Classic club festival at Brands

The CRMC arrives at historic Brands Hatch on 11/12 July for a weekend of top quality track action featuring the best of classic and post-classic racing machinery and competitors from the UK and abroad.  

The programme of 43 races and 4 parades features machinery from the 1950’s to the 1980’s and includes everything from 125/250/350cc two-stroke GP machines to Triumph/BSA triples, Manx Nortons and early 80’s Japanese superbikes, plus of course a wide variety of sidecar outfits.

As an added bonus Chris Wilson will be bringing along a range of ex-GP bikes such as a Barry Sheene Suzuki RG500 and a Steve Parrish Yamaha. BBC MotoGP commentator Parrish and former Suzuki/Honda works rider Stan Woods will be demonstrating these bikes and the pit garage area will be open all weekend for spectators to see the machines up close and to talk with Steve and Stan.

In addition to all of the regular CRMC classes the programme includes the Summerfield Racing National 350cc and 500cc Championships and the Classic Racer Syndicate 1300cc National Series. The 500 National race doubles up as the Classic King of Brands, won last year by Lea Gourlay (Summerfield Manx), for which there is a magnificent trophy and big prize money at stake. Gourlay will be going flat out for a repeat but you can bet that the likes of Mike Cooper (Dunnell Manx), Alan Oversby (Craven Manx) and Gary Thwaites (Sheldon G50) will have other ideas.

Sunday also sees the running of the annual Charlie Sanby Trophy race in memory of the former short circuit star. The event rotates around the various classes that Charlie rode in and this year it’s the turn of the post-classics, which is bound to produce a battle royal between the 250/350/750 TZ Yamahas and the big four-stroke twins/multis. Gourlay will again be in the thick of the action on his TZ350 Yamaha, but so too will Mike Hose on the mighty RGB Weslake 850 and this could well be the best race of the weekend.

After a few seasons in the doldrums the sidecars have become one of the best supported and most exciting CRMC classes. There’s a full grid here, including several teams from the continent, and with four different classes represented the battles will be intense throughout the field.

Saturday’s practice is scheduled for 09.00 hrs with racing due to commence at 11.00 hrs; Sunday’s racing begins at 10.00 hrs. Admission is £12.00 per day on the gate or £10 per day/£16 per weekend if purchased in advance (contact MotorSportVision for details). Free entry for accompanied children age 12 and under. Paddock entry is included and provides a fantastic opportunity to ogle the huge range of machinery and talk to the riders and teams.

The action includes Classic Sidecars, 200cc, 250cc Twins and European, 350cc Twins and European, 500cc Group 1 and 2, Formula 750, Goldstars, 1300cc and Post-Classic 125cc, 350cc, 500cc, 750cc and 1300cc.