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 Snetterton 300 Circuit (2011–present) | |
| Location | Snetterton,Norfolk, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52°27′59″N0°56′54″E / 52.46639°N 0.94833°E /52.46639; 0.94833 |
| FIA Grade | 3 |
| Owner | MotorSport Vision (2004–present) |
| Opened | 27 October 1951; 74 years ago (1951-10-27) |
| Major events | Current: BTCC (1979, 1984–present) British GT (1993–1996, 1998–2004, 2006–present) BSB (1996–present) TCR UK (2022–present) Former: GB3 (2013–2023) British F3 (1977–2004, 2006–2012) EuroBOSS Series (1997, 2007) F5000 (1969–1975) Formula Ford Festival (1972–1975) ETCC (1965–1968) European F2 (1967) Lombank Trophy (1960–1963) |
| Website | https://www.snetterton.co.uk/ |
| Snetterton 300 Circuit (2011–present)[1] | |
| Length | 2.970 mi (4.779 km) |
| Turns | 12 |
| Race lap record | 1:39.933 ( Felipe Nasr,Dallara F308,2011,F3) |
| Snetterton 200 Circuit (2011–present)[1] | |
| Length | 2.000 mi (3.219 km) |
| Turns | 8 |
| Race lap record | 1:06.572 ( Chris Dittmann,Dallara F312, 2017,F3) |
| Snetterton 100 Circuit (2011–present)[1] | |
| Length | 0.980 mi (1.577 km) |
| Turns | 5 |
| Race lap record | 1:16.210[a] ( Colin Calder,Gould GR37, 2011,British Sprint Championship) |
| Snetterton Circuit (1997–2010) | |
| Length | 1.952 mi (3.141 km) |
| Turns | 8 |
| Race lap record | 0:56.095 ( [[]] [Klaas Zwart],Benetton B197,2007,F1) |
| Snetterton Circuit (1990–1996) | |
| Length | 1.949 mi (3.137 km) |
| Turns | 8 |
| Race lap record | 0:59.470 (Luiz Garcia Jr.,Reynard 95D,1996,F3000) |
| Snetterton Circuit (1974–1989) | |
| Length | 1.917 mi (3.085 km) |
| Turns | 8 |
| Race lap record | 0:55.370 (Andrew Gilbert-Scott,Reynard 88D,1989,F3000) |
| Snetterton Circuit (1965–1973) | |
| Length | 2.710 mi (4.361 km) |
| Turns | 9 |
| Race lap record | 1:18.400 ( Brett Lunger,Trojan T101,1973,F5000) |
| Snetterton Circuit (1951–1964) | |
| Length | 2.710 mi (4.361 km) |
| Turns | 8 |
| Race lap record | 1:32.600 (Jim Clark,Lotus 18,1960,F1) |
Snetterton Circuit is amotor racing course inNorfolk, England, originally opened in 1953. Owned byJonathan Palmer'sMotorSport Vision organisation since 2004, it is situated on theA11 road 12-mile (19 km) north-east of the town ofThetford and 19-mile (31 km) south-west of the city ofNorwich. The circuit is named after the nearby village ofSnetterton to the north-west of the circuit, although much of the circuit lies in the adjoining civil parish ofQuidenham.[2]
The circuit hosts races from series including theBritish Touring Car Championship,British Formula Three Championship andBritish Superbike Championship. From 1980 to 1994, the track hosted the UK's first24-hour race, theWillhire 24 Hour. From 2003 to 2013 theCitroën2CV 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.[3]
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.
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 theAston 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 localchurchwarden, only on condition that there was no racing between 10:45 am and noon on Sundays, and that all racing stopped beforeEvensong 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 byMotor Sport magazine as "an excellent event over an interesting new course." Fastest time of the day was set byKen Wharton, drivingERA R11B, who averaged 82.4 mph (132.6 km/h).[4][5]
The circuit was first used for motorcycle racing in 1953, organised by theSnetterton Combine, an association of clubs in Norfolk and Suffolk.[6]
The track was used by bothTeam 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 afterJim 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.
| Corner | Name | Namesake |
|---|---|---|
| — | Senna Straight | Ayrton Senna |
| 1 | Riches | Fred Riches |
| 2 | Montreal (2011–2016) Wilson (2016–present)[b] | 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 |
Snetterton circuit was acquired byMotorSport Vision (MSV) along withBrands Hatch,Oulton Park, andCadwell Park fromThe Interpublic Group of Companies subsidiaryOctagon in January 2004.[7] Octagon previously acquired prior owner Brands Hatch Leisure plc in November 1999.[8]
In October 2005,Jonathan Palmer of MSV, 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.[9] 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 theCircuit 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.
The 300 Circuit is 2.969 mi (4.778 km) long, Snetterton's longest layout and the second longest racing track in the country.[9] 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. TheBritish Formula 3 Championship andBritish GT Championship were the first of these to visit the new layout on 14 and 15 May 2011. TheBritish Touring Car Championship with its ToCA support package also uses this layout, as does theBritish Superbike Championship.[10] In 2016, ahead ofJustin Wilson's 38th birthday, the Montreal hairpin was renamed Wilson, in memory of the YorkshireIndyCar driver killed at the2015 Pocono 500.[11]
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.[9]
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.[9] 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 theBritish Sprint Championship on the inner circuit.
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 byKlaas 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)).[12]
The current 300 circuit lap record was set byFelipe Nasr from Brazil driving aCarlin preparedDallara F308 in the 2nd race of the2011 British F3 meeting. The lap was 1:39.933 at an average speed of 106.95 mph (172.12 km/h). As of June 2025, the fastest official race lap records at Snetterton Circuit are listed as:
