Intended to be an RAF bomber base, construction of Snetterton Heath started in Autumn 1942 but continued until mid-1943, because it was extended after allocation as an Eighth Air Force bomber base. It had eventually three concrete runways, 50 hardstandings and two dispersed T2 hangars. Three more T2 hangars were erected on the nearby site of Eccles Air Depot but that was never completed. The 386th Bomb Group equipped with B-26s occupied this station for a week in early June 1943, and was replaced in mid-June by the 96th Bomb Group equipped with B-17s. After some 300 missions from Snetterton Heath, the 96th Bomb Group left for the USA during November-December 1945. The station was then placed under Care and Maintenance by the RAF and kept in operational condition until closed in the late 1940s. The airfield was bought privately in 1952 for development as a motor cycle and motor car racing circuit, the first race meeting being held in 1953. The much modified and upgraded circuit has since become a thriving venue for local club, national and international racing, and also for development and testing of motor vehicles.