Bedford Autodrome

Designed from scratch by former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer, there is nowhere else in the world like Bedford Autodrome, home to the legendary PalmerSport event. The venue has been purpose-built for speed and space, containing four distinct circuits and more than five miles of track laid out across a 384-acre site, with vast run-off areas that provide optimum safety.

The world-class driving facility lies on the site of Thurleigh Airfield, which dates back to 1940 when it was used as a base for bomber aircraft in World War II. In September 1942 personnel of the 306th Bombardment Group moved in and remained there until autumn 1945. A memorial to those who served stands proudly in nearby Thurleigh village.

After the war, Thurleigh played an important role in aviation research and development. This included aircraft control and handling, supersonic transport development, and military vehicle vertical take-off and landing.

Today, the former runways have been reconfigured into a unique driving venue.

Unlike traditional circuits, Bedford Autodrome doesn’t host any race events, so there is no requirement for crowd-protecting safety barriers or concrete walls. Guests can drive to the limits, safe in the knowledge that pushing too hard will result in a harmless spin across endless flat grass.

This makes Bedford Autodrome the perfect place to push fast cars right to the limit, whether whilst enjoying a track day, or taking part in PalmerSport, the world’s greatest driving event. PalmerSport has played host to hundreds of thousands of guests, all of whom have been actively encouraged to drive to their full potential, behind the wheel of our professionally maintained fleet of performance cars.

PalmerSport operates at the venue six days a week from March to December, whilst track days for both cars and motorcycles are available on selected dates all year round.