Lydden Hill Race Circuit

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Lydden Hill Race Circuit

Location	Wootton, Kent, United Kingdom
Major events	FIA World Rallycross Championship, FIA European Rallycross Championship, MSA British Rallycross Championship
Length	1.000 or 0.870 [Rallycross only] mi (1.609 or 1.400 [Rallycross only] km)
Turns	4
Race lap record	38.3 (, Lola LC88, 1989)

Lydden Hill Race Circuit (formerly known as Lydden Circuit) is a motorsport venue in Denton with Wootton, about half-way between Canterbury and Dover in Kent, England. The mile-long circuit is mainly used for Rallycross, Drift, Saloon and Sports car racing as well as Motorcycle racing.

It is the shortest road racing circuit in the United Kingdom. The track was previously owned by the McLaren Group and is one of two motor racing circuits in the county of Kent, along with Brands Hatch.

History[]

View of Dover Slope and Devils Elbow on Lydden Hill Race Circuit

Lydden was founded in 1955 by with the help of the . From 1957, they promoted stock-car racing and grass-track racing for motorcycles – the land on which this took place was owned by Barry Skinner, who sold it to Chesson. By 1962, Chesson wanted to progress and laid a tarmac track in order to promote motor and motorcycle road racing. The original plan was for a 1-mile circuit but this scheme had to be put on hold when the tarmac ran out at what is known as the Devil’s Elbow; the result was the short circuit, which is sometimes used by Legends and Hot Rods.^{[citation needed]}

In 1965, tarmac asphalt was laid for hosting car racing up to Formula Three. Lydden became extremely popular, to the point that, in 1967, a meeting featuring Formula Three was televised and included up and coming drivers such as Andy Sutcliffe, Roger Williamson and Tom Walkinshaw.

On 4 February 1967, the sport of Rallycross was born at Lydden, thought up by TV producer Robert Reed (for ITV) and race organiser Bud Smith (750 Motor Club – Tunbridge Wells Centre) in co-operation with Chesson. Combining tarmac and non-tarmac elements, the inaugural race was won by Vic Elford in a Porsche 911. Since 1973, Lydden Circuit has seen rounds of Embassy/ERA European Rallycross Championships and FIA European Championships for Rallycross Drivers, the first 23 (till 1996) all organised by the (TEAC). To this day, Lydden, as the so-called "Home of Rallycross", still holds British Rallycross Championship racing, especially with its popular Easter Monday meeting.

On 9 September 1968, then-unknown English driver James Hunt recorded his first race win driving a Russell-Alexis Mk14 Formula Ford car. Hunt would return on 5 May 1969, this time driving a entered Merlyn Mk11A, and recorded his second ever win.^{[citation needed]}

By 1986, the RAC MSA was pressurising Bill Chesson to erect Armco barriers, but he steadfastly refused to do so, on the grounds that they would be dangerous to the motorcycle-racing fraternity. When RAC MAS threatened to refuse him a new circuit permit, and fearing that his two sons, well known at Lydden as successful racers, would fall out running the track once Bill died, he put it up for sale. Tom Bissett bought the circuit for the asking price of well over a million pounds.

From 2008 the new lease holder was the Waste Recycling Consultant, MSA British Rallycross Champion (2002, 2005, 2009, 2010) and FIA European Rallycross Championship runner-up (1992) Pat Doran. Doran, from Thorverton in Devon, is planning several improvements for the venue as well as an extension of the racing programme (for cars and bikes alike) and his daughter, Amy Doran, has been appointed as director for day-to-day running of the circuit.^[1][2][3][4]

On 24–25 May 2014, Lydden Hill played host to the newly formed FIA World Rallycross Championship. The event was run under similar principles to the FIA European Rallycross Championship in the previous few years, but with the likes of Petter Solberg and Liam Doran being notable drivers competing in the championship, as well as Andrew Jordan and Tanner Foust as the famous "wildcard" entries, record crowds were predicted for the weekend at the end of May.

European rallycross returns[]

Pat Doran and his Ford Fiesta, Lydden 2006

The opening round of the 2009 FIA European Rallycross Championship (ERC) brought top flight Rallycross back to Lydden Hill. The last European Rallycross event at Lydden Hill Race Circuit was hosted in 1996. As all kind of things can change over a period of 12 years time, at least one thing didn't change ... After being declared winner of the 1996 European event at Lydden in the main Division, multiple champion Kenneth Hansen (Citroën C4) cruised to victory again in Division 1 on Easter Monday (13 April).

When ERC returned at the end of May 2010, Norwegian Sverre Isachsen (Ford Focus ST), celebrated his first victory in the European Championship as he beat multiple champion Kenneth Hansen (Citroën C4) and local guy Liam Doran (Citroën C4) in the Division 1 'A' final.

About 13,500 people spent Easter 2011 at Wootton, attending the opening round of the 2011 ERC. Specially for the Norwegian fans among them it was a great weekend as the victories in all of the three racing categories went to Norway. Sverre Isachsen (Ford Focus Mk2) was on the highest step of the SuperCars podium on Monday afternoon. Before already Andreas Bakkerud (Renault Clio Mk2) and (Ford Fiesta ST RWD) did the same in the Super1600 and Touring Cars classes.

