The British Grand Prix was the first-ever Formula One World Championship race, with Silverstone firmly establishing itself as its home over the years. Remember when it happened at a horse racing track in Aintree, though?
A Formula One calendar without the British Grand Prix is simply unimaginable. After all, the very first F1 race as part of the World Championship as we know it took place at Silverstone in 1950, with the former RAF air base now being synonymous with the event. Of course, there was a period where it alternated with Brands Hatch, but that ended in 1986.
However, there was another track that hosted the British Grand Prix on four occasions, but it is largely forgotten today. Considering its location, you would think it would be on fans' minds a bit more, though - we are talking about Aintree, which was laid out on the grounds of a horse racing track. Yep.
Aintree's Grand Prix layout, as used five times for Formula One rounds. Image credit: racingcircuits.info
The track itself was not exactly spectacular, with its flat layout and only Waterway Corner at the start of the lap and the left-right of Melling Crossing daring drivers to thread the needle as fast as they were willing to risk breaking up a succession of otherwise slow corners. An enormous chimney of Liverpool's industrial district serving as backdrop did not exactly do much to elevate Aintree to picturesque status.
Aintree certainly was no Côte d'Azur.
However, there was lots of space, both for the teams and their cars, and for spectators. And, rather uniquely for the time, the course was a purpose-built race track. The actual horse racing track was inside the western part of the track. Today, the racing surface of this part is used as access roads for the horse racing facility.
The other half of the circuit is actually still in use today. Called the 'Club Circuit', Aintree's short layout continues to host small events, track days and even bicycle races. As mentioned, the longer layout is still in place, although it has been slightly affected by the construction of buildings in a few spots.
The stock Lotus 25 in AC is a perfect fit for Aintree in its 1962 guise, as Jim Clark drove it to victory that year.
The result allows sim racers to relive a part of the early history of Formula One as a World Championship, including weird backdrop, kerbs almost as high as your wheels and some very English houses lining the back straight. Time to dust off that H-shifter and follow in the footsteps of Aintree winners Moss, Brooks, Jack Brabham, Wolfgang von Trips and Clark.
Did you know about the Aintree Motor Racing Circuit already? Are you going to give it a try in Assetto Corsa? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
A Formula One calendar without the British Grand Prix is simply unimaginable. After all, the very first F1 race as part of the World Championship as we know it took place at Silverstone in 1950, with the former RAF air base now being synonymous with the event. Of course, there was a period where it alternated with Brands Hatch, but that ended in 1986.
However, there was another track that hosted the British Grand Prix on four occasions, but it is largely forgotten today. Considering its location, you would think it would be on fans' minds a bit more, though - we are talking about Aintree, which was laid out on the grounds of a horse racing track. Yep.
Aintree's Grand Prix layout, as used five times for Formula One rounds. Image credit: racingcircuits.info
A Shared Win & Industrial Backdrop
Indeed, the Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, as it is officially known, even used the same grandstands for both car and horse races. Located just outside of Liverpool, the track was the site of the British GP in 1955, 1957, 1959, and from 1961 to 1962. Oh, and it was also where a race was won by two drivers sharing a car for the final time: Tony Brooks and Stirling Moss alternated behind the wheel of a Vanwall VW5, splitting the eight points for the win 4 to 5 in Moss' favor, as the latter had set the fastest lap and got an extra point for it.The track itself was not exactly spectacular, with its flat layout and only Waterway Corner at the start of the lap and the left-right of Melling Crossing daring drivers to thread the needle as fast as they were willing to risk breaking up a succession of otherwise slow corners. An enormous chimney of Liverpool's industrial district serving as backdrop did not exactly do much to elevate Aintree to picturesque status.
Aintree certainly was no Côte d'Azur.
However, there was lots of space, both for the teams and their cars, and for spectators. And, rather uniquely for the time, the course was a purpose-built race track. The actual horse racing track was inside the western part of the track. Today, the racing surface of this part is used as access roads for the horse racing facility.
The other half of the circuit is actually still in use today. Called the 'Club Circuit', Aintree's short layout continues to host small events, track days and even bicycle races. As mentioned, the longer layout is still in place, although it has been slightly affected by the construction of buildings in a few spots.
Aintree For Assetto Corsa
Although the track might not be very well-remembered or popular, the beauty of sim racing is that even venues like this are available to be experienced. This is no different for Aintree, which @Rainmaker_87 has updated and uploaded to our Assetto Corsa download section. The circuit was originally created for rFactor and then rFactor 2 by @jpalesi, from where it was converted to AC by @Gilles75, and finally brought up to a more modern spec by Rainmaker_87 in August of 2023.The stock Lotus 25 in AC is a perfect fit for Aintree in its 1962 guise, as Jim Clark drove it to victory that year.
The result allows sim racers to relive a part of the early history of Formula One as a World Championship, including weird backdrop, kerbs almost as high as your wheels and some very English houses lining the back straight. Time to dust off that H-shifter and follow in the footsteps of Aintree winners Moss, Brooks, Jack Brabham, Wolfgang von Trips and Clark.
Did you know about the Aintree Motor Racing Circuit already? Are you going to give it a try in Assetto Corsa? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
