Castle Combe Grand National Meeting..... NG rounds 6 and 7
This NG Road Racing Castle Combe meeting is a real festival for bike fans, with all the regular club championship races…. The King of Combe…. The Lansdowne Classic series…. The 250GP ACU National…. and demonstration laps with a host of Classic and special bikes of interest…. all topped of with laps of the circuit by racing legend John McGuinness who will take Mike Hailwood’s 296cc Honda-6 for a rare spin.
The racing line up for the King of Combe is headed by Phil Bevan on his ZX10R Kawasaki, but has the likes of Mark Compton, Tom Garness, Rod Lynn, Paul Shook and Chris Pope to contend with, all on big superbikes. However Daniel Cooper on his Tsingtao UK 600 Kawasaki cannot be ruled out despite giving away a fair bit in power.
Cooper heads up the frantic 600 Open where he lines up with 2014 top men Max Symonds, Corey Lewis and Dave Manley. Throw in Scott Pitchers, Dale Thomas Luke Smith and Sean Montgomery, and this will be one of the highlights of a packed weekend at The Combe.
The support races include the F400’s with Anthony Van Looy who takes on the vastly experienced local man Nigel Reed. Then there is the so-far-unbeaten in 2014 Sam Wilford on his RRV 450 Aprilia.
The Lansdowne Classics with Duncan Fitchett and his Manx Norton… taking on 7R AJS’s… BSA Goldstars… and G50 Matchlesses’ ridden by the best Classic riders in the UK will give us a great mix of old and new race action.
It all stacks up to 8 hours of on-track action each day.......settle back and enjoy..... "The chase for championship points continues..... but this weekend also offers so much more"
The Circuit.....
Castle Combe as we know is one of the longest established short circuits in the UK with meetings dating back to the 1950’s. All the greats on two and four wheels have raced here, from John Surtees, through Mike Hailwood to Carl Fogarty. Combe is fast… very fast… and very flat, and known to be bumpy in places, so a well-set-up bike is essential. Suspension and traction are key to a fast lap…. and that allied to a bit of bravery !!. On a map it looks straightforward but any racer will say "...it is far from it !".
The Fastest.....
James Cox, set the fastest NG Road Racing lap here at Combe in June last year on his Psycho Racing ZX10R Kawasaki. He hustled the big ZX10 round in 1min 12.82 seconds....that’s an average speed of 91.45mph.
The Phoenix Open..... This is the premier NG Road Racing series, and is again supported by Phoenix Motorcycles from Trowbridge. All the fastest riders of the meeting racing it out for one of the biggest prize funds in the country. The Open competitors have timed qualifying and longer races to earn their points for the gruelling 20 round 2014 championship, ensuring that the very best will end up as champion. Phil Bevan is back and on a new ZX10 Kawasaki to defend his title and after the last round at Cadwell Park he once more sits proudly at the top on this years points table.
The 250 GP ACU National Championship..... Once more we are promoting the UK's premier Grand Prix based series. These former 250cc world championship spec machines are pure race bikes and are designed with one thing in mind......to race. The main series is backed by The ACU and Dunlop along with 100% Suspension Cup and Watchwood, and the new pre-'92 series.
With three podiums from the first three rounds, former champ Ant Hodson heads the current standings, but proven 2014 race winners Dave Hampton and Darrell Higgins, will be all out to wrest the lead away from Hodson.
One To Watch..... Scott Pitchers (No 111 – 675 Triumph Daytona) This is 20 year old Scott Pitchers local circuit, and the Wiltshire man loves the place having scored podiums and race wins here in the last couple of years. He currently races his Team SP 675 Triumph in the British series and, as we speak sits fourth in that National championship. He will be all out to do well this weekend in front of his home crowd, and a host of local sponsors