There were no first qualifying heats on day 1 of the opening round of the 2012 ERC as problems with the start systems made the Clerk of the Course decide to run the first heat on Monday. Therefore, the 2012 championship started in a similar way as previous year's championship ended when at Sosnová in the Czech Republic during the final round the first heats also had to be postponed until the other day. With the absence of defending champion Sverre Isachsen the door is now open for last year's runner-up Tanner Foust (Ford Fiesta Mk7) to start the season with a victory.^[5]

The opening round of the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship was held over the Easter holiday, at Lydden Hill, with victory going to the American Tanner Foust in his Ford Fiesta for the second year running, only after reigning ERC champion Timur Timerzyanov for dropped back with a punctured tyre.^[6]

World Rallycross Championship[]

In 2014, the FIA World Rallycross Championship arrived in Kent for Round Two. Ford Olsbergs MSE driver Andreas Bakkerud won, after a near perfect run. Robin Larsson claimed the runner’s-up spot in his Audi A1 Supercar, with Britain’s Andrew Jordan ending the event third in front of his home crowd.^[7]

Rallycross track records[]

• Martin Schanche, (Ford RS200 E2) drove 3 ½ laps (1 lap = 1,400 m) in 2:28.8 Minutes during the 1990 FIA ERC round
• Sverre Isachsen, (Ford Focus T16 4X4), drove 4 laps (1 lap = 1,400 m) in 3.13.344 minutes during the 2009 FIA ERC Round

Current events[]

Major events[]

• FIA World Rallycross Championship
• FIA European Rallycross Championship
• MSA British Rallycross Championship
• Lord of Lydden, the revival in 2013.
• BHP Performance Show
• Lydden Hill Truck Festival

Local meetings[]

• South East Motor Sport Enthusiasts Club (SEMSEC)
• Tunbridge Wells Motor Club (TWMC)
• Rochester Motor Club (RMC)
• British Automobile Racing Club (BARC)
• Vintage Motorcycle Racing Club (VMCC)
• Classic Racing Motorcycle Club (CRMC)
• Car, Bike & Drifting Trackdays

Major race results[]

European rallycross[]

Martin Schanche (N) and his Ford Escort XR3 T16 4 x 4, Lydden 1984

Action from the 2016 World RX of Great Britain

Year	Race	Driver	Car
1973	ERC Rd. 5		VW 1302 S 2.2
	ERC Rd. 7		DAF 55 Coupé (Ford BDA engine)
1974	ERC Rd. 7	Stig Blomqvist	Saab 96 V4 1.9
	ERC Rd. 8		BMC Mini Cooper S 1.4
1975	ERC Rd. 7		BMC Mini Cooper S 1.4
1976	ERC Rd. 8		Porsche Carrera
	ERC Rd. 10		Ford Escort RS1800 BDA
1978	ERC Rd. 8 GT Division		Lancia Stratos
1979	ERC Rd. 8 GT Division		Porsche Carrera
1980	ERC Rd. 9 GT Division		Porsche 911 SC
1981	ERC Rd. 9 GT Division		Porsche SC Carrera
1982	ERC Rd. 8 Division 2	Martin Schanche	Ford Escort RS1800 Turbo
1983	ERC Rd. 8 Division 2		Porsche SC Carrera
1984	ERC Rd. 7 Division 2		Porsche BiTurbo 4x4
1985	ERC Rd. 7 Division 2	Martin Schanche	Ford Escort XR3 T16 4x4
1986	ERC Rd. 7 Division 2		Ford Escort XR3 T16 4x4
1987	ERC Rd. 10 Division 2	Martin Schanche	Ford RS200 E2
1988	ERC Rd. 10 Division 2	Martin Schanche	Ford RS200 E2
1989	ERC Rd. 10 Division 2		Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2
1990	ERC Rd. 10 Division 2	Martin Schanche	Ford RS200 E2
1991	ERC Rd. 1 Division 2	Martin Schanche	Ford RS200 E2
1992	ERC Rd. 1 Division 2	Martin Schanche	Ford RS200 E2
1996	ERC Rd. 6 Division 2 +	Kenneth Hansen	Citroën ZX T16 4x4
2009	ERC Rd. 1 Division 1	Kenneth Hansen	Citroën C4 T16 4x4
2010	ERC Rd. 1 Division 1	Sverre Isachsen	Ford Focus ST T16 4x4
2011	ERC Rd. 1 Division 1	Sverre Isachsen	Ford Focus Mk2 T16 4x4
2012	ERC Rd. 1 Division 1	Tanner Foust	Ford Fiesta Mk7 T16 4x4
2013	ERC Rd. 1 Division 1	Tanner Foust	Ford Fiesta Mk7 T16 4x4

+ ran in conjunction with the British Rallycross Grand Prix ^[5][6][8]

FIA World Rallycross[]

World RX layout of Lydden Hill Race Circuit, used in 2014-2017

Year	Class	Driver	Car
2014	Supercar	Andreas Bakkerud	Ford Fiesta ST
2015	Supercar	Petter Solberg	Citroën DS3
2016	Supercar	Mattias Ekström	Audi S1
2017	Supercar	Petter Solberg	Volkswagen Polo GTI

^[9][10]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lydden Hill Circuit.

• Lydden Race Circuit home page
• Rallycross history with information on Lydden (in German)
• A spectators guide for the Lydden Hill Race Circuit

Coordinates: 51°10′38.59″N 1°11′58.69″E / 51.1773861°N 1.1996361°E / 51.1773861; 1.1996361