Very Special Driving Experience Offer – Saturday 19th November
If you fancy treating yourself – or someone else to a pre Christmas drive in a 220 bhp Ford Focus ST2 and Lotus Elise – and save £60, then phone the circuit office, we have a few places available on both the 8.15 am and 10.15 am sessions – on Saturday 19th November 2011 at £175 per person – down from £235. (Bookings need to be received by Thursday 17th November 2012).
Exciting Race Meetings in 2012
Fastest Cars to Return
Startline - New Taster Session
There is a real buzz at the circuit at the moment as, after what has been by our standards a disappointing race season, we have our eyes firmly set on making 2012 a season to remember – for all the right reasons. Autosport magazine once said of Castle Combe Circuit that we provided the best national racing in the country and through the hard work of Castle Combe Racing Club over the last few months we believe that 2012 will again let us lay claim to this title.
At the time of writing most race meetings of 2012 are absolutely full up with exciting content.
For next season we will have a strong classic theme, but just to give you an overall taster of what’s in stall, here are some brief snippets.
Easter Monday, 9th April the Historic Racing Drivers Club will run races for touring cars, pre 65 touring cars, Jaguar XK’s and grand touring cars bringing back the spirit of the 60’s.
Monday 7th May, a re run of last May’s popular Motors TV meeting. It’s also a return of the Mini Se7ens and Miglias and the MINI Challenge for modern MINIS which we haven’t seen since 2010. All highlighting a packed race meeting which will start on the dot at 1pm with the last race of the day scheduled to start at 6pm fulfilling the needs of the satellite channel.
Monday 4th June is the revised Bank Holiday date fitting in with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee coronation year so we celebrate with another British icon.
Heading this meeting will be the Mighty Minis and the Super Mighty Minis with 2 races each headlining the day.
Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th June is our first 2-day race meeting of the season and is almost two separate meetings over the same weekend. Saturday sees the return of the Lotus Club Cup and Elise Trophy whilst Sunday turns into a Japanese race day with some 400 competitors expected to compete in the Toyota MR2’s, Nippon Challenge and Mazda MX5’s and Mazda Mk 3’s. Such is the number of races expected on this day that the lunchtime will be squeezed.
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd July our second 2-day meeting of the year will be titled the Castle Combe Classic 50 as we have linked up with the nearby Classic and Sports Car Club to bring some evocative cars of the 60’s and 70’s including the amazing special saloons. If you have never seen a Cosworth powered VW Beetle the legendary Big Bertha Vauxhall or the fastest DAF in the world, then this is the meeting to come and enjoy them. Races for Jaguars, German produced cars, various derivatives of Caterhams in the Magnificent Sevens race will all be vying for that top spot.
Monday 27th August will feature 60 years since a Porsche first raced in the UK and fittingly here at Castle Combe Circuit. One of the highlight meetings of the year, it’s also a return of Ferraris, Morgan’s, the Porsche Club Championship and a new addition the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.
On the car side we then close with another new initiative a 2-day meeting over the weekend of Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th October, but again 2 completely different programmes. Saturday is all about historics with just about anything from pre war sports cars, historic Aston Martins and Jaguar XKs, Austin Healeys, Sunbeam Alpines and Tigers and a 50’s inter marque challenge over 30 minutes featuring a pit stop. Sunday will be our Grand Finals Day featuring the last rounds of the Castle Combe Championships.
Of course all car meetings will feature rounds of the Castle Combe Championships for Formula Ford 1600’s, Saloons and Sports & GTs.
On the motorcycle front, we were concerned that it might be difficult to better what we put on this year with Carl Fogarty, and the Ducati Superbike Team but, in fact we’ve gone one better as we will have 2 bike meetings. However, a delay in publishing the British Superbike Calendar has meant we are still finalising the dates, although these should be announced together with the event content later this month – so watch our website for latest developments.
Big Bangers Return
For many, including this writer, some of the Castle Combe highlights over the last few years have been the stunning performance of the top sports cars in the Sports & GT Championship. For a variety of reasons the class structure was changed a few years ago to limit the sports cars to a maximum of 2 litres, thus depriving us of the sights of the Jades and some of those amazing cars. However, the great news is that for 2012 the championship regulations have been amended and the top class is back with Jade already talking about entering 2 cars, and our own ex GT Champion Nigel Mustell considering some races in his awesome 7 litre Aquila, it should be fun!!
Season Tickets now on sale plus new style passes for both classic fans and a new style pass covering our 4 Bank Holiday Meetings.
With prices held yet again for our Season Passes and with Christmas coming up they could make an ideal gift for any petrol head or for any enthusiast who want to save money. At £95 they give you admission to all our of 12 race dates, 10 car dates and 2 bikes, plus all day entry into the paddock and admission to our 4 Action Days. With the number of race we have got planned for 2012 this works at less than £1 a race, so pretty good value.
However, for those enthusiasts who can’t get to all meetings then why not consider our new Bank Holiday Monday Super Pass. It does what it says on the title, providing admission and all day paddock access for the 4 very popular Bank Holiday Monday meetings and all for a cost of £48. If you attended each of these 4 days individually and paid to come into the paddock then the cost, on the day would be £70, so a significant saving to see what, are arguably, the best 1-day race meetings in the country.
