Birmingham Wheels
Encyclopedia
Birmingham Wheels Park is a dedicated motor sport park with short-track oval motor racing circuit and MSA approved kart circuit, based in the Bordesley Green
area of Birmingham
, England. It is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee, and controlled by Birmingham City Council
.
The circuit is a 330 metres (1,082.7 ft) oval, with spectator terracing surrounding two corners of the circuit along with the home stretch. Built with a cinder surface, after the Birmingham Brummies
speedway
team finished, the track was red with tarmac
. Today, run by Incarace, the circuit stages banger racing
events. One of the most popular meetings is the annual Children in Need
event, where drivers and spectators compete and raise money for the BBC's Children in Need appeal. This meeting regularly raises totals in excess of £10,000 for the charity.
The 970 metres (3,182.4 ft) International Kart Circuit is where Nigel Mansell
started his motor racing career and is still recognised as one of the most testing in the UK. The Grand Prix Karting centre also features junior and practice circuits and runs events on the main circuit for companies, charities and groups as well as enthusiats.
. The large stadium/casino complex (which would also have been the new home for nearby Birmingham City F.C) would have been built on the Wheels complex, including the Birmingham Wheels circuit. However, with the city council not backing the bid, the future for the circuits looks safe for the time being.
Bordesley Green
Bordesley Green is an inner-city area of Birmingham, England about two miles south-east from the city centre. It also contains a road of the same name. It is also a ward in the formal district of Hodge Hill. Neighbouring areas include, Alum Rock, Saltley, Small Heath and Yardley.Heartlands Hospital...
area of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England. It is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee, and controlled by Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
.
History
The park was initially run by the West Midlands Probation Service.The circuit is a 330 metres (1,082.7 ft) oval, with spectator terracing surrounding two corners of the circuit along with the home stretch. Built with a cinder surface, after the Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team, who were reformed in 2006 and then accepted into the Premier League in 2007. The club race at Perry Barr Stadium ....
speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
team finished, the track was red with tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
. Today, run by Incarace, the circuit stages banger racing
Banger racing
Banger Racing is a tarmac or dirt track racing type of motorsport event popularised in both North America and Europe and especially United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands in which drivers of old vehicles race against one another around a race track and the race is...
events. One of the most popular meetings is the annual Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
event, where drivers and spectators compete and raise money for the BBC's Children in Need appeal. This meeting regularly raises totals in excess of £10,000 for the charity.
The 970 metres (3,182.4 ft) International Kart Circuit is where Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
started his motor racing career and is still recognised as one of the most testing in the UK. The Grand Prix Karting centre also features junior and practice circuits and runs events on the main circuit for companies, charities and groups as well as enthusiats.
Future of the circuits
The future of the site was thrown into doubt when plans were unveiled for the City of Birmingham StadiumCity of Birmingham Stadium
The City of Birmingham Stadium is a proposed multi-purpose stadium in the Saltley area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England, originally for Warwickshire County Cricket Club and Birmingham City F.C., to replace the current St Andrews Stadium however the cricket club cancelled these plans and only...
. The large stadium/casino complex (which would also have been the new home for nearby Birmingham City F.C) would have been built on the Wheels complex, including the Birmingham Wheels circuit. However, with the city council not backing the bid, the future for the circuits looks safe for the time being.