Circuit Jules Tacheny Mettet

Circuit guide by Chris Pollitt · dates updated 2 November 2026

Mettet has a long racing history, with street races for motorbikes from the 1920s, the Grand Prix Entre Sambre et Meuse from 1928, and Alberto Ascari winning an F2 race on the roads here in 1950. The old road course was last used in 2006, and the permanent Circuit Jules Tacheny opened in March 2010. It's also known for rallycross, having hosted World RX between 2014 and 2018, and the site has supermoto and rallycross areas alongside the tarmac lap.

The main circuit is 2.310km for cars (2.280km on the bike layout) and 12 metres wide. It runs anti-clockwise and is mostly left-handers. It's tight and technical, with only one proper straight and not much run-off, so it's more of a driver's track than a horsepower track. Car days from organisers like GP Days and Belgians on Track attract everything from MX-5s to GT3 cars, and LRC Motorsport and others run bike days. It's one of the closest continental circuits to Calais.

A lap of Circuit Jules Tacheny Mettet

Layout: Car Circuit, 2.310 km (1.44 miles)

Mettet runs anti-clockwise, so expect your neck to ache on the right-hand side by the end of the day. The 609-metre start straight is the only real chance to stretch the car. The braking zone for Turn 1 is a big one, as you arrive very fast and it's easy to lock a front wheel if you're greedy. That opens a run of three left-handers, which are best taken as one flowing sequence rather than three separate corners. Get the line right on the first one and the others follow.

The triple left leads into Turn 4, Agostini, the first right-hander of the lap. Watch the exit here. There's a bump that can unsettle the car just as you're putting the power down, and in the wet the rear goes light and the kerbs get slippery. Rear-wheel-drive cars in particular should stay off the kerbs and be gentle with the throttle. People have spun here and gone into the inside barrier.

After Agostini there's a long, technical left that rewards patience and a smooth throttle foot, then Turn 7, Hubin. This is a blind chicane modelled on the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. You can't see the exit on the way in, and it has caught out plenty of newcomers who end up on the grass. Pick a reference point on your sighting laps and trust it, rather than braking at the last second.

The last part of the lap is quicker, with a fast section leading to a final left that's usually third gear in a road-based car. A clean exit is worth a lot here, because it sets you up for the run down the main straight. The pit lane entry is on the right just after the last corner, so if you're coming in, keep to the right and stay off the racing line.

Track day tips

• Agostini's exit has a bump and slippery kerbs in the wet. Keep rear-drive cars off the kerbs there.
• Hubin is blind. Learn your turn-in point on the sighting laps rather than guessing it at speed.
• The lap is mostly left-handers. Don't run the fuel tank too low, as some cars starve in the long lefts.
• There's not much run-off and few straights, so it's better to be neat than brave.
• There's a motorcycle shop at the entrance to the Mettet XP complex if you forget kit, and a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the track.
• On some organisers' days you can arrive in the paddock the evening before and stay overnight, which saves a very early start from the UK.

Getting there

The circuit is at Rue Saint-Donat 6, Mettet, between Charleroi and Namur. From Calais it's about 260km of motorway through Lille and Mons on the E42. Leave at exit 14 (Sambreville), then follow signs to Fosses-la-Ville and on to Mettet, about 15km from the motorway. Eurotunnel or the Dover ferries both work, and it's a realistic drive in one go. Brussels South Charleroi is the nearest airport, with Brussels Airport also in range. Namur has the widest choice of hotels.