Motorsport is a strong part of the UK’s sporting history, with karting and its venues at the heart of it. From some of the highest profile drivers, starting on home made kit & small budgets, to businesses starting track side out of the back of vans, rebuilding kit & selling parts. They wouldn’t have got very far without a place to practice their trade. These places not only played host to the rich history of the parties above, but also to themselves and the areas they were built in. Starting out as a pipe-dream in the mind of an enthusiastic Motorsport fan, to a once famous landmark or place of business. This is a project exploring the birth of UK kart circuits, fueled by a brief history lesson to get my head around what spawned them!
The iconic name for the circuit comes from the 1860-1950s, when coal mining was big business in the area. The land hosted many mine shafts, warehouses and workshops, formerly known as Garswood Hall Collieries, ran by various mining enterprises over the years. It employed thousands of people in the area including women and children. From the extensive mining, three giant slag heaps slowly sprouted from the unwanted dirt and refuse. They grew to over 150 feet high by the end of the collieries in 1958. The residents grew rather fond of them, naming them the ‘Three Sisters’ or ‘The Wigan Alps’, becoming an infamous landmark of the area.
20 yrs on the industrial eyesores slowly transformed into a 44 hectare nature reserve, reclaimed by Manchester Council, with Wigan Metropolitan Borough taking it off their hands to carry out the completion of the project. The site opened in 1978 with a visitors centre, a motor racing circuit and lake. Over the years continuing work was carried out, planting trees, laying footpaths and expanding the facilities for the public to enjoy, with the addition of a BMX track in the 1980’s. The area slowly got left to mother nature to take care of, as cut backs were made in public spending, but this only enriched the habitat, granting it the title of Local Nature Reserve.
The circuit itself has seen it’s fair share of notable Motorsport events and categories due to it’s versatile design of a long straight, wide surface, off road sections and elevation, a telling story of the lands diverse history. Disciplines such as bikes, rally cars, tin tops, drifting and karting have all made an appearance and continue to do so. Many national and club championships have all graced the tarmac, including the highest level of British Karting.
Three Sisters Circuit is one of, if not the fastest karting track in the UK and has one of the most challenging sectors for any driver, The Valley. Get it wrong and it’ll chew up both driver and kart, leaving a tangled mess at the other end. While gut wrenching it’s also very rewarding when done right.
Three Sisters continues to be at the heart of the UK Karting and Motorsport community, it’s diverse history flows throughout all of it.
As you complete the impressively long straight and navigate the twisty entry into the Valley, you’re greeted with a blind climb. Not only does this leave you clueless to what incidents lie ahead, it then immediately leads you into a descending S bend, lined with kerbs that will send you and your kart anywhere but the tarmac. As you glance the kerbs you have to physically shift your weight in your seat to navigate the tight exit, crashing back down onto the club circuit with a warm backside as your seat scrapes the tarmac. Instantly you’re greeted by a gradual right hand sweep leading onto the pit straight, where you can finally blink the sweat from your eyes. The Valley is a roller coaster ride from start to finish, certainly compared to the monster straight before it, which leaves you wondering whether your engine is about to give, come the end. It is a defining sector of an already fast paced and legendary layout.
Three Sisters has seen its fair share of difficulties of late, one of which in 2017 saw the owners put both the track itself and the driving school into liquidation. £700,000 in arrears was the the figure touted. All track days and events that the punters had already booked, were up in the air, causing a massive public outcry. Thankfully through the power of the Motorsport community, the ‘Save Three Sisters Circuit’ campaign was born and a new owner emerged, saving the track and it’s facilities. Not only did they take on the business and all it’s debts, they set to upgrading it, undertaking a much needed track and paddock resurface, transforming the circuit in a very short space of time. Since then the track as slowly returned to it’s former glory, boosted not only by the new owners but Motorsport UK. With Motorsport UK taking over the British Championship, they decided to bring this prestigious event back to Wigan. This in turn has encouraged drivers to test here throughout the year, therefore boosting numbers!
Three Sisters continues to be at the heart of the UK Karting and Motorsport community, it’s diverse history flows throughout all of it, reflecting on it’s iconic, robust and nitty gritty past. Long live Three Sisters!