Cars assemble outside the Coventry Cathedral to mark the city's MSA approval
Coventry will be the first UK city to host a motorsport event for 28 years when British Automobile Racing Club time trails are held during its Motofest weekend.
Coventry City Council has been granted a licence from the UK’s Motorsports Association to bring the rounds onto its closed streets on the 2-3 June. The layout of the final circuit is being developed by Driven International, a specialist in track design.
It will be the first time a UK city council has hosted an MSA motorsport event since the 1990 Birmingham Superprix, when British Touring Car Championship and Formula 3000 rounds took place on the city's streets (here's a video to show you just how exciting that event was).
The decision for 2018 also opens the door for Motofest Coventry to host further sprints, time trials and specialist road rally stages in the future.
“After Coventry’s recent winning of city of culture status, being the first to host competitive motorsport since the legislation changes is another superb achievement for the city,” said James Noble, who is Motofest Coventry’s festival director.
“We have made no secret of our desire to host competitive motorsport on the Coventry Ring Road and we are now in a position to make this a reality.”
Motofest Coventry is the first major location to take advantage of changes to the UK’s Road Traffic Act. It was adapted to remove costly barriers that prevented closed-road motorsport from taking place on the British mainland last year. Previously, events required the passing of an Act of Parliament.
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