Athletics, Cycling and Paws at the Darley Moor Centre

As the Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Club enters its 60^th year it seems an ideal opportunity to show that the formerly known Darley Moor Motorsport Centre, on the A515, near Ashbourne, in the Derbyshire Dales (DE6 2ET or What3words: bounty.behalf.charm) is for far more than just motorsport these days. 

Originally opened in June 1942 as RAF Darley Moor and used for training purposes by the No.42 Operational Training Unit.  Following the Second World War it was in use until 1954 for ordnance servicing and storage. 

The majority of concrete runways were converted into Darley Moor racetrack by the West Midlands Racing Club, which then became the Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Club, initially taking a 12month lease and laying the first racing surface, in 1965, at a cost of £2,000, with the help of the now familiar ‘Work Party’ consisting of 20 eager volunteers, from a membership of 500 people.

The range of events that take place now has increased dramatically, covering not just two, three and four-wheeled motorsport, but two and four-legged sports events, a driver training area for Derbyshire and Staffordshire Police Forces, plus safety and accident prevention training by ROSPA Derbyshire and the Institute of Accident Investigators.  In addition to these sporting and training events several companies will be using the area for testing their products, whilst Scout groups and Caravan Clubs will be using the camping areas and there is even due to be a Guinness World Record attempt later in the year.  To highlight the extra activity taking place a second website is being constructed, www.darleymoorcentre.co.uk, which will publicise all non-motorsport activity.  Once this site is live, around mid-March 2024, there will be the ability to easily switch between that and the original motorsport dedicated www.darleymoor.co.uk .

A welcome and integral part of the Motorsport Centre, since 1988, has been the Darley Diner, a café in the heart of the Paddock area.  However, for this 60th year the building has received a significant upgrade over the Winter and has now been renamed the ‘Chequered Flag Café’, but rather than just being open for the events it will now be open every weekend and Bank Holidays, except Christmas and New Years Day, from 2nd March 2024.  Other than the motorsport weekends, which require an Entry Fee on the gate, the doors will be open and access free of charge for anybody to come in and use the facility. 

The Chequered Flag Café, although with its motorsport history will now offer a warm welcome and refreshments for cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers enjoying the roads around the Derbyshire Dales, or the ramblers and dog walkers meandering across the numerous footpaths in the area, passing through and skirting around the Darley Moor Motorsport Centre, approximately 15miles from Matlock Baths, one of the Country’s first true tourist destinations.  Whether you are just passing through or maybe using the ‘draw’ of the Chequered Flag Café to have the opportunity of viewing the efforts of the many Clubs that hold their events at the Darely Moor Motorsport Centre, the Café will offer a range of welcome refreshments to start/finish, or just a break in your chosen weekend activity.

The Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Club’s events will have a large variety of machinery taking to the track.  On any one of this year’s six Championship rounds there will be events for modern and classic solo racing and road-based machines, from 125cc – 1300cc, for sidecar outfits from 600cc – 1300cc and, for fans of four-wheeled motorsport, the Superkart UK Club have two races at each Round, with the exception of the pinnacle event of the season, the Richardson Stars at Darley, at the end of the season.  On top of the regular activities at any Club Championship Round there are many ‘celebrations’ being planned throughout the season for this 60^th Anniversary year, which will be highlighted closer to each Round.

For fans of classic machinery there are also events organised by the British Historic Racing Club and the Classic Racing Motor Cycle Club.

As a guide to who, what and when activities are taking place, below are a list of events, to date, throughout the year:

MOTORSPORT

Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Club Championship

Test Day & Round 1(with Superkarting UK)                          13^th & 14^th April

Round 2 (with Superkarting UK)                                              16^th June

Round 3 (with Superkarting UK)                                              11^th August

Round 4 (with Superkarting UK)                                              8^th  September

Round 5 & 6 (incl Richardson Stars at Darley)                      5^th & 6^th October

Darley Moor Motor Cycle Road Race Club