Monte Carlo, Valencia and now Cheltenham? Law allowing UK roads to hold grands prix could be raced through Commons



Plans are being drawn up to allow races to be held on UK roads

The plans would see the 1988 Road Traffic Act relaxed

Towns across Britain have already expressed an interest in holding events



Plans to allow grands prix and motor races to be held on UK roads are being considered by Government ministers.

Towns in Cumbria, Cornwall and Kent have all expressed an interest in holding road races with proposals to scrap laws that require race organisers to get special dispensation from Parliament to hold a event being drawn up.

Under the proposals, which will be revealed in a formal consultation, plans for road races would only have to be approved by local authorities.

Proposals: Scenes like this could be coming to a street near you with the Government considering changing the law to make it easier to hold races and grands prix on UK streets

Current laws require a suspension of the 1988 Road Traffic Act for a race to be held on a public highway.

Speed limits would be legally lifted under the plans.

Should the move be agreed, towns and cities in the UK could follow the lead of cities such as Valencia and Monte Carlo which famously hold races on the Formula 1 calendar.

Towns in west Wales, Cornwall, Kent, Cumbria and the East Midlands are all understood to have expressed an interest in holding events, with Cheltenham hoping to hold an environmentally friendly race.

It is thought that races could generate as much as £40million for local economies over five years, according to a study by Sheffield Hallam University and commissioned by the Motor Sports Association.



Established: European cities such as Monte Carlo ad Valencia already famously hold glamorous Formula 1 races on their roads

The UK currently holds its annual Formula 1 race at Silverstone but no such events are currently held on the country's roads.



The last major road race held in the UK was the Birmingham Superprix more than 20 years ago.

Britain has a long association with motor racing with its first major race held in Bexhill-on-Sea in 1902.



The town still recognises its association with the sport with signs on its outskirts that herald it as the 'Home of British Motor Racing'.

That event was used to promote the town and it is hoped that the new laws would allow areas to attempt to do the same.

Former Road Safety Minister Mike Penning told The Daily Telegraph: 'The public should have the flexibility to decide how they use their roads, in the interests of the local community and local businesses.'

The Motor Sports Association say that the events would be fully regulated and insured.







