Historica Racing Festival 2012

Historica Racing Festival 2012

Historic and vintage Carshow and car race

Starts: 04/09/2012

Ends: 2012-04-09

Castle Combe Circuit

Chippenham , Wiltshire

Images© and story by Tim Surman Photography, Contact Photographer For Information on Photos of this Event

Castle Combe Historica, Monday 9, April 2012

The first Bank Holiday of the year in the UK is normally wet and this year was no different for the Historic race meeting at Castle Combe circuit. The rain started in the morning for qualifying and just got worse through out the day and because this was the first real rain of the year the track was like an ice rink.

Of course all the rain added to the action on the track with sideways opposite lock racing in all classes. There might have been classics from the late 1950s and early `60s but the racing was clean but full on, it was a brilliant sight to see the Austin Healey 3000 Mk.1 driven by Ted Williams, going sideways lap after lap.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the MGB and the first `MGB50` race was at the Castle Combe Historica. The grid had 20 MGB`s cars, including a MGB WSM GT driven by Tony Wilson-Spratt, a MGB Le Mans driven by Barry Sidery-Smith and a MGB Sebring with Anthony Binnington at the wheel. But it was the number `12` MGB Works car driven by Paul Campfield that really enjoyed the really wet track with opposite lock coming out of almost every corner.

The classic racing was broken up with more model machines in the Castle Combe based Championships. These included the VADABAR Sports & GT Championship,Saloon Car Championship supported by Nation Mobile Windscreens and the Formula Ford 1600 Championship.

The weather might of tried its best to ruin the day, but the drivers and action of the Castle Combe based championships and the historic racing entertained the crowds.
Tim Surman 4-2012