Situated on the West side of the Isle of
Anglesey this circuit is in the depths of Wales. It is very
easy to find but watch out for the speed ramps on the
approach road, and heavily pot holed dirt track. There
are a few covered garages but it's mainly open parking,
and with views out over the Irish sea off School Corner
don't get caught out sight-seeing.
There are
plenty of small B&Bs and hotels within the local
vicinity with good beer and home cooked food. There are
no major
hotels nearby and we wouldn't recommend Bangor, although
it does have a cheap travel lodge for those who crave a
chain hotel.
Being so remote there are loads of places to visit
whilst travelling to this circuit.South Stack lighthouseis
just North, and you would have passed the place with thelongest
name in the UKas
you drove onto the island. Snowdon and the Pen-y-Pass
are only 15 miles South of Bangor and well worth a detour.
Click For Larger Map
As for the circuit, following its extensive
redevelopment in the winter of 2006/2007, the much
improved circuit now has various layouts. 'Coastal' and
'International' are the layouts usually used for track
days. The circuit lacks in facilities with the burger
van the only place on site to eat or drink. There are no
garages so when the weather is bad, you are going to get
wet.
Starting with The Coastal
Circuit, turn 1 is a very fast approach and care must be
taken on both the entry and exit as the run off to the
inside of the circuit is limited. The corner itself can
be taken quickly but you must remember to use all the
road on the exit, bringing the car back to the left of
the road for the Bookatrack hairpin. The banking of the
hairpin makes this a very tricky corner, but thanks to
the camber, it is possible to carry more speed into the
apex and use the camber to carry more speed through the
exit. Church is the next corner and is the most
difficult of the lap. The corner is very wide and is a
constant turn which leads you to believe it is flat - it
is NOT! Care should be taken on the exit to avoid
running onto the grass. The next section leads up to the
Rocket complex and is nothing more than a flat out kink
before the steep uphill climb to Rocket. The following
complex is very tight and patience is required to get
the most from this section. Braking for Peal is critical
as the circuit begins to fall away from the turning in
point, on to an early apex, that leads into the fast
downhill approach to the corkscrew. Braking here is
critical as the run off is relatively small and the
Corkscrew is very tight, but very rewarding when driven
correctly. The final left hander that completes the lap
is very straightforward, but care must be taken so as
not to pick up the power too early and cause the car to
understeer wide on the exit.
Much of the International circuit is the same, but
instead of going through the Corkscrew there is a very
quick left hand corner called Seamans that is slightly
off camber. This leads on to the Tom Pryce Straight. On
approach to the hairpin there is a seam in the tarmac
that runs across the track; use this to judge your
braking point. The run down to the final left hander
completes the International lap. Picking a braking point
is very tricky as it is very easy to overdrive the last
corner of the lap. The corner has a very fast open
approach but then tightens mid corner, so be careful not
to be caught out.