4:15 pm, August 18, 2026
Hundreds of cars descended on the test track made famous by The Grand Tour as a Swindon used car dealer staged its biggest community event to date.
Wroughton-based Carite held its first ‘Track Takeover’ on Sunday, bringing car clubs, local businesses and enthusiasts together at the former Grand Tour venue, just minutes from its dealership.
The event, held at the Grand Tour Track near Wroughton, featured club displays, a Show & Shine competition, trade and food stands, live entertainment and a racing simulator.
A DJ operating from a Land Rover Defender sound system also provided music throughout the day, while a number of local car clubs and businesses were invited to take part.
The event was the latest step in Carite’s efforts to establish itself as an integral part of the local community – a strategy the dealership believes is increasingly important for independent dealers.
Speaking to Car Dealer following the event, director Tom Ellis said: ‘As good as our brand is, I think unless you’ve really conquered your local area, there’s no point trying to conquer the world.
‘A lot of dealers overlook how important your local community is.
‘I think those that are doing really well at the moment are the ones that have really cemented themselves as integral parts of a community.
‘That’s really our vision for the next year or two – the idea is that Carite is on everyone’s lips in our area for anything, instead of seeing us as just selling cars.’
The Track Takeover was a significant step up from the smaller community events the dealership has previously held at its Wroughton site.
Carite has previously organised smaller Halloween and Christmas events. Those successful events prompted the team to see whether the same approach could work on a much bigger scale.
‘This one was more for children and to bring the very local community together,’ Alex Isaacs of Carite said of the earlier events.
‘We did free face painting for Halloween, free trick or treating and free food, and then that escalated to a Christmas event where we hired a Santa, gave out presents, decorated the whole lot and had free food at the site.
‘Then we said, can we take something a little bit further afield and do something on a larger scale?’
That led the business to the nearby Grand Tour Track, where the team invited local car clubs and deliberately sought out businesses from the area to fill its food and trade stands.
Among those represented were tuning and customisation businesses, Mustang, Volkswagen, Kia Stinger and Ford RS owners’ groups, as well as the Royal British Legion Riders Branch.
Ellis said: ‘It was all just to try and create a bit of a community feel for local businesses and local car groups to come together and enjoy the area.’
The dealership said organising an event on such a scale had involved a considerable amount of work but, following its success, another Track Takeover could now be on the cards.
