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.[2]
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. Mr. 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).[4][5]
The circuit was first used for motorcycle racing in 1953, organised by the Snetterton Combine, an association of clubs in Norfolk and Suffolk.[6]
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.
Layout history
Grand Prix Circuit (1951–1964)
Grand Prix Circuit (1965–1973)
Club Circuit (1974)
Club Circuit (1975–1979) & Grand Prix Circuit (1980–1989)
Grand Prix Circuit (1990–2010)
Comparison between 2010 and 2011 layouts
Snetterton 100 Circuit (2011–present)
Snetterton 200 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.[7] 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 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]
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.[7]
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.[7] 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 56.095 (125.27 mph (201.60 km/h)) set by Klaas Zwart, during a BRSCC meeting in August 2007. During the qualifying of this meeting, he set an unofficial lap record of 54.687 (128.50 mph (206.80 km/h)).[10]
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 1m 39.933s at an average speed of 106.95 mph (172.12 km/h). The fastest official race lap records at Snetterton Circuit are listed as:
snetterton, circuit, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, august. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Snetterton Circuit news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message 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 2 Snetterton CircuitSnetterton 300 CircuitLocationSnetterton Norfolk EnglandTime zoneGMT UTC 0 BST April October UTC 1 Coordinates52 27 59 47 N 0 56 53 66 E 52 4665194 N 0 9482389 E 52 4665194 0 9482389 Coordinates 52 27 59 47 N 0 56 53 66 E 52 4665194 N 0 9482389 E 52 4665194 0 9482389FIA Grade2OwnerMotorSport Vision 2004 present Opened27 October 1951 71 years ago 1951 10 27 Major eventsCurrent BTCC 1979 1984 present British GT 1993 1996 1998 2004 2006 present BSB 1996 present GB3 2013 present TCR UK 2022 present Former 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 Snetterton 300 Circuit 2011 present 1 Length2 969 miles 4 779 km Turns12Race lap record1 39 933 Felipe Nasr Dallara F308 2011 F3 Snetterton 200 Circuit 2011 present 1 Length2 000 miles 3 219 km Turns8Race lap record1 06 572 Chris Dittmann Dallara F312 2017 F3 Snetterton 100 Circuit 2011 present 1 Length0 980 miles 1 577 km Turns5Race lap record1 16 210 a Colin Calder Gould GR37 2011 British Sprint Championship Snetterton Circuit 1997 2010 Length1 952 miles 3 141 km Turns8Race lap record0 56 095 Klaas Zwart Benetton B197 2007 F1 Snetterton Circuit 1990 1996 Length1 949 miles 3 137 km Turns8Race lap record0 59 470 Luiz Garcia Jr Reynard 95D 1996 F3000 Snetterton Circuit 1974 1989 Length1 917 miles 3 085 km Turns8Race lap record0 55 370 Andrew Gilbert Scott Reynard 88D 1989 F3000 Snetterton Circuit 1965 1973 Length2 710 miles 4 361 km Turns9Race lap record1 18 400 Brett Lunger Trojan T101 1973 F5000 Snetterton Circuit 1951 1964 Length2 710 miles 4 361 km Turns8Race lap record1 32 600 Jim Clark Lotus 18 1960 F1 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 Citroen 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 3 Contents 1 Pre racing history 2 Racing history 2 1 Layout history 3 Circuit developments 3 1 Snetterton 300 Circuit 3 2 Snetterton 200 3 3 Snetterton 100 4 Lap Records 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksPre racing history Edit 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 Edit 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 Mr 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 4 5 The circuit was first used for motorcycle racing in 1953 organised by the Snetterton Combine an association of clubs in Norfolk and Suffolk 6 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 Layout history Edit Grand Prix Circuit 1951 1964 Grand Prix Circuit 1965 1973 Club Circuit 1974 Club Circuit 1975 1979 amp Grand Prix Circuit 1980 1989 Grand Prix Circuit 1990 2010 Comparison between 2010 and 2011 layouts Snetterton 100 Circuit 2011 present Snetterton 200 Circuit 2011 present Snetterton 300 Circuit 2011 present Circuit developments Edit 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 