Top marques for Castle Combe sports car race day

4:56pm Thursday 21st August 2008

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.

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 and 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 Owners' Club Intermarque race, where Peter Dod, from Salisbury, drives 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 and 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 lap.

On hand to benefit if any of the trio put a wheel wrong is Castle Combe's Andrew Jones, who took a third and fourth 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, while the title race goes on a little further behind between Class D runners William Di Claudio, from Chippenham, in the 106 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 was clearly the quickest in the first race of the last meeting, but Woodward was 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 8.40am 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, while accompanied children under 16 are admitted free.