Castle Combe Racing Club successfully previewed its 2023 racing season with a Media & Track Day providing an opportunity for drivers and teams to test cars and meet journalists and snappers from motorsport magazines including Autosport and Motorsport News, before the season starts in earnest at Howards Day, Easter Monday 10 April.
Typical spring weather provided an ideal combination of wet and dry conditions to test chassis set-up and tyre choice at the 1·85-mile Wiltshire circuit. Cars representing the club’s five resident championships; Formula Ford, GT, Saloon, Hot Hatch and Mighty Minis, ran on track arranged in four 15-minute sessions each hour running 6 times between 9am and 4pm and allowing teams plenty of opportunity to change and tweak suspension and engine settings in between.
Some of the GT, saloon and Hot Hatches equipped with two seats provided white-knuckle passenger rides to demonstrate the challenging and uncompromising nature the circuit – based around the perimeter track of the former WWII airfield – presents to drivers trying to achieve that perfect lap!
For those wanting to sample Castle Combe’s challenging circuit without risking cars and no-claims bonuses, Wiltshire College, resident at the circuit, had their Caterham race simulator available which encouraged a steady stream of aspiring and more experienced race drivers, eager to test their skills throughout the day. The quickest lap of the day was rewarded with a trophy.
Steve Billet was running a Spectrum O11B Formula Ford was quick to compliment CCRC, “Just wanted to feedback what a fantastic day the Media Day was. Good vibe in the paddock, plenty of track time, looking forward to seeing the pics/vids etc. Also, just to say the quality of the food in the Tavern was fantastic. Please pass on my thanks to all involved.
Also using the pre-season test day for his Formula Ford racing team was Wayne Poole, who said, “Don’t change anything for next year, leave the format of the day exactly the same, including the weather!”
Souley Motorsport, another professional FF racing team based in Stroud, Gloucestershire is operated by former competitor Brian Soule who said: “We’ve enjoyed a useful and productive day testing before the season starts and like the format.”
Anniversaries being celebrated at Castle Combe in 2023 include the Circuit’s 73rd birthday in July, 80 years since the MoD constructed the tarmac perimeter track, 25 years of Mighty Minis thrilling crowds and 70 years since Stirling Moss last raced there in Oct 1953.
It also marks the 10th anniversary of the annual Dave Allan 40-minute race for Saloon, Sports, and GT cars in memory of the popular Honda test driver who lost his life in an accident while testing a car. This year the Dave Allan race is on Monday 1 May.
Castle Combe 2023 Race Calendar
- April 10th Howard’s Day Race Meeting
- May 1st Mayday Madness Race Meeting
- June 10th/11th Summer Spectacular Race Meeting
- July 15th Carnival Race Day Race Meeting
- August 28th Combe Countdown Race Meeting
- September 23rd Autumn Classic Historic Festival
- October 7th Finals Race Day
© Images: Michael Stokes