29-540: The Thruxton Circuit is a 2.356 mi (3.792 km) motor-racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire , England , United Kingdom , about 30 mi (48 km) north of Southampton . It has hosted motorsport events including the British Touring Car Championship , British GT Championship , British Formula One Championship , British Formula Three , and GB3 Championship . It
58-605: A number of renovations and rebuilding work between 1839 and 1877, including the construction of the north aisle. The nave also contains a list of the church's rectors dating back to 1243. King James and Anne of Denmark stayed with George Philpot at Thruxton in August 1603. They were travelling from Farnham Castle to Wilton House , and went next to Sir Richard Gifford's house at King's Somborne . At Thruxton again on 28 August 1607, Anne of Denmark rewarded Sir George Philpot's musicians with 20 shillings. The road through Thruxton
87-531: A view of the first-corner and across the venue. Aside from hosting major motor racing events, Thruxton Motorsport Centre offers driving experiences. Next to the main circuit is the 1,200 yd (1,100 m) long Thruxton Karting Circuit . Thruxton, Hampshire Thruxton is just off the A303 road five miles (8.0 km) west of Andover . It is a village with a Manor House, thatched cottages and village green. Pillhill Brook runs from Thruxton Down through
116-425: Is allocated to other organising clubs, such as the 750 Motor Club and Historic Sports Car Club. Owing to the relative infrequency of race meetings, Thruxton continues to be a popular part of the motorsport calendar. The all-time outright unofficial track record is 0:57.6 seconds, set by Damon Hill in a Williams FW15C , during a demonstration run in 1993. As of September 2024, the fastest official race lap records at
145-524: Is considered a classic of the early English Renaissance style and can be seen to the left of the altar. The effigies are made from Purbeck marble. Sir John lies with his bare head on his shield, wearing full plate armour and chain collar of linked "S"s. The work was possibly by Thomas Bertie , a master mason whose work is evident in Winchester Cathedral . The bulk of the Lisle chapel is gone. Most of it
174-496: Is often referred to as the "Fastest Circuit in the UK" where drivers can reach speeds of over 190 mph (300 km/h) and has earned the reputation of being a true driver's track. To illustrate this, Damon Hill drove his Williams Formula One car around the circuit at an average speed of 147 mph (237 km/h) in 1993. There is a reasonable similarity between the Thruxton layout and
203-641: The A303. The one time George Inn, a former coaching inn is now a private house George House. Built in the late 18th or early 19th century, it is believed to have replaced and taken the name of the older inn opposite dating from the seventeenth century, now known as George Cottage , near the centre of the village. Stars in Fast Cars Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
232-955: The British Formula 3 and British GT Championship package and the Dunlop Great and British Festival, which features rounds of the British Truck Racing Championship, the International Truck Racing Challenge as well as the staples of the festival, including the Radical endurance races. Two separate one day meetings are run for amateur championships of the BARC , one of which is titled the Thruxton Classic, which features races for Classic Touring Cars , Classic Formula Ford 1600 and Formula Ford 2000. The remaining day
261-539: The FM band on 87.7 MHz. This has commentators at key points of the track as well as a pit reporter, who conducts interviews with the race winners. Outside of motor racing, the circuit offers a driving school for aspiring racing drivers. It has featured as the venue for BBC Three 's 2005 series Stars in Fast Cars . As a result of its racing associations, the name "Thruxton" has been used for: The Thruxton Hospitality Centre
290-473: The Thruxton Circuit are listed as: Thruxton has a medical centre in line with Motor Sports Association standards. The MSA circuit licence requires a minimum of two doctors and two rescue units for a race meeting. Most meetings are operated with three rescue units plus a medical car, along with ambulances and first aiders. During race weekends, a radio commentary service called Radio Thruxton operates in
319-462: The airfield was utilised by many different RAF squadrons, including No.s 168, 170 and 268 Squadrons in Autumn 1943. The USAAF arrived in early 1944, with 366th Fighter Group taking control of the airfield on 1 March 1944. The unit flew P-47 Thunderbolts and was under the command of Col. Dyke F Meyer. It comprised three fighter squadrons: 389th , 390th and 391st . Their task in the build-up to D-Day
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#1732859420728348-410: The centuries, changed via Turcleston, Thorcleston (13th century), Throkeleston, Thurkcleston (14th century), Throkeston (15th century), Thruckleston (16th century), Throxton (18th century) to the present form. A Roman building considered to be a temple or a basilican villa was unearthed near the village in 1823, which contained a mosaic depicting Bacchus seated on a tiger. The tessellated pavement
377-537: The church, with Sir John commemorated with an outstanding example of an early 15th-century monumental brass. The brass is dated 1407 and is the earliest known example of a knight in full plate armour in the country. Further generations of Lisle family were buried in the church, although space was becoming restricted by the time of Sir John Lisle in the early 1520s. He decided to build a chapel to provide further room for future burials, including his own. Sir John died in 1524, followed shortly by his wife, Mary. Their tomb
406-716: The circuit. The Velocette Thruxton was based on the Velocette Venom which was the first production bike to average over 100 mph for 24 hours. There are several variants of the Triumph, the initial model called the Thruxton Bonneville. The Thruxton 1200 and Thruxton 1200 R are the latest models. Land for the airfield was purchased by the Air Ministry from Thruxton Manor Estate. It was bombed during construction, with damage to one property in Thruxton village and other bombs missing
