These are the racetracks TG readers would most want to purchase

Racing is a pastime we very much appreciate here at TG: be it on homemade simulators perched atop a generation-old coffee table, or on an actual strip of privatised tarmac in front of thousands of spectators. There’s something in it for everyone, regardless of whether you’re a seasoned professional or the sort that stalls at every junction, which makes racing that much more intriguing.

Our latest Question of the Week focused on asking readers exactly which of the world’s race circuits they’d be keen on purchasing if they found themselves with the financial freedom to do so. And the response has, as ever, been brilliant. 

Let’s set the tone with Andrew Robinson’s hilariously niche take: “Rainbow Road. All those Formula One teams who say their car can drive on the ceiling can put up or shut up.”

An equally comedic suggestion came in from Dan Jones, who said: “I think it would have to be Trial Mountain, with Grand Valley Speedway as a close second.” If only, Dan…

Next up is Samarkand Tony’s wish: “Monaco GP track? The old Formula E London track - in other words, Battersea Park? The Rome one wouldn't be bad either. But of all the street circuits, the Targa Florio has to be a winner. Own a substantial chunk of Sicily, with some of the world's best driving roads? Yes, please.

“A slight touch of megalomania, and being a bit too clever, leads me to note that the question doesn't specify motorsport tracks. So, how about the route of the Vendee Globe, which means, assuming I own all the land inside the circuit, I'm getting almost the whole world, and you lot can move to Antarctica.”

We admire/are slightly terrified by the ambition there, Samarkand. But we equally appreciate a well-thought and constructive answer, like this from Leslie Rogers: “Circuit of Wales, and get it built to FIA Grade 1 with a couple of tweaks. The final corner will be turned into a fast-flowing bend, with Turn 1 sharpened to create an overtaking spot.

“Changes to corners 9, 10 and 11 will happen to improve traffic flow, with 12 and 13 also tightened for another overtaking spot. I’d leave corners 14 through to 17 as they are, with 18 and 19 being single, fast right turns onto the pit straight. All this should mean a mix of high and medium-speed corners; exactly what WEC and Formula cars love.”

But Leslie wasn’t finished. Here’s their brilliant idea for turning the circuit into a year-round attraction: “I’d also have a shorter track day version that isn’t as high speed and cuts out the first section by going left onto the start/finish. There would be gravel traps too, the same as they have at Zandvoort. When you add in the existing plans to introduce a go-kart, mountain bike and motocross track, alongside other activities, it would make for a great day out in Southern Wales.”

Our penultimate highlight is TBP’s suggestion, which we really thought would be a more popular vote: “Why buy an existing racetrack? If money was no object, I’d design and build my own - a track that is uniquely challenging and dramatic.” 

And finally, drawing things to a close is this idea from Pikkle: “If I had the chance to own a racetrack, I'd choose the one responsible for countless memories sat around the TV. And while it's not technically a racetrack, it was the venue that saw legends of the automotive world go head-to-head, and for that, it gets the go-ahead. I am speaking, of course, about Dunsfold Aerodrome; better known as the Top Gear Test Track.”