Croft Circuit serves up high-speed Easter treat
Croft Circuit has a bumper Easter weekend treat in store for families when it hosts the Darlington & District Motor Club’s first race event of the season this coming Saturday and Sunday (23-24 April).
A highly competitive bill of motor racing is on offer with four different categories each in action twice over the weekend. And, as with all motor sport fixtures at Croft in 2011, admission for children aged 15 and under is FREE. Furthermore, tickets cost just £12 per adult on either day – making the circuit a hugely attractive destination for families looking for a fun and entertaining way to fill their Easter weekends.
Admission includes access to the teams’ paddock, enabling the public –including youngsters – to chat with the drivers and get a close-up look at their cars. For further information visit croftcircuit.co.uk.
Topping the bill will be the DDMC’s action-packed Northern Saloon & Sportscar Championship featuring a terrific mix of closed and open-topped machinery across six classes. Many top local names will be lining up on the capacity 36-car grid, including reigning champion Paul Moss (Darlington) in his Citroen Saxo, Newcastle pair Jeff Wilson (Lotus Elise) and Ian Humpish (VW Beetle), York’s Mike Cutt (BMW), (Caterham) and Middlesborough’s Ken Hall in his spectacular Metro 6R4. In all, a staggering 24 different makes of car are represented on the entry list.
The Porsche Club GB’s exciting Club and GT3 Cup championships plus two four-hour endurance races for the Fun Cup (race-tuned VW Beetle ‘silhouettes’) with its packed grid and Le Mans-style driver change pit stops add to the entertainment.
The action at Croft Circuit starts with practice and qualifying from 9.15am on Saturday morning followed at 11.15am by a race for each category. All then race again on Sunday, starting at midday.
Croft Circuit Manager Tracey Morley commented: “This is the first car race event here at Croft in 2011 and a really exciting way to ‘warm up’ for some of our bigger car meetings this year, notably of course the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in June and our own Nostalgia Weekend in August.
“We are delighted to continue our free admission policy for children in 2011 – and that includes the BTCC event. We pride ourselves on offering the public with value-for-money and very much look forward to welcoming everyone over the Easter weekend.
“What’s more, the Northern Saloon and Sportscar Championship is a great place to start for those thinking of taking up the sport. All the drivers and officials this weekend are Darlington & District Motor Club members and will be around to offer advice. Furthermore, here at Croft we offer aspiring racing drivers the chance to pass their ARDS competition licence – in fact last year alone we successfully helped 50 people pass their tests and go racing.”
Easter weekend’s Darlington & District MC event follows two days of top-class motorcycle racing from the North East Motorcycle Racing Club which kicked off Croft’s 2011 motor sport season earlier this month. The circuit, the North East’s premier motor sport venue, has another nine events planned for 2011 including Britain’s biggest two and four-wheel race series, the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship (13-15 May) and Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (18-19 June). There then follows at the height of summer (6-7 August) Croft’s very own Nostalgia Weekend – a two-day festival themed around historic motor sport, lifestyle and fashion from the Forties through to the Seventies.
For more information about Croft Circuit – a list of its 2011 race events, ticket prices/how to book plus details on supercar driving experiences (including Croft’s new Ferrari 458) – visit croftcircuit.co.uk.
For more information about Darlington & District Motor Club visit darlington-motor-club.org.uk.
