Three Sisters Race Circuit
Three Sisters Race Circuit at a glance
- Location
- Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Greater Manchester
- Type
- road course
- Length
- 1.5 km (0.93 mi)
- Turns
- 8
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 1978
- Owner
- Wigan Council
- Address
- Three Sisters Road
- Phone
- +44 1942 719030
- Website
- threesisterscircuit.co.uk
Track map and layout
Three Sisters is a short, technical club circuit laid out inside a country park on the site of a former colliery, and it packs eight corners into a lap of under a mile. The Conrod Straight off the start/finish line is the only real chance to build speed before a tight, twisty infield of chicanes and hairpins that rewards precise braking and car control over outright pace, making it a demanding but forgiving circuit to learn on. Named for the three colliery spoil heaps that once towered over the site, the track has multiple configurations (full, perimeter and long circuit variants) used for different karting, car and motorcycle disciplines. Its compact, stop-start nature has made it a proving ground for generations of British karters, several of whom went on to Formula 1.
Named corners and sections
- Conrod Straight. The main straight leading away from the start/finish line, the fastest part of the lap.
- Joey Dunlop Corner. A named corner in the circuit's infield section, honouring the motorcycle racing legend.
- Paddock Bend. A tight bend on the section of track closest to the paddock and pit area.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Full circuit | 1.50 km | Standard 1.5km/8-corner layout used for club car and bike racing |
| Perimeter/kart circuit | — | Shorter kart-specific layout used for public and club karting sessions |
Events and race weekends
Three Sisters does not host a single marquee annual race in the way a national circuit does; instead it runs a packed club calendar of car and motorcycle race meetings, sprints, endurance karting rounds and ACU-licensed bike racing through the year, alongside daily public karting sessions. Series that have used the circuit in recent years include club car racing, the Freetech Endurance karting series and, previously, the British Scooter Sport Series, plus regular test days for regional race teams and driving schools.
Getting there and parking
Three Sisters sits just off the A49 at Ashton-in-Makerfield, between Wigan and St Helens, and is roughly 45 minutes' drive from Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington. Manchester Airport is the nearest major international airport, about 25 miles and 35-45 minutes away by road depending on traffic on the M6/M60.
- Manchester Airport (MAN) · about 40 min drive
Parking
Free on-site car parking is available at the circuit for both public karting visitors and race-meeting spectators.
The circuit sits inside the wider Three Sisters recreation area and country park, so visitors combining a race meeting with a walk around the lake should allow extra time to find circuit-specific parking on busy event days.
Hotels and camping near Three Sisters Race Circuit
Three Sisters is a day-visit venue close to Wigan, so most visitors are on a single-day trip rather than an overnight stay, but anyone travelling from further afield for a club meeting or a karting session has a wide choice of budget and mid-range hotels in Wigan town centre, around 15 minutes away, or nearer the motorway network at Haydock and St Helens.
Where to look
Wigan town centre and the Haydock/St Helens motorway corridor both offer a good spread of chain hotels within a short drive of the circuit.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Three Sisters is a working track-day venue as well as a race circuit: it runs its own public karting sessions daily, plus car track days, 'Track Attack' sessions, drift days for rear-wheel-drive cars, and ACU-licensed 'Bike Attack' sessions for road and race motorcycles, bookable directly through the circuit or via third-party track-day operators.
Who runs days here
Typical cost: Adult karting sessions from around £30-£50; car and bike track days priced per session, typically £100-£200/day
Spectator guide
As a club circuit, Three Sisters has modest, informal spectator facilities rather than grandstands: viewing is mostly free from the perimeter fencing and grass banking around the lap, which is short enough that spectators can see most of the circuit from a single vantage point near the paddock.
Seating
No permanent grandstands; spectators watch from fenced trackside areas and grass banks around the compact lap.
Best places to watch
The paddock straight and the infield chicanes give the closest views of overtaking, and because the lap is so short, most of the circuit is visible from near the start/finish area.
Weather
- Apr-Sep: Typical North West England weather: mild, changeable, highs around 15-20°C with a real chance of rain any time of year
History of Three Sisters Race Circuit
Built on a colliery
Three Sisters takes its name from three enormous spoil heaps, each around 150 feet tall, left behind by the Garswood Hall Colliery, which mined the site from the 1860s until closure in 1958. Lancashire County Council bought the derelict land in 1960 and, with reclamation grants from central government, spent much of the following decade landscaping the spoil heaps and old workings into a country park with a lake, footpaths and a motorsport circuit built into the design from the outset.
Opening and early years
The recreation area, including the race circuit, opened to the public in November 1978, and the track was quickly picked up by Motorsport UK (then the RAC Motor Sports Association) and the Auto-Cycle Union as a licensed venue for club car racing, karting and motorcycle events. Its short, technical layout made it a popular home for regional race series and, above all, for karting, where its tight corners and low costs suited drivers cutting their teeth in the sport.
A karting nursery
Over the following decades Three Sisters became one of the best-known karting circuits in the North West, hosting rounds of national junior and cadet championships. It is best known outside racing circles as a track where several future Formula 1 drivers raced as children, including Lewis Hamilton, who won the Cadet class of McLaren Mercedes' Champions of the Future series there in 2006, with Lando Norris and George Russell among other future F1 drivers who also raced there during their karting years. Motorcycle racer Neil Hodgson won his first race at the circuit in 1990, one of many British riders to have started their careers there.
Present day
Three Sisters remains an active, multi-purpose motorsport venue run under Wigan Council ownership, combining daily public karting with a full calendar of club car and bike racing, sprints, endurance karting and track days, including car and bike 'attack' sessions and drift days. It has never chased the profile of Britain's national circuits, but its role as an accessible, low-cost venue for grassroots racing and karting has kept it busy and relevant for close to five decades.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Three Sisters circuit?+
The full circuit is 1.5km (0.93 miles) with 8 corners; shorter kart-specific and perimeter layouts are also used.
Can the public drive or ride at Three Sisters?+
Yes. The circuit runs daily public karting sessions plus regular car and bike track days, including drift days and ACU-licensed bike sessions, bookable directly or through third-party track-day operators.
Why is it called Three Sisters?+
The name comes from three large spoil heaps, each around 150 feet tall, left by the former Garswood Hall Colliery that once occupied the site before it was reclaimed as a country park in the 1970s.
Which famous drivers raced at Three Sisters?+
Several future Formula 1 drivers raced there as karters, including Lewis Hamilton, who won a Champions of the Future Cadet-class title at the circuit in 2006, along with Lando Norris and George Russell.
Is there a big annual race at Three Sisters?+
No single marquee event; instead the circuit runs a packed year-round calendar of club car and bike race meetings, endurance karting rounds and track days rather than one headline race.
What is the nearest airport to Three Sisters Circuit?+
Manchester Airport, about 25 miles and roughly 40 minutes' drive away.
Other tracks nearby
- Aintree Circuit · 21 km · road course
- Oulton Park · 37 km · road course
- Donington Park · 113 km · road course
- Birmingham Superprix · 125 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Croft Circuit · 127 km · road course
- Anglesey Circuit / Trac Môn · 129 km · road course
Facts checked against 4 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-09.