*****   SATURDAY 3rd JULY    *****

 GENERAL CIRCUIT INFORMATION

The Circuit from a Drivers Point of View

Driving the circuit... ... It is a nice simple triangular track, 3 main comers and 3 straights with kinks in each, plus the addition some years ago of MSA inspired chicanes in 2 of the straights to slow it all down. Should be easy then - wrong, very wrong, it bites!!

From the startline the first curve is the right hander 'Folley' - stay left late & turn so that you stay right going up Avon Rise - fast & smooth at the fastest curve of the circuit. A definite corner though at 150+ mph. Over Avon Rise and you must stay straight whatever line you are on & brake before (if necessary) & after, but not over the actual hump of Avon Rise while also clipping the left side apex. I aim towards a spot a car's width from the outer edge of the track. Yes, theory says follow left edge of the track BUT that's very dodgy ground, marbles, off camber etc. If you get it wrong, it will be a very painful and expensive accident at high speed..... I have never liked the look of that outside bank!! So keep straight for heavy braking before turning for the right handed Quarry comer running out to the left side on exit. Stay parallel with the edge of the circuit along the now shortened 'Farm Straight' due to the Esses coming up quite soon - this being a right, left, & right at Old Paddock. Do not turn in too early otherwise you will be too early for the left which means you have to slow too much & turn sharper to get back to the left side for a straighter line for the critically fast Old Paddock. It's better to go slightly slower through the Esses to get through Old Paddock faster. Now it's flat out all the way to Tower - take the shortest & straightest line to arrive on the left-side of the track for Tower. A very nasty & very off camber right hander. You can easily fall off on the outside of this corner it has a very narrow run-off, so build up your speed here carefully. ( Are you all still with me? )

Next is Bobbies chicane, another right, left, right but slower. Use the apex curb, braking as necessary on entry, bearing in mind the left part is quite slow, although cambered in your favour, but taken too fast can spit you into the infield, mud / com or whatever the local farmer is growing! Then it's out of Bobbies chicane & flat out through Westway & onto Dean straight towards Camp Comer. Stay on the left side where the exit of West way will have thrown you. Now Camp Comer is coming up fast & has several apex's - you want to take the last one. You will have braked here quite hard & probably changed down as well in a straight line before turning late for the last apex allowing the car to run out wide using the whole track width on exit heading to the finish line or staying left & building up to maximum speed for Folley again.

The Castle Combe Committee excepts no responsibility for above content.

Castle Combe Circuit opened just 18 months after Silverstone, in the summer of 1950, making it one of the longest established circuits in the UK. Until 1999, the circuit followed its original layout around the perimeter of the old air base. In that first year, a young Stirling Moss won a race here and over the next few years the likes of Mike Hawthorn, Colin Chapman and John Surtees thrilled huge crowds.

The 1960s and '70s were blighted by planning problems and the track didn't take off until 1976 when a lease was eventually obtained and the development of the circuit as a modern national racing venue began. The resurfaced, and now reshaped circuit, provides what is generally recognised as the closest circuit racing in British motor sport.

Castle Combe has been somewhat modified in 1999, increasing the length of the circuit slightly (now 1.85 miles) and reducing speeds on the two long straights by the introduction of a pair of chicanes (the Esses and Bobbies). The rest of the circuit is almost flat-out driving, lifting for some of the corners with heavy braking needed only for Quarry and Tower (in addition to the chicanes). The entire circuit essentially follows a gentle slope - the centre of the circuit is basically a small hill so the far side of the track is completely hidden from the paddock. The lowest point is at Tower, the highest at Quarry.

One of the problems with the circuit is the treatment of the run off areas. All of the run off is little more than freshly ploughed earth which in this part of Wiltshire is a very fine, rich soil - superb for growing things in, but a little troublesome when it gets on the circuit, as is prone to happen especially at the new chicanes. The result is a low-grip gloss applied to the surface of the tarmac

The corner after the start/finish straight is taken flat out before taking a left-hand bend over the brow of a slight hill and somehow you have to brake whilst the car is still a little unstable for what the Autosport Circuit Guide describes as 'perhaps one of the hardest (corners) in Britain'. There is little run-off space here and this could result in a very expensive accident if you get it wrong. The first chicane is the Esses and is easy to spot whilst very fast, as is tower which can also be a little scary as you now have to break hard just after in order to make the next chicane Bobbies. This is slower and difficult to spot accurately, luckily there is a sensible run off here and you just rejoin the track. Then its foot down to camp corner in which all you see is a nice white wall approaching you, care is required here as mistakes will be expensive.

The track is 1.5 miles South of the M4 between J17 and J18. It's well signposted from Junction 17, so you cannot get lost.

This charming, 1.84 miles around, circuit is one of the fastest circuits in the country but is fairly safe as there are generally a lot of run-off areas. But watch out for Quarry which sees its fair share of spills and Camp which can have you going off into the tyres near the pits if you drive too fast.  

Facilities are good, with a large cafe with good catering, a bar and reasonable lavatories. Also they have a proper control room and a scruitineering bay.  

These articles make for great reading and a feel for the History of the Circuit