Pembrey Circuit

Circuit guide by Chris Pollitt · dates updated 2 November 2026

Pembrey is Wales's main race circuit, laid out on an old RAF airfield near Burry Port on the Carmarthenshire coast. It held its first race meeting in May 1989, built after Llandow closed, and the BARC has run it since 1990. It's had the BTCC, British F3 and British Superbikes over the years, and it's the place a lot of Welsh racers learnt their craft.

At about 2.35km it's short and very flat, so there's no elevation to hide behind. Lap time comes from being tidy in the slow stuff and brave through Woodlands and Honda. That makes it a good place for novices, with decent run-off and a lap you can learn in a couple of sessions, and a great one for smaller cars and middleweight bikes. The sea air means the weather can change fast, but the crowds are smaller than at the English venues and the days are relaxed.

A lap of Pembrey Circuit

Layout: Race circuit, 2.348 km (1.46 miles)

The lap runs clockwise. The start-finish straight is the longest on the circuit, and it ends at Hatchets Hairpin, the slowest, tightest corner at Pembrey. It arrives sooner than you'd think, so pick a braking marker early and stick to it. Go in wide, take a late apex and use every bit of the exit, because you're straight into Spitfires, a right that you want to approach from the outside edge.

Next is Dibeni, where you change direction while picking up the throttle. Bikes short-shift here. The track opens out past the paddock and into the Esses, a double left followed by a right. The trick is to square off the second left a little so you're more upright, and pointing the right way, for the right-hander. Get it wrong and you'll be fighting the car or bike all the way through.

Brooklands Hairpin, a right, is one of the two corners that really matter. It leads onto the Speedway Straight, so give up a little on the way in, take an earlier apex and get the car straight and on the power as soon as you can. Anyone overdriving the entry here loses time all the way down the straight.

Then comes Woodlands, a fast right kink that most regulars rate as the best bit of the lap. A dab of brakes is normally enough, and committing to it properly takes a few sessions. Honda Curve follows, a right that tightens slightly and has bumps under acceleration. Get the approach right and you carry speed all the way down to Hatchets again.

Track day tips

• Hatchets comes up fast at the end of the main straight and is where most people overcook it. Brake earlier than you think on the first few laps.
• Brooklands and Honda feed the two fast straights, so prioritise a clean exit at both over a heroic entry.
• Car track days are usually monitored at 94dB(A) drive-by and bike days at 96dB(A), so a loud aftermarket exhaust can be a problem.
• It's right by the sea and very exposed. Wind direction changes braking points and the weather can turn quickly, so bring a spare set of wets if you have them.
• Run-off is decent all the way round, which makes it a sensible first circuit, but it's flat, so look well ahead to find your markers.
• Burry Port and Llanelli have fuel stations and supermarkets close by, which saves carting jerry cans all the way from England.

Getting there

Pembrey is just west of Burry Port, next to Pembrey Country Park, at postcode SA16 0HZ. Come west on the M4 to where it ends near Pont Abraham, then follow the A484 through Llanelli towards Burry Port and Kidwelly. Kidwelly is the nearest railway station, a short taxi ride away. Cardiff Airport is the nearest airport for most visitors, and the Fishguard and Pembroke Dock ferries are within reach for anyone coming over from Ireland. Llanelli and Burry Port have the nearest hotels and B&Bs.