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Gary Prebble (car 96) and Simon Norris (car 97), from Melksham, after their coming-together at Tower Corner during the saloon car race (Photo by Tim Crisp)

Melksham driver Simon Norris walked away from another high speed crash at Castle Combe on Monday - just months after surviving a spectacular smash at the same circuit.

His Mitsubishi Evo 9 smashed into the barriers at Tower Corner after colliding with Gary Prebble's Evo 7.

The pair had been fighting for the lead in the Class A and B race of the Saloon Car Championship.

The pair had changed places several times until Norris got on to the grass at the Hammerdown kink, collecting Prebble as he rejoined to send both cars into the barriers.

Norris was again just left with bruises - and a hefty repair bill.

Last year 31-year-old Norris walked away with just bruises after his Mitsubishi flipped on to its roof following an 80mph collision with Christina Lewis' Peugeot 106.

On Monday Combe veteran Brian Cox inherited the win in his Evo 5 and Mark Wyatt (Vauxhall Astra) won Class B.

The best of the Wiltshire competitors was Tony Hutchings, the 2007 champion from Calne, taking seventh place overall in his Turnpike Racing Audi TT.

Westbury's Shane Marshall stormed to his second successive outright victory in round two of the Special GT Championship.

The 2007 Class B champion struggled to get the power down on a horribly greasy circuit for qualifying, but conditions were much more suitable for his mighty three-litre Chrysler-powered Jade when it came to the race.

Unfortunately rival Richard Fearns stalled his Radical a few places ahead of him on the grid, delaying Marshall as he sought to blast off the line.

Nevertheless, he ended the first lap in sixth position, and it didn't take him long to latch onto the tail of the battling lead Radicals of Dave Williams and Rob Clarke.

Once he had dealt with those, he went on to take victory by almost half a minute.

"In some ways it is more fun when you can have a play around," said Marshall of his quest to climb up the order.

"It is a shame there are not more Class A cars out to make it a proper race, though."

Trowbridge's Mark Funnell took a clear win in his Class C Lotus Exige, and took the fight to much more fancied Radicals.

Castle Combe villager Keith Sprules (Ferrari 360 Challenge) was second in the production-based sports car class.

Bratton's Ben Norton came close to grabbing victory in the Melton Concrete Products Castle Combe FF1600 race, despite trailing a plume of smoke from his engine in the later stages of the race.

Bridgwater brothers Josh and Felix Fisher took their turns at leading but in many ways it was Norton, in the Checkpoint Tyres Devises/Wiltshire College Spectrum 011, that was most impressive.

"After the non-finish in the last race I just had to get to the finish,"

explained Norton.

"It took me a few laps to realise that the smoke was coming from my car, and apparently a front oil seal came out - I will find out how serious that is when the bill hits my desk."

Among the other local drivers to feature were Adam Higgins (seventh in the Riadro Racing with Wiltshire College Van Diemen RF01), Steve Gibbins (eighth in the Rygor Commercials Van Diemen RF01) and Jonathan Hoad (ninth in the Royal Purple Oils Van Diemen RF90).

With more than 50 cars booked in by the close of entry for the National Mobile Windscreens Saloon Car Championship two races were allocated, with the smaller capacity cars from Classes C and D taking to the track first.

A brilliant second position overall was claimed by a car from Class D - Will di Claudio's 1400cc Turnpike Racing Peugeot 106XSi.

He was just a couple of places ahead of Jason Cooper, who was runner-up in the class and a highly impressive fourth overall in only his second ever race.

"Jason is a good driver, and if I had slowed down I think he might have got me.

"I missed a gear off the start line and so Jason got alongside me on the run down to Quarry," said di Claudio.

"There's more to come from his car and from mine as well.'"

Sandwiched in between the two was Nick Charles (Peugeot 106), while the MGZRs of 10-second penalty man Nick Mizen (MG ZR) and Chippenham's Darren Hay (Turnpike Racing/The Tile Gallery MG ZR) completed the top six.

2:43pm Friday 9th May 2008

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