Anglesey Sunday 6th August 2017

At last...The Spectator goes to a race meeting shock!! After what seems an age (12 weeks actually!) I was beginning to forget what Motor Racing was, so it was with some relief that The Spectator managed to get himself track side with my first visit to the revamped Anglesey circuit. 2004 saw my last visit to the Island and since then the circuit has been radically altered. To break the long journey up, I stayed overnight in Rhyl the evening before ( tip dear readers....don't go to Rhyl!!) and travelled to the circuit on Sunday morning.
What is now known as Anglesey Circuit started off life known as Ty Croes and the circuit is celebrating the 25th anniversary this year of the first motorcycle races on the old army base in 1992. The first car race meeting was held in 1997 after circuit improvements were made and I first visited in 1998. The original circuit was just over a mile in length and was a fantastic club venue and one where spectating was a pleasure. The backdrop of Snowdonia coupled with the close proximity of the Sea and some excellent viewing points made the circuit unique in the UK. Circuit management took the brave decision to upgrade both the circuit and facilities and in 2007 the "new" Anglesey was born with a circuit that can provide 4 different layouts.
The BRSCC were in charge on this particular weekend and the full 2.1 mile International was in use which I was pleased with as I could walk the full length of the track whilst cars were on circuit. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the character of the old circuit hadn't really changed. With ample trackside parking and the ability to watch all the way around, Anglesey is one of the best spectating venues in the country. Quite why it hasn't managed to host a BTCC/BSB/BritishGT type meeting is beyond me...if Knockhill and Croft can then Anglesey certainly should. Location is probably the only thing holding it back as a major venue with a lack of hotels in the immediate area.
As for the on track action the day saw 13 races scheduled and the first of 4 Mazda MX5 races kicked off the days racing at 9.30am. I'm not sure quite why but the 2 winners of the first 2 MX5 races were subsequently disqualified. Thankfully the last 2 races saw no such dramas amongst the packed Mazda hordes.

Mazda MX5's at The Banking with Turn 1 in the background.
The corner is faster than it looks with the camber on the inside very reminiscent of Shell at Oulton Park.

The Toyo Tires Porsche Championship saw a double-header. The first race of the day coincided with the arrival of the forecast rain halfway through and ended under Safety Car conditions following Richard Avery hitting the tyre wall on the exit of Turn 1. The curious mix of Boxster and 924 versions Porsche works well and there was some good racing amongst the 924's especially.

Porsche's at Peel Corner with Snowdonia in the background. Once the rain came the mountains disappeared from view for the day!

Not many Formula Fords made the long trip to Anglesey for the Northern Championship round with 14 entered across both Post 89 and Pre 90 classes. 2 very good races though with Matt Round-Garrido having to fend off Irishman Jake Byrne in both to win twice.

FF1600's heading along Tom Pryce Straight into the braking point for The Hairpin. Definitely the best spot for action with lots of drivers out-braking themselves during the day!

A large grid of  30 or so Mazda MX5 Supercup cars made for an entertaining spectacle and it's great to see the growth of  Mazda MX5 racing in all it's forms. Tom Roche winning both races.
The MG Cockshoot Cup (once a regular at almost every Oulton Park meeting!) had a single race on the Sunday and it saw a collision between 1st and 2nd drivers Ashley Woodward and Philip Bowden at The Hairpin whilst lapping backmarkers. David Coulthard (not that one...) must have been laughing in his helmet as he inherited the win in his MG ZR 190.
Last but not least there were 2 races for the venerable Ford XR Challenge. The old XR2 and XR3 Fiesta's and escort's have neen a staple diet on the North-West racing scene since Noah was a lad! The second race was arguably the best rtace race of the day with a fantastic 4 car battle for the lead that eventually saw the Escort of Michael Blackburn seeing off the Fiesta's with some excellent moves into Rocket corner.
Despite the rain which started at 11.30am and never let up until I got back to the Midlands later that night, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Anglesey for the first time in 13 years. With a layout that features long straights followed by tight corners, overtaking was easy and side by side action was commonplace due to a wide circuit.

The view from inside the car....thank you Anglesey for providing track side viewing on such a wet day!

Admission was £12 on the gate and programme was £3.

I include a photo of the ticket as it has the Shadow F1 car of the late great Tom Pryce on it..one of the lost generation and Wales' greatest driver.