Snetterton: The Norfolk Airfield That Became a Cornerstone of British Racing
Drive along the A11 through the flat farmland of south Norfolk and you could almost miss it: a scatter of grandstands and pit garages rising out of the fields between Thetford and Norwich. Yet this unassuming stretch of East Anglia is home to Snetterton, a circuit that has been in continuous use since 1953 and whose tarmac sits on the runways and perimeter tracks of a Second World War bomber base. Few venues in Britain pack so much history into such a quiet corner of the countryside, and few have reinvented themselves as often, or as successfully, as this one.
From bomber base to racing circuit
Snetterton owes its existence to the Second World War. The site was built as RAF Snetterton Heath, one of the many airfields constructed across East Anglia to serve the Allied bombing campaign against occupied Europe. The flat Norfolk landscape was ideal for aviation, and the county filled with runways during the war years. Snetterton Heath was handed over to the United States Army Air Forces, and American bomber crews of the Eighth Air Force flew missions from here in B-17 Flying Fortresses, enduring some of the most dangerous duty of the entire conflict. When peace came, the aircraft left and the airfield fell silent, like hundreds of others across eastern England. But the wartime infrastructure, wide concrete runways, connecting taxiways and a perimeter road, offered exactly what the booming post-war motorsport scene needed: large, flat, paved surfaces far from residential neighbours. In 1953, racing began on a circuit laid out over the old airfield, and Snetterton joined the ranks of British tracks, from Silverstone to Goodwood, born from military aviation.
The pioneer years
The circuit that opened in 1953 was fast, sweeping and distinctly of its era, with long straights inherited from the airfield layout and quick, open corners lined by grass banks rather than gravel traps. Through the 1950s and into the 1960s Snetterton established itself as one of the country's premier venues. It hosted non-championship Formula 1 races in the early 1960s, events that drew world championship drivers and teams to Norfolk and gave local spectators the chance to see the sport's biggest names at close quarters. The original layout measured around two and three quarter miles, and its Norwich Straight and Revett Straight allowed the cars of the day to reach tremendous speeds. Snetterton in this period was a serious circuit for serious machinery, a regular fixture on the calendars of national single-seater, sports car and saloon championships, and a favourite testing ground thanks to its long flat-out sections.
A school for champions
Snetterton's most lasting contribution to motorsport may not be any single race but the drivers it helped create. Jim Russell, a racer turned instructor, founded his famous racing drivers school here, and the Jim Russell school became a template for driver training worldwide, giving thousands of aspiring racers their first taste of a competition car. Just as significant was Van Diemen, the racing car constructor based at the circuit. Van Diemen became the dominant force in Formula Ford, the entry-level single-seater category that served for decades as the first rung on the ladder to Formula 1. In 1981 a young Brazilian named Ayrton Senna arrived in England and won his first car-racing championship in a Van Diemen, learning his craft on British club circuits including the one where his car was built. The list of future stars who cut their teeth in Formula Ford machinery from Snetterton is long, and it ties this quiet Norfolk venue directly to the very top of the sport.
Contraction and survival
Like many British circuits, Snetterton faced hard economic realities in the 1970s. In 1974 the track was shortened, losing the long Norwich Straight loop and settling into a compact layout of just under two miles that would define the venue for more than three decades. Shorter did not mean less busy: the truncated circuit was cheap to run, easy to marshal and perfect for the club racing that is the backbone of British motorsport. Snetterton also carved out a niche in endurance racing. In 1980 it hosted the first running of the Willhire 24 Hour, the first 24-hour motor race held in Britain, an event that became a beloved fixture through the 1980s and 1990s and proved that round-the-clock racing could work on a compact club circuit. Through these decades Snetterton remained a fixture for the British Touring Car Championship and British Superbikes, and its Sunday market became a local institution, keeping the site alive and busy even when the engines were quiet.
The MSV era and the Snetterton 300
The modern chapter began in 2004, when MotorSport Vision, the circuit operating group led by former Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer, acquired Snetterton alongside Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Cadwell Park. MSV invested steadily in facilities, but the transformation came in 2011 with the most ambitious redevelopment in the circuit's history. A completely new infield section was constructed, creating the Snetterton 300: a layout of nearly three miles, about 4.8 kilometres, that restored the venue to the length and stature of its early years. The rebuild also created the shorter Snetterton 200 and a compact 100 configuration, giving the circuit flexibility for everything from national championships to testing and track days. New pit buildings, improved spectator banking and modern safety standards completed the job. Almost overnight, Snetterton went from a well-worn club venue to one of the most complete racing facilities in the country.
A lap of the modern circuit
The Snetterton 300 is a genuine driver's circuit, and its corner names read like a roll call of motorsport history. The lap begins with Riches, a fast right-hander, before the Montreal hairpin demands heavy braking. The infield section added in 2011 includes corners named Palmer, Agostini, after motorcycle legend Giacomo Agostini, Hamilton and Oggies, a sequence that rewards precision and rhythm. The Bentley Straight leads to Brundle and Nelson, the former honouring Martin Brundle, the Norfolk-born Formula 1 driver and broadcaster who is one of the county's favourite motorsport sons. Then comes the old circuit's signature sequence: the Bomb Hole, a dipping right-hander whose name nods to the site's wartime past, followed by the long, loaded right of Coram that seems to go on forever, tightening into Murrays, named in tribute to the legendary commentator Murray Walker. The Senna Straight brings cars back to the line. Between the modern infield and the classic closing corners, the 300 blends two eras of circuit design into one satisfying lap.
Race weekends today
Snetterton today is one of the busiest circuits in Britain. The British Touring Car Championship visits every season, and its Snetterton rounds are known for close, physical racing into the Montreal hairpin and slipstreaming battles down the long straights. The British Superbike Championship brings huge crowds for what is regularly one of the fastest and most spectacular rounds of its calendar. Beneath the headline events runs a constant programme of club racing, from historic sports cars to modern one-make series, along with track days, driving experiences and testing. The circuit's location, roughly midway between Norwich and Thetford on the A11 and within easy reach of Cambridge, makes it the motorsport home of East Anglia, a region that also hosts Lotus at nearby Hethel. Seven decades after the first race, the old airfield is louder and livelier than ever.
Explore on the map
Snetterton is just one point in a worldwide network of circuits with stories to tell, and former airfields turned racetracks are a particularly rich seam of motorsport history across England and beyond. On our interactive map you can find Snetterton in its Norfolk setting, trace the other airfield circuits of East Anglia and the wider United Kingdom, and discover venues on every continent. Zoom in on the flat lands between Norwich and Thetford, then zoom out and see just how far the racing world stretches.