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RE: CASTLE COMBE SUMMER SPECTACULAR, JUNE 28
All to play for in Combe title races
A warm welcome to the Castle Combe Summer Spectacular, event three of the resident racing club’s championship season. It is heartening to see another strong Hot Hatch turnout, and a remarkable entry of more that 20 GT competitors – the best for several years – with a return to a twin sprint race format. Here’s to a fine day’s sport.
Big guns aplenty challenge Dylan Popovic among the Avon Tuning GT contenders. Runner up to Doug Watson by a point last year, the Sarajevo-born Londoner regularly grunts his seven-litre Ginetta-Chevrolet G50 round the 1.85 miles inside 67 seconds, and feels it “has a five in it.” Rivals have similar aspirations.
Tim Adams and father Nick – World Group C2 Sportscar champion in 1989 – have shown pace in their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, but RWD is a steep learning curve for Hot Hatch graduate Tim. Lamborghini Huracan pilots Keith Butcher and Jordan Billinton are chasing consistency too in their V10 bulls, while Chris Everill deserves better luck with his 6.2 Ginetta-Chevrolet G55, now back on song.
Following his Audi R8’s engine failure last month, Dave Scaramanga switches to a Ferrari 488, similar to 2024 champion Watson’s. Dark horses are returnee Tom Walpole in the ballistic KTM GT4 Evo+ pranged last year and Josh Smith who invariably gives allcomers a run for their money in his RLM Suzuki Hayabusa-powered Caterham. Watch for James Kembrey, so impressive on Easter Monday in his BMW M2, Alan Hamilton’s Ford Ecoboost-motivated Vauxhall Tigra clone, Reuben Taylor’s tubeframe Ginetta G40 and WRDA standout Damian Longotano’s Westfield-Millington SE.
The Hot Hatch championship is led by Julian Ellison (Ford Fiesta S1600) and Ben Heywood (supercharged BMW Mini Cooper S R53), with Jason Stack (Honda Civic EP3) a point behind. Julian Fisher (Fiesta ST150) won last time out and heads the pursuit. Double class C victor Scott Hughes (Peugeot 106 GTi) and consistent Mark Culley (Citroen Saxo) chase Ellison in the super-competitive division, with Geoff Ryall (106) – this term’s other outright winner – and Justin Holloway (Renault Clio) on their heels.
After four rounds, Mike Good (1.4 Vauxhall Corsa) heads the South Cerney Engineering Saloon Car Championship by two points. Ten years on from his crown, Mark Wyatt (2.0 Vauxhall Astra) and Wayne Rushworth (1.8 MG ZR) are neck-and-neck behind him. Kieren Simmons (2.0 Ford Fiesta) and James Keepin (ZR) are snapping at their exhaust pipes and Nathan Sutton’s confidence is buoyed by a maiden win last time out in his late father Mark’s 2020-winning ZR. Reigning champion Harrison Chamberlain (2.0 VW Golf GTi turbo) posted a retirement in May, but tops class A jointly with Bill Brockbank (2.0 SEAT Cupra Leon turbo). Adam Prebble’s Astra turbo is fighting him at present, but he’s back, as is triple champion Simon Thornton-Norris (Mitsubishi Colt) on his seasonal debut.
Formula Fords are disappointingly thin on the ground. In the absence of points leader Rory Smith, double champion Luke Cooper (Swift SC20) – who inflicted defeat on the Medina driver in the first of two May Madness rounds – should propel himself to the top of the Motul championship table. Class B leader Nathan Ward (Swift SC92), the Van Diemen-mounted Higgins brothers, Adam and Richard, and Tom Hawkins (Swift SC95) will be eyeing podium finishes. Cooper’s spunky young team mate Sam Skellett is one to watch, while veteran Wayne Poole leads class C. Duncan Fraser (Van Diemen RF08) is a debutant.
Frenetic Mazda action with packed grids is guaranteed in the 5 Club Racing MX-5 Cup triple-header. Buckinghamshire garden centre director Oak Richardson leads the table from multi-champion Ben Short, who sat out Brands Hatch’s season-openers. Jordan Johnson and Thomas Holland are the other winners to date.
Finally, we pay our respects again to fallen sportscar racer Norman Lackford, who trailed his self-built Saxon and a Radical from Cornwall to compete here in his final years. His memorial race is an all-Radical affair. High-downforce SR3s are joined by SR4 and centre-seat PR6 models from the Peterborough manufacturer, which has made more than 3000 cars since 1997 – and claimed five Castle Combe Special GT titles.
MARCUS PYE