And, we haven’t forgotten our classic fans with such a strong programme for 2012 we have introduced the Classic Mega Pass. This gives you entry on Easter Monday over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd July, Monday 27th August to enjoy the Porsche 60 year festival and admission on Saturday 6th October for our new Great Western historic day. All this plus entry to the Classic and Sports Car Action Day for the bargain price of £55, a saving of over £40 if bought individually on the day.
And more bargains…
Launched just earlier this week on 1st November and under the headline of
Stuck for a Gift Idea?
Is a whole range of driving experiences and track day with some amazing free gifts. How about buying a Lotus Driving Experience for someone special in your life at £345 and getting a free Season Pass worth £95. Or a Motorcycle Track Day at £125 but then receiving a voucher to purchase a second day at half price or book a Rally or Single Seater Experience and get race meeting tickets worth £35. It’s all available on our website and that’s not all, each week we are running an additional special offer, so do phone the office for details.
Tasty Taster Sessions
For many of our customers getting out on the track is a daunting experience and although our ‘New to Track’ sessions for both our bike and car track days have proved popular, sometimes it is a little off-putting for someone new to the track to take a full day session. As a pilot scheme back in the September we tried a taster session on our motorcycle track days for just £40 giving riders a detailed safety briefing and 3 sessions on the track, one behind an instructor to learn the correct Castle Combe lines. Customers loved it because it gave a great introduction to track riding, was competitively priced and the individual found out whether track riding was him or her or not.
So we have extended it to now include car track days when on selected days we will now have Taster Sessions for just £50 but, for all our track days and regular customers if you book one full day you receive a voucher to book any second day at half price.
And youngsters too
Startline our driving scheme for 13 – 16 year olds has received great reviews by local safety bodies and the press alike and it’s great value. The price of nationally advertised schemes which usually run around a few cones in a shopping centre car park rather than the excitement of being able to learn on an international race circuit would work out at over £300 for 6 hours. However, great value that it might be not everyone may be able to afford £150 for a gift, so we have another taster course, this is 2 hours with over 90 minutes in car both observing and driving and it comes in at just £59, again around half the price of nationally advertised young drivers schemes – and it’s around the circuit support roads and on the track itself.
But if that is not good enough value, how about buying one full stage course at £150 and get a taster course voucher free. Please note that all special offers are available throughout the Christmas period but must be booked by not later than 31st January 2012.
Famous Visitors
The Honda TT Legends Team made a recent appearance at the track with none other than 17 times TT winner, John McGuinness. The team were starting their preparation work ready for the 2012 Isle of Man TT and were able to pick possibly the best day weather wise in a 10 day period which suited them admirably.
We hope to see more of the team next Spring.
Circuit Improvements
As always our maintenance team have been hard at work before the real bad weather sets in and with local contractors Webcox, managed by up and coming Formula Ford driver Pete Diccox, a new run of debris fence has been installed between Folly and Avon Rise giving spectators who enjoy the spectacular speeds reached by the top cars at this spot even great protection.
New Building Opening
Visitors to the circuit will have seen the substantial development of the Race Control building which has been enjoyed by all our drivers, offering a new drivers centre, a great shop and much improved competitors signing on facilities the new building has been a great success – but lacked a name. However, on 28th October we asked local MP, James Gray to formally open the building and name it The Kay Thomas Centre. Kay Thomas originally allowed racing to start here in 1950 on land that had been owned by her family for generations and through her determination and drive in the early 50’s she was instrumental in working with the Bristol Motorcycle and Light Car Club to even attract Formula One cars. Kay sold the circuit in 1976 to Howard Strawford and with the approval of Kay’s descendents the building will now be know as the Kay Thomas Centre. So with panels on the wall in the Kay Thomas and the Strawford Centre’s we have a complete history of the circuit from it’s opening in 1950 right through to the present day.
It’s Been Good to Help
It’s been a full on year with charities using the track for a variety of purposes this year to raise awareness and funds. The DubAid event back in the spring included a drive through Wootton Bassett for Help the Heroes and this was repeated in July for Minis, both using the circuit.
Race meeting charities have been down on previous years but still the charities involved were able to raise several thousand pounds during the year, but our target of trying to raise £10,000 for local good causes through car boot sales floundered as we hit bad weather on three occasions, but nevertheless again several thousand pounds was raised.
One amazing act of generosity and repeated for the second year running was that of Christopher Darwin who has organised two track days here and through the generosity of those taking part has been able to raise around £5,000 with £2,250 raised in October alone. Christopher runs track days somewhat differently fining drivers who venture on to the grass and customers whose mobile phones during briefings, but it is all done in good spirits with customers happy to pay up. We hope we will see them again in 2012.
And thanks
And finally, as always a big thank you whether you have come here to race, to spectate, to attend a car boot sale or for any other purpose, then thanks. Your visit is important to us and, rest assured we are working hard to provide you with great value, great entertainment and an ever improving facility.
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