Oulton Park

Oulton Park

Located in picturesque Cheshire parkland the original manor was granted by Hugh de Meschines, third Earl of Chester to Robert le Grosvenor between 1153 and 1160. For many centuries it has been the ancestral home of the Egerton family. The manor was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh and built between 1716 and 1718 but sadly this was mainly destroyed by fire in 1926. Its destruction was completed by bombs in 1940. Between 1939 and 1945 the park was requisitioned by the Government and housed countless thousands of soldiers. It was the Headquarters of the U.S. General Patton and the site of intensive D-Day training. Joe Louis was a PT instructor here and gave exhibitions in the natural arena near Deer Leep. In 1953 the original track was constructed by Cheshire Car Circuit Ltd and was thirty feet wide and a few yards over one mile and a half in length. In 1953, on August 8, the Mid-Cheshire MC promoted a trial motor race meeting on behalf of the Cheshire Car Circuit Ltd. and for the first time Oulton Park echoed to the strain of open exhausts. The RAC banned the public from attending but some 3000 Club members and their guests managed to watch the racing which was run over the original rectangular shaped track of 1.504 miles. This was extended to include a high-speed section along the lakeside and up to Island Bend in 1954, giving a 2.23 mile length. The race lap distance grew to 2.761 miles when the slightly banked Esso (now Shell) Bend was incorporated later and this variation served until 1975. Oulton Park swiftly outgrew humble beginnings as a short club racing circuit to become established as the north west’s major international motorsporting venue.  The Gold Cup, the first of a sequence of major Formula 1 races traditionally staged on Good Friday, was won in 1954 and 1955 by Stirling Moss (Maserati 250F). Formula 1 cars continued to contest this prestigious early season event until 1969 when an ever-changing motorsport climate saw a decline in international categories willing to commit to non-championship events. From 1969-1972, the Gold Cup was run for the newly created Formula 5000 and then British Formula 1 categories. Oulton Park was the venue for the long established Tourist Trophy from 1965-69 and also has a history of top line Motorcycle and Sportscar Internationals. Reacting to the need for short, sharp club and national race programmes, the Fosters link, joining Cascades to Knickerbrook, was built in 1975. This provided a new lap distance of 1.65 miles and saw the circuit reverting to almost its original form. The popular viewing points at Old Hall and Knicker Brook maintain their excellent viewing advantages while the longer circuit was retained for motorcycle racing. For the 1984 season the Island Circuit was resurfaced and brought into use again. In 1986 the track including the banked Esso Hairpin was refurbished. 1987 saw the introduction of the Foulston’s Chicane, which was brought in to slow the faster cars as they approached Hilltop and the subsequent straight down to Knickerbrook. The lakeside loop was re-opened for cars in 1989 after further track revisions were made. In 1991 the current complex at Knickerbrook was built and again this was to prevent the rush into the original Knickerbrook corner. This latter complex is however only used when the International circuit is in operation.