Home to Europe’s premier horseracing event, Ascot hosted the Red Bull Air Race for the third consecutive year in 2016 which provided a truelly great time to me. British hospitality and culture, as one of very old and traditional, are something worth admiring.
Situated in the beautiful wooded countryside of Berkshire, Ascot depicts an idyllic portrait of traditional British sporting heritage. There are few sporting venues in the world that can match the history and lineage of Ascot Racecourse.
Each June, the small town welcomes thousands of spectators to Royal Ascot, the most famous event in the horseracing calendar. In 2016, as for the previous two years, Ascot had witnessed a sport of a different pedigree and horsepower – the high speed, low altitude action of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. The Red Bull Air Race pilots tested their mettle where many great jockeys had gone before, as the race took place over the Jumps track. The course measured at just over one mile (six furlongs) and was one of the few tracks to feature the pilots taking off right in front of the crowd. Ascot is famed for being a tough course with its triangular dimensions and large sweeping turns… always a challenging task for the pilots.
ABOUT ASCOT RACECOURSE
Ascot Racecourse is a British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting nine of Britain’s 32 annual Group 1 horse races. The course, owned by Ascot Racecourse Ltd, enjoys close associations with the British Royal Family, being approximately six miles from Windsor Castle.
Ascot today stages twenty-six days of racing over the course of the year, comprising eighteen flat meetings held between the months of May and October inclusive. It also stages important jump racing throughout the winter months. The Royal Meeting held each June, remains a major draw, its highlight being The Gold Cup. The most prestigious race is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes run over the course in July.
Ascot Racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. The first race, “Her Majesty’s Plate”, with a purse of 100 guineas, was held on 11 August 1711. Seven horses competed, each carrying a weight of 12 stones (76 kg). This first race comprised three separate four-mile (6437 m) heats.