LOCALS V DEBUTANTS IN CARNIVAL CLASH

The final meeting of the 2005 season at the Castle Combe Circuit looks set to

become a battleground between the regular local drivers and much vaunted

newcomers when the Melton Concrete Products Formula Ford Carnival hits

Wiltshire on Saturday October 8.

The fastest local runners from the circuit’s own Formula Ford championship,

including newly crowned champion, Tim Reynolds from Chippenham and last

year’s champion, Ed Moore from Bradford On Avon, face a new challenge in the

annual event from the likes of Peter Dempsey, a Formula Ford super star with

25 wins under his belt already this year.

Unlike Reynolds and Moore, Dempsey has only one day of testing to learn the

challenges of Castle Combe’s high speed sweeps, but has already expressed the

belief he can beat them on home territory in his Swift SC92. This is the same car

used by Reynolds and many other local front runners including Stroud’s Paul

Barnes and Saltford’s Steven Jensen.

Giving family support to Dempsey is his cousin, Morgan Dempsey, the 2004

Northern Irish champion.

Other names to watch out for are Bob Higgins and Ben Norton. Bath based

Higgins is perhaps the most colourful Castle Combe champion of all time and

whilst now old enough to have fathered the likes of Reynolds and Moore, can

 still give them a run for their money when he is on form.

Norton, from the village of Bratton in Wiltshire, has been one of the revelations

of the 2005 season, completely dominating the Sarik Vacform sponsored Class C

of the Melton Concrete Products FF1600 championship and able to run with the

 newer cars from Classes A and B.

Nevertheless, Ed Moore and his Van Diemen RF01 showed such dominance in

the final race of the local championship, he must be seen as favourite for what is

the most lucrative event of the year, a plethora of sponsors creating a record

prize fund, including £750 for the outright winner.

Whilst the Formula Ford races are the centre of attention, the full supporting

programme has its fair share of interest and none more so than the DACS ARP

Formula 3 Championship.

As well as the conclusion of the championship battle between Richard Marsh

and Keith Baldwin from Devizes, there is much interest surrounding 21 year old

Al Khateeb from Wick near Bristol.

Despite just a year’s experience in the Melton Concrete Products Castle

Combe Formula Ford 1600 championship, Khateeb was determined to show his

ability in a slicks and wings formula in 2005, a pre-season test at Castle Combe

in Mark Bailey’s Dallara Mugen-Honda seeing him demolish the lap record.

Having contested only four ARP meetings since, the youngster won at Donington

Park Circuit from the back of the grid, took another dominant win at Oulton Park

and set lap records at both despite never seeing them before.

As the current lap record holder at the Wiltshire track too, expect some real

fireworks from the youngster keen to end his season on a high.

A plethora of local drivers are contesting the MRC Stoneguard Blaze

Mono Championship races, many of whom have been regular visitors to

Castle Combe in the past.

Warminster’s Geoff Fern was a regular in the circuit’s own Formula Ford

Championship and now has his two Van Diemens out in the 1600 and 1800

classes.

Stroud’s Jim Blockley has his unique Bowman BC3 in the 2 litre class,

Tewkesbury’s David Dudley another unusual car, the Anson SA4, in the

same class.

In the National Mobile Windscreens Saloons, Nailsworth’s Keith Murray

needs Russell Poynter-Brown to have his first non-finish of the year if the

local man is to take the title.

Even so, Bristol’s Mark Wyatt and his Astra will be doing their best to deny

Murray another victory with the super quick Audi A4 Quattro.

Class B has Cardiff’s Tony MacWhirter also needing a win with his Corsa to

have a chance of the class title.

In the Special GT race, Westbury’s Shane Marshall has the Class B title as a

possibility with his Mallock P21, Doynton’s Dave Smith looking safe in 3rd.

The day’s action starts at 8.40 am with qualifying, racing getting under way

from 11.35.

Admission prices are £10 for adults, £5-00 for OAPs, and £2-50 for paddock

transfer with accompanied children free.