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{{Short description|Former motor racing circuit in Bristol, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{coord|51.413|-2.586|region:GB_scale:10000|display=title}}
{{Infobox motorsport venue
|Name = Whitchurch Circuit
|image=Runway 09 on the old Whitchurch airport (geograph 5005236).jpg
|Location = [[Bristol]], England
|Events = [[Formula 2]], [[Formula III]]
|Opened = 1959
|Record_time = 53.01 (72.17 mph) |
|Record_driver = [[Jack Pitcher]] |
|Record_team = Cooper |
|Record_year = 1959 |
}}
'''Whitchurch Circuit''' was a [[motor racing]] circuit located at the former [[Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport]] in [[Bristol]], England.

The [[Bristol & Wessex Aeroplane Club]] first flew from this airfield in 1930.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wakefield |first=Ken |title="Somewhere in the West Country": The History of Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, 1930–1957 |year=1997 |publisher=Crécy |location=Wilmslow |isbn=0-947554-65-3 |page=3}}</ref> During [[World War II]] it was used by the [[Air Transport Auxiliary]] and [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wakefield |first=Ken |title="Somewhere in the West Country": The History of Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, 1930–1957 |year=1997 |publisher=Crécy |location=Wilmslow |isbn=0-947554-65-3 |pages=93–95}}</ref> It continued as Bristol's commercial airport until in 1957 this moved to [[Bristol Lulsgate Airport]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wakefield |first=Ken |title="Somewhere in the West Country": The History of Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, 1930–1957 |year=1997 |publisher=Crécy |location=Wilmslow |isbn=0-947554-65-3 |page=153}}</ref> where the [[Lulsgate Aerodrome|Lulsgate Circuit]] had been.

On 1 August 1959, the [[Bristol Motorcycle and Light Car Club]] (BM&LCC) organised the first race meeting in conjunction with the [[Bristol Corporation]], who owned the then disused airfield at Whitchurch. The course was {{convert|1.0625|mi|sigfig=3}} long, almost flat, and rectangular in shape with four corners known as Dundry, Hangar, Knowle, and Goram. The meeting consisted of six races, one of which was for [[Formula Two]] cars. This race was won by [[Henry Taylor (racing driver)|Henry Taylor]], at a speed of {{cvt|66.03|mph}}, from [[Keith Greene]] and [[Tim Parnell]], all of whom were [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]] mounted. The fastest lap was set by Taylor at {{cvt|66.64|mph}}. However, the fastest lap of the day was set by a [[Formula III]] car in exactly 53 seconds ({{cvt|72.17|mph}}) by [[Jack Pitcher]] in a race won by [[Philip Robinson (racing driver)|Philip Robinson]] (Stuart-Cooper). It is probable that this is the outright all-time lap record at this track at Whitchurch as this may have been the only car meeting held here, though it is possible that another was held later in this year.

The report of the meeting in [[Autosport]] speaks of indifferent weather with only the first and last races being run on a dry track, which probably accounts for the Formula III cars being faster than the Formula 2.<ref name=Swinger>Peter Swinger, "Motor Racing Circuits in England : Then & Now" (Ian Allan Publishing, {{ISBN|0 7110 3104 5}}, 2008)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.classicandsportscar.com/blogs/james-page/rediscovering-the-race-track-at-the-end-of-the-road|title = Rediscovering the race track at the end of the road|date = 17 January 2013|access-date = 29 January 2013|archive-date = 29 January 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130129074536/http://www.classicandsportscar.com/blogs/james-page/rediscovering-the-race-track-at-the-end-of-the-road|url-status = live}}</ref>

The following weekend, 8 August 1959, the [[Bristol Motor Cycle Club]] held a motor-cycle race meeting, with [[Phil Read]] winning both the 350cc and 500cc abroad [[Norton Motorcycle Company|Nortons]], taking fastest lap in both at {{cvt|69.25|mph}} and {{cvt|72.07|mph}} respectively. Note that this fastest lap was only {{cvt|0.1|mph}} slower than Jack Pitcher's outright lap, also using a Norton engine in his Cooper.<ref>''Bristol Evening Post/News of the West'', 4 August 1959</ref><ref>''Bristol Evening Post'', 10 August 1959</ref>

In 1937, on 22 May, the BM&LCC ran a one-off Speed Trail on the approach road to Whitchurch. The {{convert|17|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} course was {{cvt|750|yd}} long with a slight right followed by a long left-hand bend.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/tracks/whitchur.html|title = Whitchurch Track Info}}</ref>

== Results – main events ==
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
! Year
! Date
! Winning driver
! Winning constructor
! Class
|-
! 1959
| 1 August
| {{flagicon|England}} [[Henry Taylor (racing driver)|Henry Taylor]]
| [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]]
| [[Formula Two]]
|-
! 1959
| 8 August
| {{flagicon|England}} [[Phil Read]]
| [[Norton Motorcycle Company|Norton]]
| [[500cc]]
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{British motor racing circuits}}

[[Category:Motorsport venues in England]]
[[Category:Defunct sports venues in Bristol]]

Whitchurch Circuit - Revision history

imported>Dawnseeker2000: date format audit, link maintenance, MOS:GEOLINK, unlink common terms