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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
Snetterton Circuit is a motor racing course in Norfolk, England, originally opened in 1953. Owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, it is situated on the A11 road 12-mile (19 km) north-east of the town of Thetford and 19-mile (31 km) south-west of the city of Norwich. The circuit is named after the nearby village of Snetterton to the north-west of the circuit, although much of the circuit lies in the adjoining civil parish of Quidenham.

The circuit hosts races from series including the British Touring Car Championship, British Formula Three Championship and British Superbike Championship. From 1980 to 1994, the track hosted the UK's first 24-hour race, the Willhire 24 Hour. From 2003 to 2013 the Citroën 2CV 24 Hour Race was held at Snetterton on the 200 Circuit. After a short stint racing at Anglesey the 2CV 24Hr race has again returned to Snetterton and is usually held around the August bank holiday weekend.

Pre-racing history

Photograph of WW2 Airfield

Snetterton was originally an RAF airfield, RAF Snetterton Heath, later used by the United States Army Air Force. The airfield opened in May 1943 and closed in November 1948.


Racing history

The original Snetterton Circuit (shown in green) was laid out on the runways and taxiways of the former RAF Snetterton Heath air base (in light brown)

After its use as a USAF base, in 1948 Snetterton Heath was returned to the local landowner, Fred Riches. Oliver Sear and Dudley Coram of the Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC) approached Riches in early 1951 to suggest using the defunct airbase roadways as a circuit for club racing. Riches agreed, but, being a local churchwarden, only on condition that there was no racing between 10:45 am and noon on Sundays, and that all racing stopped before Evensong started, to avoid disturbing church services. The AMOC held the first open meeting on 27 October 1951, for what were dubbed "speed trials", but were actually a series of one lap sprint races. The first meeting was described by Motor Sport magazine as "an excellent event over an interesting new course." Fastest time of the day was set by Ken Wharton, driving ERA R11B, who averaged 82.4 mph (132.6 km/h).

The circuit was first used for motorcycle racing in 1953, organised by the Snetterton Combine, an association of clubs in Norfolk and Suffolk.

The track was used by both Team Lotus (Formula One) and Norfolk Racing Co (Le Mans) to test their racing cars.

In the 1960s and early 1970s the circuit was 2.710 mi (4.361 km) in length. Sear corner was 87 yd (80 m) further from Riches corner and led onto the "Norwich Straight" clearly visible in satellite maps and currently used by a Sunday market. The straight ended in a hairpin bend leading to Home Straight, which joined the existing track at the Esses, and is now a main access road for the circuit. Russell bend was added in the 1960s and named after Jim Russell who ran a racing drivers school at the circuit. Initially added to improve safety by slowing vehicles as they approached the pits, Russell bend was the scene of many accidents and was later altered to its present configuration.

Snetterton 300 Circuit corner names (2011–present)

Corner Name Namesake
— Senna Straight Ayrton Senna
1 Riches Fred Riches
2 Montreal (2011–2016)
Wilson (2016–present) 		Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Justin Wilson
3 Palmer Jonathan Palmer
4 Agostini Giacomo Agostini
5 Hamilton Lewis Hamilton
6 Oggies Peter Ogden
7 Williams Frank Williams
— Bentley Straight Bentley
8 Brundle Martin Brundle
9 Nelson Lord Nelson
10 Bomb Hole Elevation change in the track surface
11 Coram Dudley Coram
12 Murrays Murray Walker

Layout history

  • Grand Prix Circuit (1951–1964)
    Grand Prix Circuit (1951–1964)
  • Grand Prix Circuit (1965–1973)
    Grand Prix Circuit (1965–1973)
  • Club Circuit (1974)
    Club Circuit (1974)
  • Club Circuit (1975–1979) & Grand Prix Circuit (1980–1989)
    Club Circuit (1975–1979) & Grand Prix Circuit (1980–1989)
  • Grand Prix Circuit (1990–2010)
    Grand Prix Circuit (1990–2010)
  • Comparison between 2010 and 2011 layouts
    Comparison between 2010 and 2011 layouts
  • Snetterton 100 Circuit (2011–present)
    Snetterton 100 Circuit (2011–present)
  • Snetterton 200 Circuit (2011–present)
    Snetterton 200 Circuit (2011–present)
  • Snetterton 300 Circuit (2011–present)
    Snetterton 300 Circuit (2011–present)

