Originally built in 1940 as RAF Thruxton, a World War II airfield and home to both the RAF and USAF, the site was used for troop-carrying aircraft and gliders during the D-Day landings. In 1946 it was decommissioned and from 1950 it was used for motorsport. Motorcycling was the first sport to be staged there, with four-wheeled racing commencing from 1952. Thruxton is one of the fastest circuits on the British Superbike Championship calendar and one which has hosted events as varied as World Endurance motorcycles, European F2 cars and trucks. The demands of the circuit range from the long, fast straights and flowing corners to tight, demanding Complex and Chicane sections.