The new motorsport season is fast approaching at Wiscombe Park in the wooded valley of Southleigh – its 65th year of competition at the East Devon venue.
The first event of the season, the Woolbridge Motor Club Spring meeting, takes place on the weekend of April 22 and 23. The entry list of 130 competitors is already full.
The fastest men and women in the South-West are keen for the action to resume after the long winter break. For some, they will be debuting new cars, for others, they will be testing modifications carried out during the winter to see if they have found more performance.
This opening event will host the first two rounds of the Tillicoultry Quarries Wiscombe Championship and rounds 3 and 4 of the ASWMC TyreMarks Championship.
Plymouth motor engineer, Ian Ingleheart, will be defending his Wiscombe Park Championship that he won in 2022 for a record fifth time. There are 75 drivers registered for the Championship, so Ian will have plenty of fast drivers trying to claim his title.
The 2022 ASWMC Champion, Dorset-based Andrew Forsyth, will also begin the defence of his title at Wiscombe Park.
After that first event, there is a three-week interval before the next meeting, and a new track surface is going to be laid. That is quite an undertaking – the tarmac used will be graded to race-track specification. The competitors will look forward to trying out the new surface for the first time at the Torbay Motor Club event on May 13.
Wiscombe Park has been celebrating plenty of good news recently. In January, the venue, together with Woolbridge Motor Club, won the prestigious Norrie Galbraith Shield – awarded to the venue judged to have held the best round of the 2022 British Championship. It has also recently been confirmed that the venue has secured the support of national insurance company, Reis Motorsport Insurance, as its partner, for the third consecutive year.
As well as all the action happening on the track, Wiscombe Park will also be the destination for several of the South West’s car clubs this season. The first club to visit are the North Devon Sports & Classic Car Club – they will have 35 cars on display on Sunday, April 23. Their drive to Wiscombe is part of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs’ National Drive It Day.
On Sunday, May 21, the members of the Devon & Cornwall Aston Martin Owners Club will be in attendance for the prestigious Vintage Sports-Car Club event, featuring cars from 1900s through to the 1960s. Aston Martin have a long association with Wiscombe Park – for many years during the 70s, 80s and early 90s, the marque organised a full day of racing for its members. The cars, synonymous with James Bond, will make an impressive display.
The Wiscombe Park calendar:
April 22 & 23 Woolbridge MC – Spring Meeting
May 13 - Torbay MC
May 14 - Wildlife Autosport
May 20 - 500 Owners Association
May 21 - Vintage Sports-Car Club
July 29 & 30 - British Championship
September 2 & 3 - Five Clubs
September 9 - MG Car Club
September 10 - NHCA Arnold Gimblett Speed Hillclimb
Wiscombe Park offers the opportunity to see all types of cars in action, in timed runs over the 1000 yard, extremely steep and twisty, course. Some events also feature bikes and sidecars too. For all the latest information, please visit the website www.wiscombepark.co.uk and Facebook page.
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