7 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 Edit Snetterton 300 Circuit as of 2015 The Montreal Hairpin has since been renamed 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 7 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 8 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 9 Snetterton 200 Edit 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 7 Snetterton 100 Edit 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 7 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 EditPrior to the introduction of the 300 circuit in 2011 the official lap record stood at 56 095 125 27 mph 201 60 km h set by Klaas Zwart during a BRSCC meeting in August 2007 During the qualifying of this meeting he set an unofficial lap record of 54 687 128 50 mph 206 80 km h 10 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 1m 39 933s at an average speed of 106 95 mph 172 12 km h The fastest official race lap records at Snetterton Circuit are listed as Category Time Driver Vehicle Date Circuit MapSnetterton 300 Circuit 2011 present 4 779 kmFormula 3 1 39 933 11 Felipe Nasr Dallara F308 2011 Snetterton British F3 round GB3 1 41 885 12 Javier Sagrera Tatuus MSV 022 2022 Snetterton GB3 roundBSB 1 47 079 13 Tarran Mackenzie Yamaha YZF R1 2022 Snetterton BSB roundGT3 1 47 469 14 Ulysse de Pauw Mercedes AMG GT3 2022 Snetterton British GT roundFormula 4 1 48 655 15 Ugo Ugochukwu Tatuus F4 T 421 2022 Snetterton British F4 roundGB4 1 49 380 16 Jack Sherwood Tatuus F4 T014 2022 2nd Snetterton GB4 roundNGTC 1 55 682 17 Dan Cammish Honda Civic Type R FK8 2019 Snetterton BTCC roundGT4 1 57 901 14 Jamie Orton Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport 2022 Snetterton British GT roundSnetterton 200 Circuit 2011 present 3 219 kmFormula 3 1 06 572 18 Chris Dittmann Dallara F312 2017 Snetterton F3 Cup round TCR Touring Car 1 25 084 19 Chris Smiley Honda Civic Type R TCR FK8 2022 Snetterton TCR UK roundSnetterton 100 Circuit 2011 present 1 577 kmBritish Sprint Championship 1 16 210 a 20 Colin Calder Gould GR37 2011 Snetterton British Sprint Championship round Grand Prix Circuit 1997 2010 3 141 km 21 Formula One 0 56 095 10 Klaas Zwart Benetton B197 2007 Snetterton EuroBOSS Super Prix Formula 3 1 01 200 22 Adriano Buzaid Dallara F308 2010 Snetterton British F3 roundGT1 Prototype 1 03 393 23 Tim Sugden McLaren F1 GTR 1999 Snetterton British GT roundBSB 1 47 143 24 Ryuichi Kiyonari Honda CBR1000RR 2006 Snetterton BSB roundGT2 GT1 1 08 563 25 Geoff Lister Porsche 911 GT2 993 1998 Snetterton British GT roundSuper Touring 1 09 011 26 David Leslie Nissan Primera GT 1999 Snetterton BTCC roundFormula BMW 1 09 849 27 Henry Surtees Mygale FB02 2007 Snetterton Formula BMW UK roundSuper 2000 1 11 711 28 Darren Turner SEAT Leon TDI 2008 Snetterton BTCC roundBTC Touring 1 12 249 29 Matt Neal BTC T Honda Integra Type R 2005 Snetterton BTCC roundGrand Prix Circuit 1990 1996 3 137 kmFormula 3000 0 59 470 30 Luiz Garcia Jr Reynard 95D 1996 2nd Snetterton British F2 round Formula 3 1 06 550 31 Kelvin Burt Dallara F393 1993 Snetterton British F3 roundGT1 1 09 570 32 Ian Flux McLaren F1 GTR 1996 Snetterton British GT roundGroup 4 1 11 660 33 Thorkild Thyrring De Tomaso Pantera 1995 1st Snetterton British GT roundSuper Touring 1 13 130 34 Rickard Rydell Volvo 850 20V 1995 Snetterton BTCC roundGroup A 1 14 020 35 Robb Gravett Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1990 Snetterton BTCC roundGroup 5 1 15 080 36 John Greasley Porsche 935 K3 1993 Snetterton British GT roundGT2 1 24 470 37 John Morrison Porsche 911 993 GT2 1995 2nd Snetterton British GT roundGrand Prix Circuit 1974 1989 3 085 kmFormula 3000 0 55 370 38 Andrew Gilbert Scott Reynard 88D 1989 Snetterton British F3000 round Formula One 0 56 530 39 Rupert Keegan Arrows A1 1979 Budweiser TrophyGroup C2 0 59 510 40 Tim Harvey Spice SE89C 1989 RAC Championship Car Races SnettertonFormula 5000 1 00 000 41 Teddy Pilette Lola T400 1975 2nd Snetterton F5000 roundGroup A 1 07 500 42 Robb Gravett Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1989 Snetterton BTCC roundGrand Prix Circuit with Russell Bend Chicane added 1965 1973 4 361 kmFormula 5000 1 18 400 43 Brett Lunger Trojan T101 1973 1st Snetterton F5000 round Group 4 1 26 200 44 Brian Redman Lola T70 Mk IIIB GT 1969 Guards Trophy SnettertonSports 2000 1 27 200 45 Guy Edwards Lola T290 1972 Anglia