Shakespeare County Raceway
Encyclopedia
Located near Stratford-upon-Avon
in Warwickshire
, England
, Shakespeare County Raceway became a permanent drag racing
facility in 1980 when it was known as 'Long Marston Raceway', although drag racing events had occurred on the Long Marston Airfield
site sporadically since the early 1970s. The track later became known as 'Avon Park Raceway' before settling on its current name. It is generally considered to be Britain's 'second' dragstrip
after Santa Pod Raceway
.
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Shakespeare County Raceway became a permanent drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
facility in 1980 when it was known as 'Long Marston Raceway', although drag racing events had occurred on the Long Marston Airfield
Long Marston Airfield
Long Marston Airfield was a Royal Air Force base between 1941 and 1954, situated approximately 3 miles south west of Stratford-upon-Avon near the village of Long Marston in Warwickshire..It is now managed by Anthony Hodges, and is home to:...
site sporadically since the early 1970s. The track later became known as 'Avon Park Raceway' before settling on its current name. It is generally considered to be Britain's 'second' dragstrip
Dragstrip
A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile tracks...
after Santa Pod Raceway
Santa Pod Raceway
Santa Pod Raceway, in Northamptonshire, England, opened at Easter in 1966, is Europe's first permanent drag racing venue. It was built on a disused World War II American air base, RAF Podington, once used by the 92nd Bomber Group. It is now the home of European drag racing and has grown...
.