“One man’s dream! - Richard Peacock created one of the very best circuits in the world at a cost of just £6 million!”

For some of the most iconic circuits in the world, you just need to speak their name to conjure up vivid visions of the sights, sounds and sensations that spell out the essence of ‘motor THUNDER racing’ to true aficionados. Watkins Glen, Imola, Mount Fuji, Le Castellet, Monza, Le Mans, Spa-Francorchamps and Phillip Island are all more than just venues, they are part of the very fabric of motorsport and they are set apart from ‘ordinary’ circuits ISLAND by more than just layout. We get on aeroplanes, trains and buses to travel for thousands of miles just to stand in those locations, because we don’t have anything comparable at ANGLESEYWords: Jamie Clarke PHOTOs: Kevin Hughes home. Before you rush told me he was going to create actually classified as Top Secret. off to the travel one of the most demanding and This is where the Bloodhound agents though, rewarding drivers circuits from missiles and later the Thunderbird have a look scratch, I probably looked at him as 1 & Thunderbird 2 surface to air at one of the though he’d been drinking too much guided missile systems were tested hidden gems of windscreen washer fluid. Like many and refined. When you look at the motorsport that’s others before me and since, I had history of the place it’s almost as if right under your underestimated this quietly spoken it was written that it would become a nose. Welcome man and not only did he obtain the racing circuit. Don’t believe me? Well to North Wales, planning permissions required, try this little piece of trivia:- home of one of he worked the oracle and got the Both the Bloodhound and the most beautiful finances together as well. The total Thunderbird systems used a circuits anywhere cost to date is somewhere around six weapons guidance system designed in the world. I’m aware that’s quite million pounds invested and there and built by Ferranti Electrical Ba big statement, but just look are always ideas in Richards head as Engineering. Ferranti got into around Anglesey Circuit and you’ll to how he could spend more. What financial difficulties in the 70’s find it difficult to argue the point. you now see here is still not quite and were bought up by Thorn Comparisons are often drawn with the finished article, as although Engineering, who were themselves Australias Phillip Island and whilst garages have now been built, the in turn bought out by Tyco you might think that one of them has ongoing development will not stop International. Tyco International are a better climate, I’d just like to point until the facilities here rival the very the owners of Tyco Electrical who are out that the one that has penguins best circuits in the country. now probably best known to most of is not attached to the welsh coast If at any time you should see a you as the headline sponsors of the by the two historic bridges over the tall white haired chap wandering TAS Suzuki BSB team. Menai Straight. around watching the racing, talking During their development period, This is a purpose built racing to drivers or riders, taking an avid the Thunderbird 1 missile systems circuit that came into being largely interest in the general goings were deployed on several key due to one man having a dream and on in the paddock or casting an British airfields and army camps. seeing it through to its conclusion. appraising eye over some far Among them were Snetterton Heath, Richard Peacock is an ex-car racing driver who looked at this old army camp and saw possibilities, where others only saw run down buildings Have you ever thought and sheep grazing next to the sea. “ He literally went and knocked on the door of the Bodorgan Estate offices about using that old army and asked “Have you ever thought about making that old army camp into a permanent racing circuit?” camp as a racing circuit? He was pleasantly surprised by the ” positive reaction and pretty much agreed basic terms over a cup of tea. The original 1 mile circuit here was brought to life utilising the flung part of the circuits environs, East Fortune, Barkston Heath, internal roads of the old camp and you might well be looking at the Haddenham and for a brief 18 month whilst that was good enough to get creator of this great circuit. You see period at RAF Silverstone. All of things started, it wasn’t the vision Richard isn’t someone who got into which became racing circuits from that Richard had in mind when circuit management for commercial the 1950s onwards. he dreamt about what he wanted reasons, he is one of the genuine Many of the corners here have to create. From 1993 to 2006 this motorsport aficionados and is just names of significance to that post circuit operated as a very “clubbie” as interested in all forms of racing war usage of the camp as a weapons venue using that old layout and today as he was all those years ago testing site. The old concrete steadily built a reputation for being when he was a young aspiring racer launching platforms for the rockets friendly and welcoming to all of himself. He still runs his own racing are still partly visible on the cliff face the clubs that used it. Richard had car school and is constantly