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- Nov14
Circuit
Lydden Hill is a compact mixed-surface motor racing venue in a natural amphitheatre in Kent, roughly halfway between Canterbury and Dover. Bill Chesson founded the track in 1955 with the Astra Motor Club, and by the early 1960s it was staging road racing for cars and motorcycles on a tarmac course of around a mile. On 4 February 1967 the venue hosted what is recognised as the world's first rallycross event, filmed for ITV's World of Sport after producer Robert Reed and organiser Bud Smith worked with Chesson to devise the format; Vic Elford won that first race in a Porsche 911. The circuit went on to host the FIA World Rallycross Championship's round in Great Britain from 2014 to 2017. Former British Rallycross champion Pat Doran has run the venue since 2008. Alongside its roughly one-mile road circuit, Lydden Hill runs a shorter rallycross track combining tarmac and gravel sections, and remains a mainstay of British Rallycross, hosting the 5 Nations BRX championship's season-opening and season-closing rounds in 2026. Today the calendar also spans drifting, saloon and sports-car racing, motorcycle events, track days and festivals.
Operated by: Lydden Hill Race Circuit Ltd
The only circuit layout. Distinctive for its dramatic elevation changes — Hairy Hill is a steep downhill blast. Features North Bend, Paddock Bend and a Canterbury Straight that leads into Pilgrim's Corner. The Rallycross layout uses portions of the gravel sections alongside the tarmac.
Notable Corners
Lydden Hill Race Circuit guide
History
Lydden Hill began in 1955 when Bill Chesson, working with the Astra Motor Club, laid out a tarmac road-racing course on the Kent downland between Canterbury and Dover. Car and motorcycle racing followed through the early 1960s, but the circuit's lasting fame dates from 4 February 1967, when producer Robert Reed and organiser Bud Smith staged the world's first rallycross event there for ITV's World of Sport; Vic Elford won in a Porsche 911. The circuit hosted the FIA World Rallycross Championship's British round from 2014 to 2017, and former British Rallycross champion Pat Doran has operated the venue since 2008.
The circuit
The roughly one-mile road circuit mixes tarmac with loose sections and includes Hairy Hill, a steep downhill drop, among its corners. A separate, shorter rallycross track combines tarmac and gravel and continues to host British Rallycross's 5 Nations BRX series, including the season-opening Easter weekend round and the closing fireworks-weekend finale in 2026.
Sources: Lydden Hill official site (lyddenhill.co.uk); Wikipedia; rallycrossbrx.com