Bovington Camp is set to host its first motorsports weekend in four years when the inaugural Bovington Sandstorm takes place on May 1–3.

The Sandstorm is the first round of the Dirt Nationals, a new British off-road championship that takes inspiration from Ultra4. The series is split into four categories: Class 1, Class 2, Super Mod, and UTV.

NORA Motorsport’s page on the event calls it “[a]n off-road race held at Bovington Training Ground featuring wheel-to-wheel competition on sandy terrain. Dirt Nationals is a demanding event that tests vehicle durability and driver skill at high speed in tough off-road conditions.”

Located in Dorset, the Bovington Camp is the site of the British Army’s Royal Armoured Corps. It also houses The Tank Museum, one of the largest armored warfare museums in the world.

The tank training polygon and surrounding area has been used for motorsports at varying times, especially at the turn of the decade.

The inaugural Extreme E season in 2021 concluded at the Bovington Training Area. The 3.8-kilometer course ran through mixed terrain made of sand, clay, gravel, and mud that ensured far slicker conditions than any other rounds on the schedule. X44 won what would be the only Jurassic X Prix, and Extreme E wouldn’t return to the UK until the 2023 Hydro X Prix in Scotland.

Ultra4 Europe’s British Championship concluded its 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Battle of Bovington.

It isn’t uncommon for military installations, particularly those with armored garrisons and thus large training areas, to host races. Rallye Breslau even starts and finishes at two different bases in Żagań and Drawsko Pomorskie, while the Baja Portalegre 500 and BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal both go by the Campo Militar de Santa Margarida.

Featured image credit: Colin McMaster / LAT Images