Snetterton

Snetterton is located in Norfolk. It is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich. The circuit is named after the village of Snetterton, which lies about 2 km to the north-west of the circuit, although much of the circuit is actually in the adjoining civil parish of Quidenham.[1] In October 2005, it was announced by the owner of the circuit; Jonathan Palmer of MotorSport Vision, that the circuit would undergo extensive rebuilding work, in order to lengthen the circuit, and improve its facilities.

A Brief history

Snetterton originally started off life as an RAF airfield (RAF Snetterton Heath) which was then designated for use by the United States Army Air Force. The airfield was opened in May 1943 and closed down in November 1948.

As Snetterton was originally an airfield, most of the lap is spent going at full throttle in a straight line. Although this is great for testing, spectators will not be able to see all of the cars and bikes most of the time. The current lap record officially stands at 56.095 (125.27 mph) set by Klaas Zwart, during a BRSCC meeting in August 2007. He was even faster in qualifying, setting an unofficial lap record of 54.687 (128.50 mph).

The track was used by both Team Lotus (F1) and Norfolk Racing Co (Le Mans) to test their racing cars.

In the 1960s and early 70's the circuit was 2.7 miles in length. Sears corner was 80 m further from Ritches 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 but is now a main access road for the circuit. Russells bend was added in the 70's 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, Russells bend was the scene of many accidents and was later altered to its present configuration.

The circuit hosts races from series including the British Touring Car Championship, British Formula Three Championship and British Superbikes. From 1980 to 1994, the track hosted the UK's first 24-hour race, the Willhire 24 Hour.

Facts & Figures

Track Length: 1.952 miles (3.123 km)

Track Direction: Clockwise

Corners: 6

Circuit Address

Snetterton Circuit
Norwich
Norfolk
NR16 2JU
Tel: 01953 887303
Fax: 01953 888220

Official Website;

Snetterton Race Circuit