Castle Combe is located off Junction 17 or 18 of the M4 and
is signposted from both Junctions. The circuit has in the
past hosted rounds of the British GT and Formula Three
Championship but sadly in recent times noise restrictions
have limited the racing schedule. Viewing at the circuit is
fantastic, with access to virtually the whole outside of the
circuit. The onsite facilities are basic but the food is
very good and is traditional. There are no garages on site
but the paddock does have a large amount of hard standing.
The circuit is ultra fast with only the introduction of two
new
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chicanes in 1999 helping to reduce the overall lap speed. The first section
through Folly and Avon rise is very bumpy and picking a braking point can be
tricky. It is important to make sure you use Avon rise to set up your approach
to Quarry, which has a reputation for being one of the most dangerous corners in
Britain. As you round Avon rise you will see a set of traffic lights on the
fence line straight ahead. Initially head towards them as this will give you a
good point to aim at before a late turn into Quarry. The approach to the Esses
is quick and you can attack the kerbs here but be careful of the tyres on the
inside apex. It is worth pointing out that if you over shoot the chicane you can
return to the circuit via the access road and not a U-turn
on the circuit.
The right hander that follows the Esses is very quick and
should be approached from about two thirds width of the
track on the entry.
This leads onto the fast straight that runs down to Tower,
which can be very intimidating because of the large solid
wall straight ahead and will encourage you to brake early.
Be careful not to take too early an apex as it is important to
use the full width of the track, but be warned there is
little run off here. Bobbies Chicane is a much slower
approach than the first chicane but you can get back on the
power early and stay on the power all the way through Westway and up to the braking point for Camp. A good place
to judge your braking point is the pitlane entry road. Camp
is a very fast final corner of the lap. Mind the small bump
by the apex but carry good apex speed and use all the road
on the exit.
Although Quarry has a reputation we’ve found the circuit
to be one of the more incident free tracks that we visit.
With such a small circuit limit over a long lap other cars
are not an issue: in fact in terms of quiet track it doesn’t
come any better! In addition, anyone spinning to the inside
is usually met by a nice open field. The points where there
are issues during racing, such as at Quarry, are normally
covered well in the briefing which results in drivers being
more sensible in those areas.
With one of the highest incident rates of any corner on any circuit in the
UK, the combination of Avon Rise and then Quarry presents more of a challenge
than may appear, and less run-off than at other corners. Please lose speed by
braking before turning in to the approach to Quarry as cars will go light at the
brow of the hill so any braking done at this point could cause the car to lock
up and cause an unplanned visit to the tyre wall. Please consider yourself
warned. Particular attention will be paid to this in the briefing.
Closest Fuel Station
Local fuel is 50 yards left out of the main entrance and
Optimax is available 4 miles away on the A420.
Accommodation in the Area
There are many local B&B’s plus a couple of Travel
Lodges and a Premier Inn local.
