EVOLUTION OF SPEED
“CONSTRUCTION BEGAN IN 1895 AND IT TOOK TWO YEARS TO BUILD. THE VICTORIANS USED AROUND 30 MILLION BRICKS AND IT’S ABOUT 2.7KM LONG. BRITISH RAILWAYS BOSS DR BEECHING CLOSED IT IN 1966 AND IT WAS LEFT TO FLOOD. ITS ONLY RESIDENTS WERE ROOSTING BATS”
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to one of the most cutting-edge aerodynamic facilities in the world.” That’s Brian Scott, tunnel operations manager at Catesby Tunnel in Northamptonshire, once an integral section of the Great Central Main Line from Sheffield to London, now a state-of-the-art testing facility for cyclists, cycling manufacturers and automobiles that opened in December 2021. “As far as I’m aware, there’s only one place similar to this in the world,” says Brian. “It’s Laurel Hill in Philadelphia and is predominantly for NASCAR [National Association for Stock Car Racing] testing. Rob [Lewis, the brains behind Catesby’s conversion] visited the facility and spent time with the owner [Chip Ganassi]. It’s impressive but is only a mile long.”
Size isn’t everything, Brian – although Brian might disagree. He served in the military for years and is a man mountain who could cradle Hobbit-sized editor Matt in one of his large paws. He’s also a Catesby historian, which is great background fodder,
