Round 7 of the 2013 championship sees us almost at the halfway point of the year-long fight for honours and silverware. This meeting will be vital for those after one of the coveted class titles.
For sure the Wayside Garages 600 race will be one to savour with Chris Hawkes on his Suzuki taking on, Oliver Hill, and Peter Carr along with young Welsh hot-shot Dale Thomas and local Calne resident Scott Pitchers. Pitchers put on a stunning display last year and the 19 year old will be out to impress again this term on his new 675 Triumph Daytona.
Phil Bevan will be out to bag more points in the King of Combe but will face tough opposition in the shape of reigning Michelin Power Cup Champ James Cox….. Simon Knowlson….Chris Pope… Jason Oakes… and Paul Shook. We can never discount Tom Garness on his rapid BMW or Duncan Gibson with the Ducati Panigale so it will be a hard race to win.
With full grids in all the supporting classes this mid term showdown for points in one not to be missed…..
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… 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 bravery. Quarry is probably the hardest to get right, and most definitely the easiest to get wrong. Also the fast run through Hammerdown to Tower Bends takes effort to get right so everyone will be out to learn this track as quickly as possible. On a map it looks straightforward but it is far from it.
The Fastest
Dan Cooper on his Centurion Honda Fireblade holds the fastest NG Road Racing lap here with a time of 1min 12.96sec…that equates to an average of 91.28mph. Keep an eye on the Open or Powebike classes for anyone to challenge that speed.
The 250GP ACU National Championship
NG Road Racing are once more hosting the prestigious 250GP ACU National Championship, we along with the series sponsors, Dunlop and The ACU are providing an outlet for these Grand Prix derived pure-bred real racing machines. This is the only place that you will see these machines competing in a full National championship anywhere in the UK, action is always guaranteed. There is also the 250GP NG Cup for the up and coming non-national licence holders, who are always out to impress. 2011 Ant Hodson leads the current standings by just one point over Chris Martin, who has been unbeaten in his last four rides.
The Phoenix Motorcycles Open
This is the big one for the NG riders. It’s open to all riders on all bikes, so it really is the best rider on the best bike that comes out on top. There is dedicated timed qualifying….longer races…and more laps on offer than any other class as well as three points scoring races over a weekend. That’s why it’s the premier club class with big end of season money from Phoenix Motorcycles of Trowbridge, all the top riders want to win. Josh Day leads the title chase on his WH Bond ZX10 Kawasaki with defending champion Phil Bevan is hunting him down after a steady start to the year…..but gaining momentum.
Keep an eye on…… Scott Pitchers – SP Racing 675 Triumph – Wayside Garages 600cc Open
Scott loves this Castle Combe circuit, and was the outstanding star here last year…..Scott who is just 19 years old has switched from an R6 Yamaha to a 675 Triumph for 2013 as he is competing in the Triumph Triple Challenge at all the BSB rounds. He has already tasted the podium at National level…… today is a fun day without the pressures of the BSB paddock….a happy rider is always a fast rider !!!
Wayside Garages Performance of the Meeting
As with every meeting there is the Performance of the Meeting Award. Open to everyone, this rewards one rider per meeting for his or her efforts. It is not all about winning races (….. although that really helps !!!!), the judges take all classes and all riders into consideration. Last time out at Donington Park it went to Tom Cook on his TPC Construction R1 Yamaha
Bardahl Top-Oils Newcomers Performance Award (www.top-oils.co.uk)
This is a new award for 2013 from Bardahl Top-Oils and rewards a newcomer for his or her efforts on track. This can either be for a good weekend result, or a one off performance against more experienced opposition. Last time out at Donington Park it went to Mark Strudwick on his MTS Racing RS125 for mastering the really tricky conditions.
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