Circuit developments

Snetterton layout in 2010, prior to redevelopment

In October 2005, Jonathan Palmer of MotorSport Vision, the owners of Snetterton Circuit, announced that the circuit would undergo extensive rebuilding work, in order to lengthen the circuit and improve its facilities.

On 23 September 2010, MSV announced that construction of the new infield section and track improvements would be finished in time for the 2011 motorsport season. The main development was the addition of a new one-mile infield section, after Sear Corner, which was replaced and renamed Montreal, in deference to it being modelled on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve hairpin. The final chicane before Senna Straight was also removed and replaced by an extension to Coram curve coupled with a new, tight, left-hand corner named Murrays. In addition to the track work, the redevelopment also improved spectator viewing and increased safety.

Snetterton 300 Circuit

Snetterton 300 Circuit as of 2015. The Montreal Hairpin has since been renamed in honour of Justin Wilson.

The 300 Circuit is 2.969 mi (4.778 km) long, Snetterton's longest layout and the second longest racing track in the country. The track incorporates much of the previous circuit with the infield section that was completed in 2011. The 300 track has been designed to bring international levels of racing to the circuit by gaining an FIA Grade 2 Licence. The layout also hosts major British motorsport championships. The British Formula 3 Championship and British GT Championship were the first of these to visit the new layout on 14 and 15 May 2011. The British Touring Car Championship with its ToCA support package also uses this layout, as does the British Superbike Championship. In 2016, ahead of Justin Wilson's 38th birthday, the Montreal hairpin was renamed Wilson, in memory of the Yorkshire IndyCar driver killed at the 2015 Pocono 500.

Snetterton 200

This layout is closest to the pre-2011 layout. The main differences between the original layout and the 200 layout are the re-profiled Justin Wilson, Coram, and Murray's corners, which have been designed to provide better opportunities for overtaking. This 2.000 mi (3.219 km) layout is mainly used for club and local racing.

Snetterton 100

The 100 layout is made up solely of the new 0.980 mi (1.577 km) infield section and is mainly used for testing and as a race school. Both the 100 layout and the 200 layout can be used simultaneously.

The first event which both events were used simultaneously was the BRSCC meeting held on the 29 and 30 May 2011. There was club racing on the outer circuit (VW Fun Cup, Saker Challenge, TVRs and Mighty Minis) and two rounds of the British Sprint Championship on the inner circuit.

Lap records

Prior to the introduction of the 300 circuit in 2011, the official lap record stood at 0:56.095 (125.27 mph (201.60 km/h)) set by Klaas Zwart [de], during a BRSCC meeting in August 2007. During the qualifying of this meeting, he set an unofficial lap record of 0:54.687 (128.50 mph (206.80 km/h)).

