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The Castle Combe Circuit’s final race meeting of the year, is also the last opportunity drivers will have to compete at the circuit in its current configuration.
Following plans recently announced, the famous 48 year old circuit will have two of its corners re-aligned over the winter months, making the Formula Ford Carnival meeting on Saturday October 3 an historic occasion.
One of the attractions to competitors will be the opportunity to set lap records for the current circuit which will be set in stone for all time. At last year’s carnival, the circuit’s long standing Formula Ford lap record was broken by former quadruple HEAT FF1600 champion, Gavin Wills, who shaved it by just one hundredth of a second!
Pre ‘90 HEAT FF1600 champion elect, Hugh Elliott, from Bradford-On-Avon will be one of the many local entries for the carnival in his Van Diemen RF89. The furthest entry comes all the way from Brazil!
Supporting the main event are the finals of the circuit’s Mobile Windscreens Special GT & Pagid Performance Braking Saloon Car Championships. Both are being fought out between two contenders from different classes.
The latter has local man, Julian Howell from Radstock, in his Class C Mini, 3 points behind the Class A Astra of Russell Humphrey from Didcot. A finish in the first four will be enough to secure Howell the class, but the overall title will depend on Humphrey having an uncharacteristic finish out of the top three. Meanwhile, Bridgwater’s Tony Dolley has already clinched Class B.
In the Special GTs, Burnham-On-Sea’s Geoff Thorne could influence the outcome of the title by taking points from leader John Robinson, who is defending a two point advantage from Richard Borthwick. Thorne’s rotary powered Lola has already won outright once this year.
Further Formula Ford action continues with two races for Classic and Super Classic FF1600, including Nick Lott from Bath in a Merlyn and Bristol’s Simon Drake in a Van Diemen RF80. In Super Classic, Swindon’s Gavin Rissone has a Reynard RF84.
For saloon car enthusiasts, there are no less than four races for both the Ripspeed Super Road Saloon Championship and the Demon Tweeks/Yokohama/CCC Stock Hatch Championship. Tewkesbury’s Patrick Grove is the sole local entrant in his Fiesta XR2.
Finally, Castle Combe’s most popular non-motorised event of the year, the 'Tour de Combe' returns. Open to anyone with a bike, the single lap of the circuit attracts every kind of entry from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Money raised from the donated entry fees goes to the Motor Racing safety Fund. As well as Trophies for the first three, the most unusual and the youngest will also be rewarded. Last year’s winner was FF1600 racer, Hugh Elliot, with Luke (son of Racing School Alan) Cooper aged five, finishing the 1.84 mile course in remarkable time.
Saturday’s action starts at 8.30 am with qualifying, racing getting under way from 13.15 pm. Admission charges are £6 for adults and £2.50 for children, OAP’s and paddock transfer.
Westway House
Castle Combe
Chippenham
Wiltshire
SN14 7EY
Tel: 01249 782417
Information: off the B4039 5 miles north of Chippenham