10/06/2026
Whitsun Warriors Race Day couresty of EDP Photo News
Whitsun WARRIORS Raceday Mon 25th May 2026
El scorchio !
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Race report copy
SPRINGTIME SCORCHER AT CASTLE COMBE
The third meeting for the four Castle Combe-based championships was held on a searing Spring Bank Holiday Monday, along with the annual Dave Allan Trophy. Luke Cooper had Welsh star Tom Nippers to contend with in the FF1600s on this occasion. The championship leader put his Swift on pole by seven hundredths from the incoming Van Diemen for the opener, which led into Quarry for the first time but a small slip allowed Cooper in front. The pair remained inseparable and Nippers drove the long way around Quarry to claim the lead with just under five minutes to go. Cooper kept nipping at the Van Diemen’s heels but had to settle for second, not helped by a late misfire. Nippers started from pole for the rematch and the Van Diemen made the best start as Cooper had to fight his way past stablemate Sam Skellett. Cooper was powerless to prevent the visitor from speeding to victory as he suffered his first defeats of the year. The best fight of the race was for third as Skellett and Nathan Ward battled it out and the latter got the verdict on the final lap, with Ward dedicating his podium to the recently passed Tom Hunter Jnr. Corey Webber continued his domination of the Hot Hatches with another pair of wins for the Honda Civic, along with a new lap record in the opener. Mark Wyatt led the chase in the first outing until contact at Quarry put the Astra in the tyres, which put Lee Waterman in the position but the Honda began to fade and Adam Wilks ultimately took the runner-up spot from Joe Hathaway in third after starting 15th. The Fiestas of Julian Fisher and John McMilllan swapped places early on in Race Two as the former finished second. The other Fiesta later pitted to push Erling Jensen’s Mini onto the podium but he had his hands full with James Blake, Joe Hathaway and Chris Aram. The latter briefly got to the head of the group but threw the place away with a trip down the grass at the Esses just before the early chequer. GT championship sponsor Dave Scaramanga scorched to pole position and the Ferrari 488 made a good restart from an early Safety Car period in the first bout to streak away to victory from Keith Butcher’s GT3 Lamborghini. Second time out, Scaramanga attempted to fend off Sacha Kakad for as long as he could but the Huracan simply charged away once it got through at Camp and the lap record holder prevailed by close to a full tour. Top qualifier Harrison Chamberlain failed to start either Saloon race so Adam Prebble led the opening lap of Race One before pitting. Bill Brockbank became the new leader from Todd Carter and the SEAT Leon eased away for a comfortable win from Jack Boulton’s Honda CRX, who pushed Carter’s Golf GTi back to third. Prebble again led Race Two away but Brockbank took over the lead on lap three. Carter’s Golf also caught them and took second. Prebble eventually retired and Carter’s Golf was soon to follow with a puncture. Boulton’s CRX exited in a cloud of smoke on lap one to leave Brockbank as the sole car on track. Jordan Billinton led the 40-minute Dave Allen Trophy from pole position up until the pitstops, when the Lamborghini was jumped by the shared James Parker/Wayne Marrs Ferrari and Jasver Sapra’s BMW. The day also featured the first public track parade where the punters could take in three laps under controlled conditions. The next car racing event at the Wiltshire circuit is a little way off in August and celebrates the Historic Sports Car Club’s 60th anniversary, with the FF1600s and GTs racing on Saturday the 8th and the remaining Saloon and Hot Hatch races taking place on Sunday the 9th. Copy by Stephen Carpenter.