striving between Rocket and School corners. also surrounded himself with some for ways to get more people involved Target Corner is in direct line with very good people, all of whom are in motorsport. If you get the chance, the flight path of the Jindvik drone still here and very much a part of shake his hand as we need more aircraft that were the ‘targets’ for the success story. That was just people like him in the sport. the missiles flown from Lianbedr to the beginning, because all along the sea area between the Pwllheli plans were afoot to build something Top Secret Test Facility peninsula and the island itself. very special here on one of the No, I’m not referring to secret The Banking has no significance westernmost points of Britain. new vehicle launches, or testing of as a name, it merely refers to the I met Richard many years ago innovative formula one engine parts. positive camber of the corner itself. and I have to admit that when he Until 1979 the army camp here was Turn three at Church Corner is named after the lovely old stone church on deceptively fast and drags you in very deep adds an extra dimension. You can’t lose your the headland behind it. for a late apex that allows you to use the full focus though as you have to wrestle the bike The fast and fearsome turn four at School width of the track to get the power on for the over to the right hand side of the track ready Corner is so called due to the old school downhill run to the Banking. for Rocket One, which is invisible to you at building right behind it, which is now used The short downhill blast to the Banking this point. All you can see as you rush up the as a maintenance store. features a crafty little off cambered dip that hill is the heads of the marshals on the right Rocket One is situated directly above the invites you to enter this banked hairpin hand side of the track, with the rest of your original rocket control rooms, where the fast and wide. This is a very similar corner vision just filled with bare open sky. Thunderbird missiles were controlled from. to Shell Oils Hairpin at Oulton Park and This completely blind left hand turn that Rocket Two is on the spot where the rockets can catch you out as the positive camber only actually appears into your vison at the take off and initial guidance was monitored disappears on the exit in exactly the same last instant, has been known to catch even from. way. This is deliberately designed by Richard the most experienced racers out. As the Peel is named after the famous Radio 1 DJ to be a test of skill and judgement as it is corner appears, it looks as though you’ve John Robert Parker Ravenscroft or John Peel absolutely essential to get good drive out of already overshot the apex, but that is just a as he is better known, who was stationed here to avoid having another rider nipping trick of your senses. So many people get this here during his National Service. underneath and spoiling your line on the corner wrong that there is an extra tarmac On the International circuit you’ll also peel in point at Church. The difficulty is run off area in the head on zone that gets find the Tom Pryce Straight, named after the balancing the maximum possible throttle very regular use. greatest Welsh driver of all time, who was opening without getting caught out by the The exit of Rocket One is where the circuit killed at Kyalami in 1977 after hitting a fire sudden loss of traction as the camber goes suddenly gets very physical, as you have marshal who crossed the track in front of his from positive to neutral, just as you’re almost no sooner got the bike turned left when you car & three others. getting the bike upright. If you manage to discover it needs to be smacked onto its You will note, that although this track master that little trick, you get two very fast other side pretty smartish or you aren’t going has certain corners with fairly bland names gear changes up the box on the downhill to make the tricky double apex right hander such as ‘the Hairpin’ and ‘Club’, you will find straight towards Church Corner, with the sea of Rocket Two. If you’ve done well on the exit no gratuitous references to Peacock, the in the background rushing up to meet you. of Rocket One and have that vital extra half You have to a second in hand, Rocket Two becomes an force yourself extremely viable overtaking spot where a to ignore block pass on the first apex still enables you Everyone, and I mean the stunning to tuck in nicely on the second apex without “ backdrop losing any drive up the hill towards Peel absolutely everyone, though as Corner. Church in You’re now heading uphill again, hugging itself is a the left hand edge of the track and getting takes a good solid dab of sweeping ready for the right hander of Peel that right handed continues to climb right up to the highest corner that point of the circuit. Peel is very similar in the brakes on their first demands nature to Charlies One at Cadwell Park, but courage, instead of continuing right into Charlies commitment Two, it straightens out and throws a new attempt at School Corner and precision. surprise/shock at you. The stunning vista of ” Fast in and the Pwllheli peninsula, the multiple islands even faster