 To illustrate this, Damon Hill drove his Williams Formula One car around the circuit at an average speed of 147 mph in 1993.The site also houses the headquarters of the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC).The site was originally constructed in 1942 as RAF Thruxton, a World War II airfield which was home to both the RAF and USAAF and was used for troop-carrying aircraft and gliders, including operations during the D-Day landings.