Pembrey Circuit is a racing circuit outside
PembreyPembrey is a village in Carmarthenshire Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay.-History:The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre...
village, south
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. Wales has a population estimated at three million and is officially bilingual; Welsh and English have equal status, and bilingual signs are the norm throughout...
. It is deemed to be the home of Welsh
motorsportMotorsport is the collection of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles.Motorsport includes all forms of motor racing as well as non-racing motorized sports.-Motor racing:...
, providing racing for cars, motorcycles, karts and trucks. The circuit's facilities have also been used for a single venue
rallyRallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
.
History
The stimulus for the creation of a racing circuit at
PembreyPembrey is a village in Carmarthenshire Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay.-History:The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre...
was the closure of the motor racing facility at
LlandowLlandow is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The village is located south west of Cardiff.- Amenities :Within Llandow is a small medieval parish church, whose history dates back to the 11th century, with a saddleback tower dedicated to the Holy Trinity.Adjacent to the village is a...
near
CardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales...
. In 1981 the
Welsh Race Drivers’ Association (WRDA) was formed with the expressed intention of developing a new race circuit in Wales. At the same time the former RAF airfield at
PembreyPembrey is a village in Carmarthenshire Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay.-History:The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre...
, which had been used a chicken farm, was acquired by
LlanelliLlanelli , the largest town in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby tradition and is a centre of tinplate production...
Borough Council. Following a representation by the WRDA the decision was taken to construct a racing circuit at the venue. The first race meeting was held on the 21st May 1989, and the winner of the first race at the circuit was Nigel Petch in an MGB.
In 1990 the
BARCThe British Automobile Racing Club is one of biggest organising clubs for auto racing in the United Kingdom.-History:The Cyclecar Club was formed in 1912, running races for the small and light motorbike powered vehicles at Brooklands as well as rallies and sporting trials.In 1919, with cyclecars...
signed a 50 year lease to operate the circuit on behalf of Carmarthenshire County Council.
Testing
The circuit is also popular for testing, due to its varied corners and its secluded location. Formula One teams have tested at the circuit in the past including McLaren and their drivers
Ayrton SennaAyrton Senna da Silva, was a Brazilian racing driver and three-time Formula One world champion...
and
Alain ProstAlain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
in the late 1980's.
ArrowsArrows Grand Prix International was a Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins of the team:...
,
BenettonBenetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from 1986 to 2001. The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as...
,
JordanJordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
and
WilliamsWilliams, the trading name of Williams Grand Prix Engineering Ltd., is a Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head. The team was formed in 1977 after two earlier and, compared with WilliamsF1's achievements, unsuccessful F1...
have all tested at Pembrey in the early 1990s with
BARBritish American Racing was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year...
being the last F1 team to test at Pembrey in 1998. The Seat and VX Racing BTCC teams have also recently tested there as has
Nigel MansellNigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver from England who won both the Formula One World Championship and CART World Series...
in a GP Masters car. These cars are likely to have set times far faster than the official lap record, However, convention suggests that lap record is the fastest lap set under racing conditions. Therefore, that honour goes to Argentine Formula 3 driver, Brian Smith, who drove a
DallaraDallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993...
F397
HKSHKS can mean:*Harvard Kennedy School, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.*HKS .*HKS Arquitectos, Latin American branch of HKS, Inc. Architecture firm.*HKS , Japanese automotive accessory company....
MitsubishiThe , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
.
Configurations
The circuit has two different sections, an all tarmac race circuit and a rally cross circuit utilizing some of the race circuit with an addition off-road surface. The circuit is operated by the
British Automobile Racing ClubThe British Automobile Racing Club is one of biggest organising clubs for auto racing in the United Kingdom.-History:The Cyclecar Club was formed in 1912, running races for the small and light motorbike powered vehicles at Brooklands as well as rallies and sporting trials.In 1919, with cyclecars...
(BARC) under the terms of a 50 year lease from Carmarthenshire County Council. A third configuration was also used in 1996, which was that of a short oval. This followed the race circuit from the Start/Finish straight, through the first two corners of the track, before turning left at the third corner and returning to the Start/Finish straight.
Major Events
The circuit has hosted the
British Touring Car ChampionshipThe British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
twice, in 1992 and 1993 at which time the championship was the most popular motorsport series in the UK outside
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all...
. Formula 3 races have also been run at Pembrey Circuit.
Today the circuit does not host such high prestige events. The facilities currently at the circuit are no longer suitable for hosting such events and the circuit would need some investment in order to get back onto the BTCC and F3 calendars. Currently the circuit's owners are spending money improving their other circuits including
Mallory ParkMallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47, between Leicester and Hinckley. With the full car circuit measuring only 1.35 miles it is amongst the shortest permanent race circuits in the UK...
and
ThruxtonThruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England. Originally built in 1940 as RAF Thruxton, a World War II airfield and home to both the RAF and USAF, it was used for troop-carrying aircraft and gliders during the D-Day landings. In 1946 it was...
.
However, over the winter of 2005/06 a new pit lane was constructed. Highlights on the current calendar include a round of the British
RallycrossRallycross is a form of sprint style automobile racing, held on a closed mixed-surface racing circuit, with modified production or specially built road cars, similar to the World Rally Cars, although usually with about stronger engines, due to e.g. their 45 mm turbo restrictor plates. It is...
championship and two rounds of the British Truck Racing championship, organized by the BTRA
http://www.btra.co.uk/. Also a
Great and British Motorsport FestivalA Great and British Motorsport Festival is a package of motor races organised by the BARC and promoted by Dunlop. The events are a new addition to the motorsport calendar and appears at the Snetterton, Brands Hatch, Pembrey, Silverstone, Thruxton, Croft and Donington Park racing circuits...
is held at the Welsh track. The circuit serves as the main venue for the
Welsh Sports and Saloon Car ChampionshipThe Welsh Sports and Saloon Car Championship is organised by the BARC and the Welsh Racing Drivers’ Association, the main venue of the championship being Pembrey. 2009 sees the championship travelling to Brands Hatch...
and 3 single venue rallys held in February, October and in late December.
External links