Hydrex

Norwich
Norfolk
NR16 2JU

Tel: 01953 887303
Fax: 01953 888220

Ticket Hotline: 0870 950 9000
Website: www.motorsportvision.co.uk

Lap Record: 1m 04.688s
Lap Record Holder: Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda

Directions:
Snetterton is situated ten miles from Thetford on the A11 from London to Norwich. Approaching from the South, leave M11 at Junction 9 and follow the A11. From the north or west, take the M11/A11 and join the A11 after Newmarket. The nearest railway stations are Eccles Road, Attleborough and Thetford.

Track Info:
Snetterton has a fascinating history. The circuit started life as a disused airfield, which was the wartime base of the 96th US Air Force Bomber Group. In 1951, a chance remark by the then Aston Martin Owners’ Club secretary Oliver Sear led to a proposal for a motor race on a circuit cobbled together from the airfield's runways.

That very first race meeting was held on Saturday, October 27, 1951 and was the birth of Snetterton Circuit. A year later, Sear formed a partnership with local landowner and farmer Fred Riches, creating Riches & Sear Ltd to promote motor racing at the venue.

During the 1950s the circuit took shape, with the oil drums that originally marked out the track being replaced by permanent markings and buildings – the first pit complex and timekeepers' box was constructed in 1956. The Snetterton Motor Racing Club was also formed and it was here that the first ever driver’s briefing was held, following the horrific crash at Le Mans that claimed the lives of 80 spectators.

Through the 1960s, Snetterton started to host international racing and continued to attract top-line drivers such as Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt, becoming the second fastest circuit in the UK. The circuit's calendar continued to expand, with the evocative sports cars of the Group 6 and Group 4 era, as raced at Le Mans and the Targa Florio, racing at Snetterton.

In 1972, Snetterton saw the creation of an event that was immediately hugely popular with competitors, spectators and teams alike – the Formula Ford Festival. The '70s also saw the creation of the 1.9-mile track which we know today, when the Norwich Straight, hairpin and Home Straight were eliminated from use. The new 190mph circuit's long straights were also used for land yacht racing and drag racing during the '70s. Indeed, by 1979, Snetterton's 59 calendar dates made it Britain's busiest circuit.

Through the '90s, Snetterton continued to be used for top-flight national racing, and today is still host to rounds of Britain's premier bike and car racing championships – the British Superbike and British Touring Car Championships.

The huge runways remain the defining feature of Snetterton and these straights remain the longest and fastest in the UK. They are now linked by quick corners and a couple of mind-concentrating chicanes which makes for high speed and exciting racing, upholding the circuits reputation as one of the fastest in the country.

With this track lay out and a location deep in the countryside, Snetterton is an ideal venue for round-the-clock events, long distance record attempts and speed trials. Newly built pit garages and hospitality suites have further enhanced its spectator appeal and it is another much-loved stop on the British Superbike Series.