We have been watching with great interest the development of a new race track just 8 miles from Chalais. Set in a wooded bowl just outside the village of Martron, the circuit will play host to Formula 3 and saloon cars.
Building of the circuit was delayed for over a year by the discovery of a rare tortoise, and in a very un-French display of consideration for wildlife, work ground to a halt.
But with opening planned for June we decided to take a closer look today. We had been warned that security guards on quad bikes would stop us getting too close, so we decided that the best time to go would be a lunchtime, when no self-respecting Frenchman would not be at his table.
And sure enough, we parked outside the main entrance, got the bikes out of the car and cycled unimpeded down the approach road and onto the circuit.
It’s difficult to guage the speed of a race track on a push bike, but one long sweeping bend looks like it will be pretty quick and is followed by a hairpin that will test the brakes.
They have been renovating a couple of old Charentaise buildings to make a club house, restaurant and driving school, and the pits are still not yet built. There is a kart track under construction in one corner of the site that we hope will offer another activity for our visitors.
A little later a friend told us about a video on YouTube advertising the track, which despite the poor quality of the video is quite a slick presentation. It looks promising, but a June opening does seem a little unlikely, unless they start to work through their lunchtimes.