The current 300 circuit lap record was set by Felipe Nasr from Brazil driving a Carlin prepared Dallara F308 in the 2nd race of the 2011 British F3 meeting. The lap was 1:39.933 at an average speed of 106.95 mph (172.12 km/h). As of July 2024, the fastest official race lap records at Snetterton Circuit are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event Circuit Map
Snetterton 300 Circuit (2011–present): 4.779 km
Formula Three 1:39.933 Felipe Nasr Dallara F308 2011 Snetterton British F3 round
GB3 1:41.280 Alex Dunne Tatuus MSV-022 2023 Snetterton GB3 round
GT3 1:46.116 Marvin Kirchhöfer McLaren 720S GT3 Evo 2023 Snetterton British GT round
Superbike 1:47.079 Tarran Mackenzie Yamaha YZF-R1 2022 Snetterton BSB round
GB4 1:47.081 Cooper Webster Tatuus F4-T014 2023 Snetterton GB4 round
Formula 4 1:48.072 Noah Lisle Tatuus F4-T421 2023 Snetterton British F4 round
Supersport 1:51.092 Tom Booth-Amos Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 2023 Snetterton BSS round
Porsche Carrera Cup 1:51.186 Will Martin Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup 2022 Snetterton Porsche Carrera Cup GB round
Ferrari Challenge 1:52.739 Han Sikkens Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo 2022 Snetterton Ferrari Challenge UK round
NGTC 1:54.871 Ashley Sutton Ford Focus ST 2023 Snetterton BTCC round
TCR Touring Car 1:56.027 Joe Marshall Audi RS 3 LMS TCR (2021) 2024 Snetterton TCR UK round
GT4 1:56.159 Mike Simpson Ginetta G56 GT4 2023 Snetterton British GT round
Sportbike 1:57.324 Richard Cooper Triumph Daytona 660 2024 Snetterton British Sportbike round
BMW F900R Cup 1:59.336 Richard Cooper BMW F900R 2023 Snetterton BMW F900R Cup round
Moto3 2:02.011 Evan Belford Honda NSF250R 2023 Snetterton British Talent Cup round
Snetterton 200 Circuit (2011–present): 3.219 km
Formula Three 1:06.572 Chris Dittmann Dallara F312 2017 Snetterton F3 Cup round
TCR Touring Car 1:25.084 Chris Smiley Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8) 2022 Snetterton TCR UK round
Snetterton 100 Circuit (2011–present): 1.577 km
British Sprint Championship 1:16.210 Colin Calder Gould GR37 2011 Snetterton British Sprint Championship round
Grand Prix Circuit (1997–2010): 3.141 km
Formula One 0:56.095 Klaas Zwart [de] Benetton B197 2007 Snetterton EuroBOSS Super Prix
Formula Three 1:01.200 Adriano Buzaid Dallara F308 2010 Snetterton British F3 round
GT1 1:03.393 Tim Sugden McLaren F1 GTR 1999 Snetterton British GT round
Superbike 1:04.688 Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda CBR1000RR 2006 Snetterton BSB round
