed for the last time, George Shield and Wally ran it, it had some great meetings just running rallycross, was a great track I attended probably about 10 times over a 10 years period.

The replacement kind of ruined the rallycross track in my eyes, but at least it was still there until some moron decided to try and run two UK rallycross series and the sport was forever changed for the worst, I do like the layout of the race circuit, it provides goo racing, but for some series it is just not big enough, I do not know how BTCC manages BSB left there years ago which is a damn shame it was a great track, but then pamer owns the series and seems to prioritise his tracks over all else, his right I guess.

Croft did close completely as a race circuit in 1981 , reopening in 1995 and in the current format in 1997. I first marshalled there in 1970 and did many track days there in my Sevens. It is now my local circuit , and I go to most meetings.

York Raceway is alive and well , rebranded Melbourne but the same venue , and much improved.

Rufforth was a race circuit 1959-77 and Linton On Ouse and RAF Catterick both held one off race meetings in the 60s.

I attend motorsport events most weekends in the season and while it is easy to cry into one's beer and bemoan closures there is still an enormous amount to enjoy, all over the country . I have been lucky enough to do a little 'work 'inside the sport - scribbling -and there are some lovely places to go and people to meet . But what is surprising is how few self confessed petrolheads (a term I hate BTW ) actually go and see live motorsport. Sure , there are pages of excitable posts after every Grand Prix , and poor Mr Block will be deluged with the inevitable thoughts and prayers , but all that stuff is just watching telly for me .

Most years I watch racing (Cadwell,Croft, Mallory , Donington , Oulton , Goodwood and Silverstone at least ) , drag racing (York and the Pod ) , hillclimbs at Harewood and Shelsley /Prescott (and if you have never seen a championship round speed hillclimb you really , really need to ) ,and maybe a VSCC trial (a hoot ) , rallying and Autograss (amazing machines - never seen cars on full opposite lock and doing a wheelie ) . It is all for the doing and I bloody love it - I still get the tingle Derek Warwick describes feeling every time you walk into a paddock .

If anybody is interested in lost venues do get Julian Hunt's wonderful Motorsport Explorer book , detailing the hundreds (800 in fact ) venues which have been and sometime still are used for UK motorsport. In Yorkshire who now remembers racing at Carnaby , Brough or Full Sutton ?