glittering on the surface of the Irish Sea out and when and the peaks of the Snowdonia National you get it Park in the background hits you like a landowners or anything else egotistical and right, you carry phenomenal speed down the sledgehammer and you can’t help but to that in itself is yet another measure of the long curved hill towards School Corner. draw breath and just marvel at the sheer modesty of its creator. School Corner doesn’t look like much when beauty of it. The first time I went round the you walk the track, but it is one of the most course on a fine summers day back in 2007, A lap of the Coastal Circuit demanding corners anywhere in motorcycle I very nearly crashed the course car here as The circuit has four different layouts that racing. It is a completely flat out right hand the panorama suddenly presented to me took give the venue a little bit of everything from kink set on the approach to the fearsome my mind completely off of where the track fast sweeping corners to banked turns and compression dip which makes the exit was actually going. Only the most ardent gut swooping changes of elevation that enormously complex. Everyone, and I mean philistine could fail to be affected by this. cleverly use the natural contours of the land absolutely everyone, takes a good solid dab Fortunately, the second time you see it to give an experience to the rider that is of the brakes on their first attempt at School isn’t quite as debilitating to the senses, unparalleled anywhere else. Corner purely because it is so intimidating. because the track kinks slightly left as it The beautiful layout of the 1.55 mile The thing that makes it so difficult is the plunges downhill towards the spectacular Coastal Circuit is most popular with fact that as you are cranked over and hard complex known generally as the Corkscrew, motorcyclists as it really flows, rewarding on the throttle, it feels as though the front but that is actually named Seamans. You and challenging the rider in equal measure. tyres contact patch just can’t take anymore do need your wits about you here too, as The start-finish straight is fairly short inputs or shocks. You are absolutely sure the front tyre paws the air and you have to giving a quick first, second gear blast off the you are hanging onto the very edge of fight to keep it turning slightly left to avoid grid on a race start into the partially blind left adhesion when suddenly the full force of running onto the grass as the white line hander of Target. the compression hits home, shooting up the on the right hand side of the course gently Target itself is unusual in being one of the forks and hitting you like a piledriver being curves across your bows from right to left. few left hand turns straight after the starting applied forcefully to the lower fork bridge! It’s A short squirt of less than 200 metres grid, giving a right hand pole position akin to the sensation you get at the bottom of brings you to the downhill entry to the (only the full circuit at Cadwell Park shares Paddock Hill Bend at Brands Hatch, but here Corkscrew itself. The left hand entry has two this configuration). On a flying lap it is you’re cranked over to the right too, which distinctly different lines and that creates a fantastic overtaking opportunity with the start/finish straight. Finally a corner that’s control - “To stabilise the front, the rear end finish line in sight below you and to your almost flat. Almost, but not quite as simple has to spin slightly and be loose. Too little right. An early entry may gain you the as it appears, as Club Corner has the Coastal and the front will drift wide, too much and place but will leave you exposed to the circuits one final trick up its sleeve, it’s very the rear will swiftly become the front!” Which undercut on the right hander that is upon slightly - yet significantly – off camber. Make I’ve always thought was an excellent way of you before you’ve even fully sorted out no mistake, this is one tricky corner that describing the tightrope walk that results the left hand exit. The gradient gets even initially tries to steal the grip from under your in you being shot out of the front door in an steeper as you hit the right hand apex and front tyre and then sets the rear end spinning enormous highside if you get it wrong. the front tyre is scrabbling for grip due to as it unloads. Many a skilled rider has tasted As you whiz across the line to start another having a seemingly disappearing surface dirt here as a result of needing just one more lap, Target once again beckons, but this time beneath its contact patch. yard advantage on the exit. This is one of at full race pace. This makes it very easy to The swooping downhill exit leads into those corners that absolutely typifies the get sucked in too deep and allow your rivals Club Corner the final left hander onto the saying about steering the bike using throttle to make a block pass, so a careful note of the correct braking marker is an absolute must here. It takes many laps to really get to grips with Angleseys Coastal layout, but the things all of those laps are bound to have in common are fun, excitement, thrills and the certain knowledge that the next lap will be even better.