Supersport 1:07.587 Tom Sykes Suzuki GSX-R600 2006 Snetterton BSS round
GT2 1:08.563 Geoff Lister Porsche 911 (993) GT2 1998 Snetterton British GT round
Super Touring 1:09.011 David Leslie Nissan Primera GT 1999 Snetterton BTCC round
Formula BMW 1:09.849 Henry Surtees Mygale FB02 2007 Snetterton Formula BMW UK round
Super 2000 1:11.711 Darren Turner SEAT León TDI 2008 Snetterton BTCC round
BTC Touring 1:12.249 Matt Neal BTC-T Honda Integra Type R 2005 Snetterton BTCC round
Grand Prix Circuit (1990–1996): 3.137 km
Formula 3000 0:59.470 Luiz Garcia Jr. Reynard 95D 1996 2nd Snetterton British F2 round
Formula Three 1:06.550 Kelvin Burt Dallara F393 1993 Snetterton British F3 round
GT1 1:09.570 Ian Flux McLaren F1 GTR 1996 Snetterton British GT round
Group 4 1:11.660 Thorkild Thyrring De Tomaso Pantera 1995 1st Snetterton British GT round
Super Touring 1:13.130 Rickard Rydell Volvo 850 20V 1995 Snetterton BTCC round
Group A 1:14.020 Robb Gravett Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1990 Snetterton BTCC round
Group 5 1:15.080 John Greasley Porsche 935 K3 1993 Snetterton British GT round
GT2 1:24.470 John Morrison Porsche 911 (993) GT2 1995 2nd Snetterton British GT round
Grand Prix Circuit (1974–1989): 3.085 km
Formula 3000 0:55.370 Andrew Gilbert-Scott Reynard 88D 1989 Snetterton British F3000 round
Formula One 0:56.530 Rupert Keegan Arrows A1 1979 Budweiser Trophy
Group C2 0:59.510 Tim Harvey Spice SE89C 1989 RAC Championship Car Races Snetterton
Formula 5000 1:00.000 Teddy Pilette Lola T400 1975 2nd Snetterton F5000 round
Group A 1:07.500 Robb Gravett Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1989 Snetterton BTCC round
Grand Prix Circuit (with Russell Bend Chicane added) (1965–1973): 4.361 km
Formula 5000 1:18.400 Brett Lunger Trojan T101 1973 1st Snetterton F5000 round
Group 4 1:26.200 Brian Redman Lola T70 Mk.IIIB GT 1969 Guards Trophy Snetterton
Sports 2000 1:27.200 Guy Edwards Lola T290 1972 Anglia Television Trophy
Formula Two 1:28.200 Jackie Stewart
Graham Hill
Jochen Rindt		 Matra MS5
Lotus 48
Brabham BT23		 1967 Guards 100
Group 6 1:35.200 Jeremy Lord Astra RNR1 1970 Snetterton MN GT round
Original Grand Prix Circuit (1951–1964): 4.361 km
Formula One 1:32.600 Jim Clark Lotus 18 1960 Lombank Trophy
Group 4 1:35.600 Innes Ireland Lotus 19 1963 Snetterton Sports Car race
Formula Libre 1:38.200 Brian Naylor JBW-Maserati 1959 Snetterton Formula Libre race
Group 3 1:39.200 Roy Salvadori Ferrari 250 LM 1964 Scott-Brown Memorial Snetterton

