Champion Wills is paying surprise visit to Castle Combe racetrack (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Champion Wills is paying surprise visit to Castle Combe racetrack

FORMER quadruple Castle Combe Formula Ford Champion, Gavin Wills, is making a surprise return to the Melton Concrete Products Formula Ford 1600 Championship at the circuit's Ferrari Raceday next Monday, August 30.

Wills has dominated this year's Star of the Midlands series and recently won the Edwina Overend Trophy meeting in his Van Diemen RF00.

He will be looking to end the domination of championship leader Ed Moore, from Bradford- on-Avon, who runs an identical new Van Diemen and has won all but one of the circuit's Formula Ford races this year.

Moore's car is considered to be the most sophisticated in the field at Combe, so the arrival of Wills may add a new dimension to the double header event.

Chippenham's Tim Reynolds is one of the many still using the faithful Swift SC92 chassis, run by an old rival of Wills, Kevin Mills from Gloucester.

A huge amount of rivalry can be expected, not only from Wills and Moore, but between Wills' Westec team and Kevin Mills Racing.

To add to the tension, Formula Ford lap record holder Matt Rivett might also return for this event, though this depends on a withdrawal by another competitor as the field is already oversubscribed.

None of this makes things any easier for the likes of Castle Combe's Andrew Jones or Saltford's Steven Jensen in their Swift SC92s, though at least Chepstow's Nick Jones can focus on being the fastest Noveos Pre- 90 contender.

Ferraris headline the day's event with races for the modern Pirelli Maranello Ferrari Challenge and the older Ferrari Formula Classic.

The first sees the return of a well-known face to the circuit, Vince Woodman from Chipping Sodbury. Woodman was one of the country's leading saloon car drivers, probably best remembered for his superb GA engined Ford Capri, from the 70s.

It's currently undergoing res-toration, but Vince is enjoying a season in the Ferrari Challenge, courtesy of the circuit's Formula Ford sponsor Keith Sprules who has a pair of F355s.

Woodman currently lies second in Class C and will be joined at Castle Combe by Sprules. Woodman secured valuable track time for this event by competing in the last round of the circuit's Special GT Championship, winning class D.

Other significant locals in the championship are the Reeder brothers, Mike and Graham from Pewsey. Ferrari Formula Classic has a delicious array of the red cars from 250s to Testarossas, including the 246 GT of Gloucester's Colin Campbell.

The National Mobile Windscreens Saloon Car Champion-ship should see a continuation of the tremendous battle currently being waged between Bristolian Mark Wyatt in his shiny Astra and Gary Prebble in the Rover Turbo.

The pair spent the last race as close as Siamese twins, with Wyatt just not quite able to find a way around the big Rover. Nick Mizen, another Rover Tomcat driver, picked up fourth overall last time.

Reigning champion, Bridg-water's Tony Dolley, should debut his new Peugeot 206 in Class A, assuming it's ready in time.

Midsomer Norton's David Mears will be looking to make up for his disappointing race last time, when his Class B lead disappeared in favour of Ringwood's Paul Gardner.

Mears showed he has the pace to beat the highly developed Citroen Saxo VTS with his relatively standard Peugeot 205 GTi, but lost out after a spin.

Cardiff's Anthony Macwhir-ter desperately needs some reliability if he is to reclaim the Class C lead with his swift but recalcitrant Corsa.

The Special GT Championship should see Mike Roberts back to his winning ways with the Jade Sports prototype in the Krayem Design Class A, although David Krayem, from Tetury, pole man last time out, is getting quicker.

Chippenham's Russell Spence in his Tile Store Class C Radical and Chris Lake, from Devizes, in his Nemesis Vauxhall, enjoyed a hammer and tongs battle with eventual winner, Dan Compton, the trio crossing the line separated by just .6 of a second!

Lake now leads the Moonraker Forklifts Class B by five points, but Spence has some gap to make up on his second in class as he missed two earlier rounds.

Doynton's Dave Smith in his Vauxhall engined Mallock took third in class last time whilst Kingswood's Tony Baxter has little competition for his Porsche 968 Club Sport in Class D.

The MRC Stoneguard Scholar Mono Championship has always drawn a disproportionately large number of entries from Gloucestershire and this meeting is no exception.

Stroud's Jim Blockley, in his Ralt RT3, contests the two-litre class whilst Nicholas Catanzaro and Jim Timms, both from Gloucester, are in the 1600s.

Bristol sends Andy Uttley in a Dallara F398 and there's also Somerset's Larry Jeram-Croft and Michael Kremzer in a Vauxhall Lotus.

The day's action starts at 8.30am with qualifying and racing getting under way from 1.15pm.

Admission prices are £12 for adults, £6 for OAPs, and £2.50 for paddock transfer with accompanied children free.

For further information, visit Castle Combe circuit website on www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk