Castle Combe ‘Howards Day’ race Day
01 April 2024
Heralding the beginning of the 2024 race season for Castle Combe Racing Club and Castle Combe Circuit, the annual ‘Howards’s Day’ race launches the season, and took place on 01 April 2024 in what can only be described as the most stereotypical British bank holiday weather possible - we went from gorgeous morning sun, to horrific downpours, to hail and back to some lovely golden hour light to end the day.
Lights out… and away we go!
Starting off with 2x free practise sessions - one for open, one for closed-wheel cars - Howard’s day was off to an interesting start, with challenges posed by the recent downpour making the track slick, combined with the glare from the now-prevalent low April sunlight. Whilst it may have proved tricky for the drivers, it did offer some great photo opportunities, showcasing the spray from the back of the cars and the ever-photogenic ‘rooster tails’ from the open-wheel cars.
CCRC Formula Ford now sponsored by Gulf Race Fuels
CCRC’s in-house Formula Ford 1600 Championship has proven popular over the years, with strong competition throughout the grids, across two distinct classes of performance, all encompassed by the FF1600 banner. This year, the championship is sponsored by Gulf Racing Fuels, as part of a new partnership between Gulf and Castle Combe Circuit.
Throughout the day, spectators enjoyed great wheel-to-wheel racing from the grid, with only a few mechanical issues to report and one or two small incidents.
In the end, it was three-time CCRC champion Josh Fisher in his RF99 that took home the double, winning both races across the day.
CCRC SAMCO Hot Hatch Championship
The Wiltshire circuit has a long history with hot hatch racing, with its in-house series graduating to a full-blown championship for the 2024 season. With a packed grid of over 30 lining up for qualifying, the racing proved fast-paced, intense and gripping, with several spins, shunts and some mid-race weight reduction at Camp corner due to a jettisoned exhaust system, which caused the Nova of Craig Tomkinson to break a wheel due to the impact of running into said disposed exhaust.
500 Owners Association turns back time
Re-igniting a long history with Castle Combe circuit, the 500 owners association and their spritely 500cc F3 cars featured as a guest of honour for the 2024 Howard’s Day race on 01 April, with these methanol-fuelled vintage racers showing that size really isn’t everything.
Powered by 500cc air-cooled engines, the commitment shown by the pilots of the 500 Owners Association is nothing short of admirable, with many drivers exhibiting scarcely-beliveable levels of lean and daring as they rounded the fast-paced corners of Camp, Quarry and through Bobbies in all manner of conditions, from a virtually underwater race 1 (with some hail thrown in for good measure!) to a beautifully dry race 2, which showcased these vintage racers at their best.
Tin tops, GT and Silhouettes make light work of Castle Combe
Further up the performance ladder, the CCRC Gulf Fuels GT Championship, CCRC South Cerney Engineering Saloons and guest grid CMMC Super Saloon/Tin Tops/WRDA made Castle Comble look like a kid’s playground, lapping the historic circuit with incredible pace, as well as fielding some simply incredible cars, such as the ex-Blancpain Lamborghini Huracan, Ferrari 488 GT3 and a plethora of incredibly competitive ‘silhouette’ cars, which kept even the GT3 cars humble throughout the race.
Full Gallery from Castle Combe Howard’s Day 01 April 2024:
