Bikes
Local Racers Out In Force At Castle Combe
A plethora of local riders are wheeling out their machines for the Castle Combe Circuit’s Fowlers Motorcycles Probike National meeting on Saturday September 4.
There are no less than 14 races in the packed programme, but it’s the traditional ‘King of Castle Combe’ 6 lapper which has attracted the bulk of the West Country interest.
Many of the riders showed well at last year’s meeting, including Chippenham riders Freddie Nickless and Nick Pusey on Triumph 675 and Yamaha 1000 respectively. Timsbury’s Alastair Fagan on a Honda 1000 and Radstock’s Rob Jones on his 996 Ducati are others to watch out for.
Nickless, Pusey and Fagan also feature in the two 8 lap Bridgestone Pro-Bike Open championship races which includes Formula Xtreme 600-675cc. They are joined by the likes of Chippenham’s Jonathan Bartram on a Honda 1000, Ross Ashman on a Triumph 675 and James Cox on a Honda 1000, both from Bath, together with Swindon’s Peter Wilson on a Suzuki 1000 and Trowbridge’s John Bundy on a Suzuki 600.
The Allcomers championship race caters for machines up to 690 cc and features top local rider Darrell Higgins in the Dennis Trollope Racing Yamaha 249, a classic former Grand Prix winning machine. Hoping to stay in touch will be Glastonbury riders Simon Marks and Lee Hembury, both on Kawasaki 400s. On the same machines are Damian Smith from Wells and Bristol’s Aaron Ridewood.
All those riders will also feature in the Halo Leathers Two Stroke championship races, which cater for 250 and 125 cc Grand Prix, ‘Post Classics’. Chippenham’s Mike Lines joins them on a Yamaha, with Bristol’s Nigel Reed on a Kawasaki 400.
Staying with a classic theme, the British Historic Grand Prix championship incorporating the ‘Lansdown Classic Cup’ should see Duncan Fitchett from Wroughton as a front runner on his 500 Norton. He will have plenty of ‘Norton’ competition with AJS and Matchless machines also bringing back the memories.
The Sound of Thunder championship races provide further outings for Messrs Jones, Nickless, Ridewood and Ashman, with entries for the Maxxis Corse championship and Ducati 848 Challenge joining in the fun.
The Ducati DesmoDue series races cater for relatively unmodified machines up to 675 cc in two classes, whilst adding a third wheel to the proceedings are the machines in the Yokohama-ACU-FSRA British F2 Sidecar championship 8 lappers.
For those whom a leisurely ride is more appropriate than competition, the Classic Race Bike Parades have machines from the 1951 Douglas of Simon Wavell, made in Bristol, to a 1974 Kriedler GP, a German 50cc race bike.
The event gets under way with practice from 08-45 am, with the first race at 11.50am.
Admission prices are £12 for adults, OAPs £6. Paddock transfer is £2-50. Accompanied children under 16 are free.
For more information, log on to the circuit's web site www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk.
