Castle Combe Track Day Sat 17th March, from £130 with all profits to charity

[griff]

Happy New Year to all.

Now spring is finally on the horizon it's time to think about getting those dust covers off and a first blast of the season. What better place than the brillaint Castle Combe circuit where we're running a charity track day on Saturday 17th March. All profits from this event go to Sue Ryder Care (the paliative care and hospice charity you hopefully all know form their High Street shops). The aim is to keep the price realistic but also raise as much money as possible....a real challenge!!

It's a totally normal Castle Combe track day which is run by their professional team and marshals so will be really smoothly organised, safe and the usual great fun this circuit always provides. I'll be there windscreenless and topless so no excuses about the weather - but in the unlikely event of rain I can vouch it's just as much fun in the wet. That said in recent years our March events have been more reliable for good weather than the summer.

There is one small difference to this day. We're asking willing drivers to "sell a seat" for a single passenger - perhaps a friend or relative or work colleague - for a trifling £30. The driver tops this up with £130 for the track day so we get the full £160 but net cost to the driver is £130. Compare this with the £195 charged by some organisers and you see what a bargain this is. But if you prefer to go "solo" or don't have a passenger seat to sell then it still only costs you £160, cheaper even than Castle Combe's own days and with fewer cars (we're max 12 per session). It's first come first served, so get your bookings and payment in soon.

Of course if any charitable drivers are willing to take out another passenger and give them the experience of a few laps of the circuit, we have lots of punters desperate to part with £30 and all of this money goes striaght to Sue Ryder. A trial version of this arrangement last year with just 7 cars raised over £1000 and the drivers all got a great kick from the fun they gave their passengers. Castle Combe are providing the helmets for free too, and we'll take care of the rest - you just drive.

We intend to run 4 sessions per hour starting at 9am after the briefing (signing on from 8am), aim to go straight through lunch to make best use of the time, giving the opportunity of up to 8 sessions in the day which equals lots of laps. The real die hards are likely to get extra slots in the afternoon as others leave for the day...

More details on the event from the links below:

Castle Combe web site calendar

MotorAid website - more details of this event

Details on Facebook

For those wanting some instruction on track we will have at least one instructor on hand during the day. At £20 a go this is invaluable for getting the most out of your car and understanding the finer points of driving at castle Combe - well worth the money and again all proceeds to Sue Ryder.

And if the day isn't good enough aready, Bristol Motor Club are operating their AutoSolo course near to the pits. If you've never tried it then you must, but take care as it's highly addictive. AutoSolo times you in your own car against the clock around a short and twisty circuit. It's an adenalin packed mini-sprint and BMC will be keeping leader boards to show how you fare against your mates too. A great chance to settle those longstanding debates about who truly is quickest - but be warned, a well driven mini beat an over-enthusiastic track toy. We'll be organising a couple of nice prizes from sponsors for the quickest drivers too. Price for AutoSolo entries is £20 of which half goes to Sue Ryder (and you can join in the AutoSolo event even if you're just coming to watch the track day). Your money pays for three timed runs and includes annual membership of Bristol Motor Club which is a very active and freindly outfit. If you want even more attempts to try and beat your best time - and you probably will - then a further £10 buys three extra timed runs.

I hope you'll support us. Booking is on a fist come (first paid), first served basis so be quick with your entry. A booking form can be downloaded here. Please email with any questions about the day.

Cheers and happy driving in 2012.

Mike (Griff)

[griff]

Not a single Westfield so far!?!? But we have got Elises, Caterhams (maybe they're made of sterner stuff ), TVRs and some other good toys. Spaces are filling up steadily so if you want to treat yourself to this great venue at an excellent price, raise money for a good cause too, then let's hear from you soon.

Cheers,

Mike

Email me direct: mike@quidnunc.co.uk

[stephenh]

Sound limit might be a problem for a lot of Westfields? Some of us have problems with sound checking at Castle Combe for the sprint which is the first round of the Speed Series.