Castle Combe
The Castle Combe Circuit is a 1.85-mile (2.97-km) raceway operating on a decommissioned RAF airfield 30 minutes away from Bristol, England. The road course runs on the airfield perimeter, whose lands were re-purposed for civilian use in 1948, with the first race organized in 1950. Several local motor clubs host their events at Castle Combe, with Formula Ford being the most relevant competition regularly held on the track. The oceanic climate of Bristol guarantees some degree of wetness in the track surface, with 123 rainy days on average and pleasant temperatures year-round.
The layout of Castle Combe is semi-triangular, with three tight angle turns in the triangle vertices and several sweeping turns around the trajectory. There are seven corners in the clockwise circuit, with the fast-paced sweeper Folly taking the first spot from the start/finish line. The 60-degrees Quarry Corner regulates speed from 220 km/h (136 mph) to approximately 130 km/h (80 mph). The Farm Straight comes next, and not too far away a chicane called The Esses. High-performance race cars can get to full-throttle through Old Paddock Bend and Hammer Down, slowing a bit on Tower Corner to prepare for Bobbies, the second chicane of Castle Combe. To close the circuit, drivers go top-speed through Westway, the Dean Straight, and Camp Corner, back into Folly at 220 km/h (136 mph).