Television TrophyFormula Two 1 28 200 Jackie Stewart b Graham Hill b Jochen Rindt b Matra MS5 b Lotus 48 b Brabham BT23 b 1967 Guards 100Group 6 1 35 200 46 Jeremy Lord Astra RNR1 1970 Snetterton MN GT roundOriginal Grand Prix Circuit 1951 1964 4 361 kmFormula One 1 32 600 47 Jim Clark Lotus 18 1960 Lombank Trophy Group 4 1 35 600 48 Innes Ireland Lotus 19 1963 Snetterton Sports Car raceFormula Libre 1 38 200 49 Brian Naylor JBW Maserati 1959 Snetterton Formula Libre raceGroup 3 1 39 200 50 Roy Salvadori Ferrari 250 LM 1964 Scott Brown Memorial SnettertonNotes Edit a b Sprint competition held over 1 75 laps a b c d e f Three drivers took the same lap time independently References Edit a b c MotorSport Vision Snetterton motorsportvision co uk 17 February 2011 Archived from the original on 16 March 2012 Retrieved 4 August 2012 Ordnance Survey 1999 OS Explorer Map 237 Norwich ISBN 0 319 21868 6 24hr Getting Involved Retrieved 15 June 2016 Hunt Julian 2012 Motorsport Explorer Yeovil Somerset Haynes Publishing pp 182 183 ISBN 978 1 84425 634 1 Reports of Recent Events Snetterton Speed Trials Motor Sport Vol 27 no 12 December 1951 p 602 Britain s Top Circuits race circuit guide 1966 hard copy free supplement with Motor Cycle Accessed 2015 05 02 a b c d 1 Archived September 27 2011 at the Wayback Machine 2 Archived November 25 2010 at the Wayback Machine BTCC Snetterton to honour Justin Wilson with corner name Archived from the original on September 27 2016 Retrieved 2016 12 18 a b 2007 EuroBOSS Super Prix Race 3 Classification PDF Retrieved 27 June 2022 2011 Snetterton British F3 Round 9 Retrieved 26 June 2022 2022 GB3 Championship Partnered by the BRDC Race 7 Round 11 Classification PDF Retrieved 26 June 2022 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Round 8 Race 2 Classification PDF Retrieved 11 September 2022 a b 2022 Intelligent Money British GT Championship Race 8 Round 5 Classification Amended PDF Retrieved 26 June 2022 2022 ROKiT F4 British Championship Certified by FIA Round 20 Classification PDF Retrieved 14 August 2022 2022 GB4 Championship Partnered by the BRDC Race 4 Round 13 Classification PDF Retrieved 26 June 2022 BTCC 2019 Snetterton 300 Round 16 Results Retrieved 26 June 2022 Monoposto Lap Records F3 Cup Retrieved 29 November 2022 TCR UK 2022 Snetterton 200 Round 15 Results Retrieved 24 October 2022 Calder s debut win Britishsprint org 30 May 2011 Retrieved 4 August 2012 Snetterton Retrieved 25 June 2022 2010 Snetterton British F3 Round 27 Retrieved 26 June 2022 British GT Championship Snetterton 1999 Retrieved 26 June 2022 BSB Round 7 Snetterton 2006 Retrieved 26 June 2022 British GT Snetterton 1998 Retrieved 26 June 2022 BTCC 1999 Snetterton Round 15 Results Retrieved 26 June 2022 TOCA Round 7 Snetterton 2007 Formula BMW UK Championship Round 14 Classification Retrieved 27 July 2022 BTCC 2008 Snetterton Round 16 Results Retrieved 26 June 2022 BTCC 2005 Snetterton Round 19 Results Retrieved 26 June 2022 1996 Snetterton British F2 Retrieved 26 June 2022 1993 Snetterton British F3 Retrieved 26 June 2022 British GT Championship Snetterton 1996 Retrieved 26 June 2022 British GT Snetterton I 1995 Retrieved 26 June 2022 BTCC 1995 Snetterton Round 21 Results Retrieved 26 June 2022 BTCC 1990 Snetterton Round 8 Results Retrieved 26 June 2022 British GT Championship Snetterton 1993 Retrieved 26 June 2022 British GT Snetterton II 1995 Retrieved 26 June 2022 1989 Snetterton British F3000 Retrieved 26 June 2022 1979 Snetterton F1 Retrieved 26 June 2022 Thundersports Snetterton 1989 Retrieved 26 June 2022 1975 Snetterton F5000 Retrieved 26 June 2022 BTCC 1989 Snetterton Round 9 Results Retrieved 26 June 2022 1973 Snetterton F5000 Round 4 Retrieved 26 June 2022 Guards Trophy Snetterton 1969 Retrieved 26 June 2022 British Sports Car Championship Snetterton 1972 Retrieved 26 June 2022 MN GT Snetterton 1970 Retrieved 26 June 2022 1960 Snetterton F1 Retrieved 26 June 2022 Snetterton Sports 1963 Retrieved 26 June 2022 Snetterton Formula Libre 1959 Retrieved 26 June 2022 Scott Brown Memorial Snetterton 1964 Retrieved 26 June 2022 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Snetterton Race Track Snetterton Race Circuit web site Map sources for Snetterton Circuit Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Snetterton Circuit amp oldid 1130847070, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
