Leafield Technical Centre

Leafield Technical Centre is a former radio transmission station, now turned motorsports centre of excellence, located in the hamlet of Langley, in the western part of the village of Leafield in Oxfordshire, England.

Developed from 1912 as a radio transmission station by the General Post Office, it was decommissioned by successor company British Telecom in 1986.[1] BT Group redeveloped the site as a training college, but then closed the site in 1993.[1]

Sold to a commercial property company, the site was then leased by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) as a motorsport development centre for the Arrows Formula One team,[1] until the team's demise in the 2002 season. From the 2006 season until the 2008 season Leafield Technical Centre was the headquarters of the now-defunct Super Aguri F1 team.

From 2003, Motorsport powertrain specialist Menard Competition Technologies Ltd. also maintained offices and workshops at the site. Throughout the late half of the decade to 2010, this engineering company (including some key engineers from the engine department of Tom Walkinshaw Racing) traded from Leafield and also a second site housing engine dynamometers at Kiddlington. They completed design / build engine projects including the V12 engine for Superleague Formula, and engines for Norton Motorcycles' range of Commando 961 models[2] from 2009.[3] UK companies house records for MCT[4] show that the company traded actively until 2011, when owner John Menard ceased to require an audit of the accounts. They also show the company was finally dissolved on the 13th of May 2014.

In January 2012, it was announced that the Caterham F1 team would be moving to the vacant Leafield from their original base at Hingham, Norfolk and 8 months later, Caterham F1 Team eventually completed their relocation to Leafield Technical Centre.[5] Caterham then declared bankrupt in early 2015 and since then Leafield Technical centre has been abandoned and is currently up for sale . During this period of abandonment the site has been heavily vandalised.

References
  1. "The BT Radio Station". Leafield Village. 2010. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  2. "MCT powers the re-birth of Norton". News. Norton Motorcycles. 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  3. "Production of Norton Engines Starts at Leafield". Witney Gazette. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  4. "MENARD COMPETITION TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED - Filing history (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  5. Elizalde, Pablo (18 January 2012). "Caterham F1 team confirms proposed move to Leafield". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 19 January 2012.

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