Snetterton is one of the fastest race circuits in the country. The layout includes two of the longest straights in the UK, linked by quick corners, and a couple of mind-concentrating chicanes.

Brands Hatch
29 – 30 April

With the Grand Prix circuit rarely used for race meetings or track days, the majority of the action at Brands takes place on the Indy circuit. Fortunately the smaller loop has its own excitement even if it's not a patch on the GP track.

Set in a natural bowl, the Indy circuit has a sort of rhythm to it that no other circuit can match. It's probably the undulating nature of the circuit, plus the fact that when you're moving it is unlikely that you will need a gear other than third or fourth.

Paddock is well documented but at the other side of the Indy circuit Surtees, leading into Clearways, is a bit of an exciting left-hander that also requires a bit of kerb hopping. Clearways is crucial for carrying speed onto the Brabham Straight which in turn could lead to you being first into Paddock.



Pembrey
Date: 27 - 28 May

Located at the bottom of the M4 and then some, Pembrey, it has to be said is a bit out on a limb. However don't let that put you off because it is a great circuit.

It's another airfield job so, again, it's a bit flat which can make finding your way around difficult until you get used to it. The lap is governed by two vital corners: Brooklands Hairpin and Honda Curve. Each leads on to a critically fast part of the circuit so carrying speed is vital. The inner part of the circuit is seemingly a never ending sequence of bends while the incredibly tight Hatchers hairpin is at the end of the longest straight making it very easy to overshoot under braking.



Castle Combe
Date: 24 -25 June

The addition of two chicanes has tamed Castle Combe's ultra-fast reputation, but it's still a unique circuit and one that is becoming ever more important in terms of its stature in the UK racing scene. A full grid of Formula Three cars cresting Avon Rise and braking hard into Quarry should be something to see.

The chicanes have turned Combe into a braking and power circuit rather than a place to carry speed and bravery. It's still plenty quick enough though and there's still the aforementioned Avon Rise and Quarry Corner, a sequence that is just too difficult to be described as a magic moment. Having said that the blind approach to Quarry is nothing if not exciting. However it's all too easy to come barrelling in way too fast and end up in the tyres - usually backwards!



Thruxton
05 - 06 August

Home of the British Automobile Racing Club, Thruxton has the honour of boasting the highest lap speed in Britain, so it's surely worth driving for that alone.

Indeed due to moaning locals track time at Thuxton is severely limited with just a handful of race meetings and test sessions. A track day at the circuit, therefore, is a rare thing.

Being another airfield circuit Thruxton is a bit on the featureless side but typical of the breed much of it is very fast indeed. Essentially only the chicane and the Cambell/Cobb/Segrave complex split up the flat-out sections. In fact over half the lap can be taken with the throttle very nearly planted.



Croft
09 - 10 September

Croft returned to the UK scene in 1995 after a something of a sabatical. Continuing investment has seen the circuit increase in length and gain facilities that put it on a par with the likes of Brands and Donington.

Perhaps the only drawback is the fact that it's a bit of a trek but if you happen to live in the North West, then you're very lucky indeed. Besides it's probably not as far as you think and it's well worth the effort for soft southerners.

As a track Croft is a mixture of fast, slow and technical that will have you thinking and planning probably more than at any other UK track.



Spa Francorchamps
07 - 08 October

The greatest contemporary Grand Prix circuit in the world is but a mere three hours away from Calais. For some it will be quicker to get to Spa than some UK tracks. It's a once in a lifetime experience too, so make sure you make it along sometime.

Set in the Ardenne Forest Spa combines grand scale with a certain majesty. Despite all this it is not intimidating to learn. With wide flowing corners it is easy to plot your course and a morning is all that's needed to get it sussed. That's not to say it's easy though. Far from it. You'll be carrying some serious speed too.

We'll come to Eau Rouge in a minute. It is not the be all and end all of Spa (exhilerating though it is). Other corners will challenge particularly the fast double apex left hander at Pouhon, that will see you changing up half-way through the bend, and the flat-out section from Stavelot through Blanchemont to the bus stop chicane.

The steep downhill run from the La Source hairpin is like launching yourself off a ski-jump. In most cars you'll hit the entry to Eau Rouge in fourth as you flick left and then right. In front is what seems like a vertical wall of tarmac. The compression as you hit it will punch your stomach and suspension in equal measure. Seconds later your stomach will be in your mouth and your springs and dampers will be making a bid for freedom as that windscreen full of tarmac becomes sky. Speed through Eau Rouge is critical because it's a long uphill drag to Les Combs.



Donington Park
21 - 22 October

Donington is the third of the big players on the UK circuit scene along with Brands Hatch and Silverstone. Thanks to owner and ultimate enthusiast, Tom Wheatcroft, Donington even played host to a Grand Prix in 1993. It was a memorable one too, with Ayrton Senna taking perhaps his greatest ever victory in appalling April conditions.

So Donington is another circuit where following your GP heroes is a certainty. It's also one of the best tracks in the UK. Undulating through rolling fields it has character despite its open parkland setting. It also has excellent facilities, not to mention a challenging layout that is dominated by the Craner Curves.



Information from: Circuit Guides - The Faster Way Round