Ferraris, Porsches and Aston Martins, three of the most coveted and admired car marques in history, are the stars of the show at the Castle Combe Circuit’s A Plant LUX Sports Car Race Day on August Bank Holiday Monday, the 25th August.
Races for the Porsche Club Championship, the Pirelli Ferrari Formula Classic and two Aston Martin encounters, see a variety of road going, classic and highly modified examples, some extremely valuable, all very desirable.
A number of local drivers feature throughout the packed, 10 race programme, the Ferrari 15 lapper having Peter & Richard Moseley from Frome in a 328 and 308 GTBs respectively. Bristol’s Richard Squire has his 328 GTB and Monmouth’s David Hathaway a 355 Challenge, which he also races in the Aston Martin Owner’s Club Intermarque race, where Peter Dod from Salisbury peddles his Sunbeam Tiger, one of five in that race.
The Aston Martin Championship race has Salisbury drivers John Goldsmith in his DB6 and David Reed in a DB2.
A full grid of cars present themselves for the Porsche Club Championship races, including the Porsche 968 CS of Cardiff’s Roger Pearce.
Continuing the sports car theme, Bristol’s Andrew Potter fields his Morgan Roadster Lightweight in the Powertorque Morgan Motor Company Challenge race. Mike Walker from Wells will have his class leading Crossle 9S right behind the mighty Cobras in the Sports Racing & GT Challenge.
Tensions will be running high in the Melton Concrete Products Formula Ford 1600 Championship race after the coming together of title rivals Josh Fisher from Bridgwater and Ed Moore from Bradford On Avon at the last double header meeting.
After claiming pole and leading the first five laps, Moore was sidelined after the pair collided into Quarry, Fisher going on to win, followed by his younger brother Felix, a performance they repeated again in Sunday’s race.
With Bratton’s Ben Norton also on the pace of this battling trio, expect another gripping 12 laps and as they say constantly in F1, ‘anything can happen’.
On hand to benefit if any of the trio put a wheel wrong is Castle Combe’s Andrew Jones who took a 3rd and 4th in the Ray GRS07 last time, with Chippenham’s Adam Higgins not far behind in his Van Diemen RF01 and Nelson Rowe from Wotton Under Edge poised to be on the pace with his new Van Diemen RF99. Returning to the scene is last year’s Class B champion, Steven Jensen, from Saltford in the new Swift SC08.
The National Mobile Windscreens Saloon Car Championship has the mighty Mitsubishis, including that of Melksham’s Simon Norris and Cheltenham’s Laurence Kilby battling at the front, whilst the title race goes on a little further behind between Class D runners William Di Claudio in the 106 from Chippenham and Jason Cooper from Yatton Keynell in his Fiesta.
The youngsters fought tooth and nail last time, Cooper taking the first race and Di Claudio the second.
Class B should see a four way dice between Bristol’s Mark Wyatt in the Astra, reigning double champion, Tony Hutchings from Calne, in his Audi TT, Portishead’s Tim Maddocks in the Civic Type R and Bridgwater’s Tony Dolley in his 206, which took the honours at the last race. Bath drivers, Ingram Legge and Angus Cunningham have their pair of Nissan 200 SXs.
The MG ZR seems to be the car to have in Class C, with Adrian Slade from Devizes and Bristol’s Nick Mizen both taking a win at August’s double header meeting.
Westbury’s Shane Marshall will have a resurgent Guy Woodward from Bath to contend with in the savesometax.co.uk Castle Combe Special GT race. Both drivers use identical Chrysler engined Jades, Marshall clearly the quickest in the first race of the last meeting, but Woodward ahead in the second and looking strong until engine failure sidelined him.
A busy Josh Fisher took a third and a second place in his Mantis Supersport last time and had been running close behind Woodward and Marshall until brake problems obliged him to settle for Class B honours. Kemble’s Ed Lovett in the Norma M20, Swindon’s John Avery in the Mallock P21 and Trowbridge’s Andrew Shanley in the Radical Prosport are some of his rivals.
Equal on points with Marshall, but one behind on fastest laps, is Class C main man Mark Funnell from Trowbridge in his road going Lotus Exige, a pair of ninth places overall in July embarrassing plenty of runners in the more modified classes.
Monday's action starts at 8.40 am with qualifying, racing getting under way from 12:45 pm.
Admission prices are £15 for Adults, £7.50 for OAPs, £2.50 for Paddock Transfer, whilst accompanied children under 16 are admitted free.
For further information, visit the Castle Combe Circuit website on castlecombecircuit.co.uk built by Racecar
