 It is built on the northern section of the former site of the Royal Aerospace Establishment, Bedford airbase and took five years to convert to a track using the latest in track laying techniques to provide a quiet and smooth surface.It was designed to be driven by high performance road cars and as such has larger than usual run off areas and does not have sections of Armco safety barriers which would potentially damage a car seriously if it left the track.Because the track has no Armco it is not eligible to hold races there or have an area for spectators due to the inability to ensure their safety.