Notes

  1. ^ Sprint competition, held over 1.75 laps.
  2. ^ Turn 2 was renamed from Montreal to Wilson in 2016 to honour former Formula One driver Justin Wilson, who died following injuries sustained at the 2015 Pocono 500.
  3. ^ Three drivers took the same lap time independently.

References

  1. ^ "MotorSport Vision". Snetterton.motorsportvision.co.uk. 17 February 2011. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  2. ^ Ordnance Survey (1999). OS Explorer Map 237 - Norwich. ISBN 0-319-21868-6.
  3. ^ 24hr – Getting Involved Retrieved 15 June 2016
  4. ^ Hunt, Julian (2012). Motorsport Explorer. Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing. pp. 182–183. ISBN 978-1-84425-634-1.
  5. ^ "Reports of Recent Events: Snetterton Speed Trials". Motor Sport. Vol. 27, no. 12. December 1951. p. 602.
  6. ^ Britain's Top Circuits, race circuit guide, 1966 hard copy (free supplement with Motor Cycle), Accessed 2015-05-02
  7. ^ [1] Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ [2] Archived November 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "BTCC | Snetterton to honour Justin Wilson with corner name". Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  10. ^ "2007 EuroBOSS Super Prix Race 3 - Classification" (PDF). Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  11. ^ "2011 Snetterton British F3 - Round 9". Motor Sport Magazine. 15 May 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  12. ^ "2023 GB3 Championship Partnered by the BRDC Race 2 - Round 10 - Classification - Final" (PDF). 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  13. ^ "2023 Intelligent Money British GT Championship Race 9 - Round 5 - Classification - Amended" (PDF). 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  14. ^ "2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship - Round 8 - Race 2 - Classification" (PDF). 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  15. ^ "2023 GB4 Championship Partnered by the BRDC Race 4 - Round 10 - Classification" (PDF). 17 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  16. ^ "2023 ROKiT F4 British Championship Certified by FIA Round 9 - Classification - Amended" (PDF). 21 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  17. ^ "2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship - Round 5 - 2023 Quattro Group British Supersport & British GP2 Championships - Race 1 - Sprint - Classification" (PDF). 8 July 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain 2022 - Round 9 - Classification - Amended" (PDF). 14 August 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli United Kingdom 2022 - Round 2 Race 1 - Classification" (PDF). 28 May 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  20. ^ "2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Round 8 - Classification" (PDF). 21 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  21. ^ "2024 BRSCC TCR UK Race Weekend - Snetterton - TCR UK Touring Car Championship - Race 22 - Classification" (PDF). 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  22. ^ "2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship - Round 5 - 2024 Pirelli National Sportbike with Moneybarn Vehicle Finance - Race - Classification" (PDF). 7 July 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  23. ^ "2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship - Round 5 - 2023 ABK Beer 0% BMW Motorrad F 900 R Cup - Main Race - Classification" (PDF). 9 July 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  24. ^ "2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship - Round 5 - 2023 R&G British Talent Cup - Race 1 - Classification" (PDF). 8 July 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  25. ^ "Monoposto Lap Records - F3 Cup". 14 May 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  26. ^ "TCR UK 2022 » Snetterton 200 Round 15 Results". 23 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  27. ^ "Calder's debut win". Britishsprint.org. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  28. ^ "Snetterton - Motor Sport Magazine". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  29. ^ "2010 Snetterton British F3 - Round 27". Motor Sport Magazine. 30 August 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  30. ^ "British GT Championship Snetterton 1999". 31 May 1999. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  31. ^ "BSB - Round 7 - Snetterton - 2006". 18 June 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  32. ^ "BSB - Round 7 - Snetterton - 2006 - British Supersport Championship & Supersport Cup - Race - Classification". 18 June 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  33. ^ "British GT Snetterton 1998". 14 June 1998. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  34. ^ "BTCC 1999 » Snetterton Round 15 Results". 17 July 1999. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  35. ^ "TOCA - Round 7 - Snetterton - 2007 Formula BMW UK Championship Round 14 - Classification". 29 July 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  36. ^ "BTCC 2008 » Snetterton Round 16 Results". 13 July 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  37. ^ "BTCC 2005 » Snetterton Round 19 Results". 7 August 2005. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  38. ^ "1996 Snetterton British F2". Motor Sport Magazine. 6 May 1996. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  39. ^ "1993 Snetterton British F3". Motor Sport Magazine. 8 August 1993. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  40. ^ "British GT Championship Snetterton 1996". 1 September 1996. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  41. ^ "British GT Snetterton I 1995". 9 September 1995. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  42. ^ "BTCC 1995 » Snetterton Round 21 Results". 28 August 1995. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  43. ^ "BTCC 1990 » Snetterton Round 8 Results". 5 August 1990. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  44. ^ "British GT Championship Snetterton 1993". 15 August 1993. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  45. ^ "British GT Snetterton II 1995". 9 September 1995. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  46. ^ "1989 Snetterton British F3000". Motor Sport Magazine. 2 July 1989. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  47. ^ "1979 Snetterton F1". Motor Sport Magazine. 23 September 1979. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  48. ^ "Thundersports Snetterton 1989". 6 August 1989. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  49. ^ "1975 Snetterton F5000". Motor Sport Magazine. 5 October 1975. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  50. ^ "BTCC 1989 » Snetterton Round 9 Results". 6 August 1989. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  51. ^ "1973 Snetterton F5000 - Round 4". Motor Sport Magazine. 20 April 1973. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  52. ^ "Guards Trophy Snetterton 1969". 4 April 1969. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  53. ^ "British Sports Car Championship Snetterton 1972". 31 March 1972. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  54. ^ "MN GT Snetterton 1970". 31 August 1970. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  55. ^ "1960 Snetterton F1". Motor Sport Magazine. 17 September 1960. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  56. ^ "Snetterton [Sports] 1963". 14 July 1963. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  57. ^ "Snetterton [Formula Libre] 1959". 6 September 1959. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  58. ^ "Scott-Brown Memorial Snetterton 1964". 19 July 1964. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
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