JV wins €310 million race track contract

Spanish contractor FCC has teamed up with Welsh contractor Alun Griffiths to win a £250 million (€310 million) contract to build a new motor race track in Wales.

The joint venture will construct the Circuit of Wales motor sport development on an 336 ha plot on a mountain top near Ebbw Vale. The main racetrack will be approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long and built to both FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) and FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) standards.

As well as the main circuit, an international kart track and motocross tracks are also planned. The development will include a technology park adjacent to the circuit to cater for higher specification research and development, as well as support services in the automotive and motor sports sectors.

A motor sport race academy will also be created to develop young Welsh, British and European elite riders and drivers.

Valleys Development Company awarded the contract, and an application for planning is scheduled to be delivered in November. It is claimed that the project is the most significant capital investment programme in automotive infrastructure seen in the UK in the last 50 years.