Snetterton Circuit Launch Historic 200 To Celebrate Over 70 Years Of Racing

Snetterton Circuit Launch Historic 200 To Celebrate Over 70 Years Of Racing -Richard Attwood - Ford GT40 - 1966 Snetterton - Photo: Mike Dixon

Snetterton racing circuit have launched a new Historic 200 festival of classic car racing to celebrate over 70 years of history at the track. Snetterton in Norfolk, England is one of those old wartime airfields where the perimeter roads made for a great, fast racing. So fast in fact that the Revett straight is one of the longest in the country.

There is a lot of racing history at the Norfolk venue, many of these long overlooked but built the circuit to what it is now.

There is a strong relationship with Touring Cars and the preceding Saloon Car Racing series. I’ve been there to see some of the fantastic racing that Snetterton provides, and the good views from around the circuit too.

The British Touring Car series has been a fixture for many years as well as the Willhire 24 Hour races. It’s even the host of the 2CV 24 Hour. This strong association with production car racing means that sometimes people don’t think of it as a Formula 1 circuit, which it was back in the early 1960s.

The weekend of the 16th and 17th July 2022 will see Snetterton with Motor Racing Legend host girds of historic GTs. Sports Cars, Touring Cars and Pre War Sports Cars. Using the smaller 200 circuit, which is more in keeping with the older layout which the site has for many years before 2011. Though the original Grand Prix Norwich straight and home straight are no longer there, the drivers will be able to follow something close to that of the 1973 revision.

If you want you can go shopping at the Snetterton Market on Sundays and walk the long Norwich Straight, whereas when driving into the venue you get to drive the old Home Straight, albeit rather slowly.

Maybe this is the beginning of a sort of Goodwood revival type event in Norfolk, I certainly hope so.

MSV Motorsport Events Manager David Willey said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to announce a new flag-ship historic event at Snetterton, in partnership with Motor Racing Legends. The MRL team possesses an enormous amount of passion and has a proven record for delivering successful historic meetings. We’re looking forward to working together to cement the Snetterton Historic 200’s place on the retro competition calendar, starting from this year’s event for which a superb line-up has been compiled.”

Motor Racing Legends will be running six grids at the Snetterton Historic 200, including the Amon Cup – the one-make series for Ford GT40s. Here is the full programme of races:

    • Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy – for pre-’56 and pre-’61 sports cars
    • Historic Touring Car Challenge with Tony Dron Trophy – for ‘70s Group 1 and Group 2 cars and ‘80s group A cars
    • Sixties Touring Car Challenge with U2TC for ‘60s Touring Cars under two-litres
    • Motor Racing Legends Pre-War Sports-Cars
    • Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup – 3-Hour race for Pre-’66 GTs and Touring cars and ‘50s Sports Cars
    • Amon Cup for Ford GT40s

The Historic Racing Drivers Club will be supporting the event with three races, their Classic Alfa Challenge, Jacke Sears Trophy and the All Stars Grid to the new event.

Duncan Wiltshire, Chairman of Motor Racing Legends said “We are so excited to be launching the Snetterton Historic 200 meeting with MSV. Snetterton is long-overdue its own top-level historic meeting.”

The full timetable will be released in good time for the event.

Thanks to Snetterton circuit for the images,

Simon

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