435-458: The famous Bruneval raid , which successfully targeted a Würzburg radar system and took place on 27/28 February 1942. In May 1942, 225 Squadron converted to Mustangs and left Thruxton. 298 Squadron was formed in Thruxton in August 1942, equipped with Whitleys. The unit was used for paratroop exercises by day and leaflet dropping at night. It converted to Albermale aircraft in 1943 and departed for Stoney Cross in August that year. During 1942/43
464-674: The grounds of the Manor House and along the village street to Mullen's Pond, a natural habitat for many species of migratory birds and wild plants. Thruxton was almost certainly one of four ‘Annes’ named in the Domesday Book under the Andover Hundred. In the twelfth century the name was Turkilleston (Turkil being a Saxon name and ‘tun’ being the Saxon word for farmstead and later hamlet, or village - so Turkils or Thurcols Homestead ) which, over
493-480: The mantle of training people to fly, and even today their instructors are teaching some of the local military the delights of flying light aircraft. For some years it was also the home of Thruxton Gliding Club. The airfield is the base of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance , since its founding in 2007. There is one village pub ; the White Horse, a fifteenth-century thatched pub at Mullens Pond south of
522-582: The original Silverstone layout used until 1990. The site also houses the headquarters of the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC). The site was originally constructed in 1942 as RAF Thruxton , a World War II airfield which was home to both the RAF and USAAF and was used for troop-carrying aircraft and gliders, including operations during the D-Day landings . Also, the paratroopers who took part in
551-593: The previous year. Owing to planning restrictions, the circuit can only run 12 days of motorsport each year. Currently, three are devoted to motorbike racing, with a weekend dedicated to the British Superbike Championship , Britain's premier motorcycle racing category; with the third day being used for club racing. The remaining days are devoted to car racing with weekends being used for the TOCA British Touring Car Championship ,
580-420: The successful Bruneval Raid ( Operation Biting ), in which German radar equipment was seized on the coast of France, took off from here. The circuit, which follows the line of the airfield's perimeter road, was established in 1968. From 1950 to 1965, motorbike races had taken place on the runways and perimeter road. Thruxton Circuit was resurfaced in 2000, resulting in lap times dropping considerably compared to
609-452: The target, hitting Thruxton Down. The airfield was officially opened as a satellite of nearby RAF Andover airfield on 1 August 1941. It became a base under Army Co-Op Command's auspices and hosted Lysanders of 225 Squadron . They were used for air/sea rescue work. A detachment from 42 OTU also used the airfield. By February 1942, 298 Squadron Whitley bombers converted for paratroop transport landed in preparation for Operation Biting,
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#1732859420728638-490: The tombs of three knights . Two coffin slabs for two of the knights stand upright at the entrance in the bell tower. Made of Purbeck marble , they are heavily weathered, although the great helm and shield of one is still discernible. His spear lies beside him on his right side. Just when the de Cormeilles family parted with the manor of Thruxton and how the Lisles acquired it is unknown. Sir John Lisle and his wife are buried in
667-465: Was acquired for the British Museum in 1899. The manor was held in 1086 by Gozelin de Cormeilles; in 1304, his descendant, John de Cormeilles, was granted the right to hold a market every Monday and a fair on the eve of the feast of St Peter and St Paul (the saints the village church is dedicated to). Parts of the parish church of St Peter and St Paul's date from the thirteenth century and contain
696-535: Was demolished in 1965. Thruxton Circuit is a major draw for visitors to the area and can claim to be Britain's fastest motor racing circuit. Currently the track plays host to a variety of high-profile car and motorbike championships, including the British Superbike and British Touring Car Championships, as well as truck racing. The circuit is located on the site of the former aircraft base. The Velocette Thruxton and Triumph Thruxton motorbikes are named after
725-458: Was interdiction and the ground bombing/strafing of German targets in northern France. The Group left for France towards the end of June. The airfield was then used by smaller units until the war's end, when operations ceased. Civilian flight training started at Thruxton Aerodrome in 1947 when the airfield was taken over by the Wiltshire School of Flying until 1967. Western Air then took on
754-460: Was opened in June 2018 by Nigel Mansell and Murray Walker . The £2million flagship building is the latest addition to the circuit, forming part of the track's modernisation project. The new building is a 1415m² facility with more than ten conference and function rooms as well as hospitality suites, a restaurant and bar, an exhibition space and catering facilities. A first floor terrace and balcony provides
783-527: Was travelling towards Andover, but Topliss shot Spicer in the back once they reached Thruxton Down. The driver was killed instantly, with Toplis hiding the body and then stealing the vehicle. The body was found the following morning, with Toplis already on the run. He would be shot dead by police in Cumberland in June after a lengthy manhunt. The toll house for the Andover to Amesbury turnpike road at Mullen's Pond
812-428: Was used to provide building material when the church tower collapsed in 1796 and had to be rebuilt. The Lisle line of direct male heirs died out soon after Sir John and Mary, with the manorial rights passing to Agnes, married to John Philpot. Behind the choir pews on the left of the altar is a weathered wooden effigy from the early 17th century, believed to be of Elizabeth Philpot who died in 1616. The church experienced
841-632: Was well travelled and used by coaches on the Exeter-London route. In the 1720s a highwayman from Salisbury, John Dyer, would set ambushes on Thruxton Down to hold up coaches. He was captured and hung in London in 1729. On 24 April 1920, Sidney Spicer, a taxi driver, was hailed in Amesbury by Percy Toplis , a criminal and black marketeer who was then serving in the Royal Army Service Corps. The vehicle
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