[ukdrn]

Shakespeare County Raceway opened it's gates today for the start of it's 2009 season.
Good weather and a varied selection of race cars and bikes made it a very enjoyable day out.
The Nataional Sprint Association made a welcome return to Shakey and put on a very entertaining show with a selection of classic and modern bikes, also in attendence were the NSCC and the Kawasaki Triples Challenge Club.
Some very tidy new race cars were also on show along with some more well known visitors who were testing for the first time this season.

Finally I must add the that the crew at SCR seemed to have work really hard over the winter and the whole facility looks much better, the track surface looks in much better condition already with it's new prep guy and with the new track dryer on hand I'm sure racers and fans will benifit this season from all the hard work.

Here's a selection of pictures.

[ukdrn]

Some more from yesterday.

[torment]

some of mine from today..

[muddytalker]

Finally I must add the that the crew at SCR seemed to have work really hard over the winter and the whole facility looks much better, the track surface looks in much better condition already with it's new prep guy and with the new track dryer on hand I'm sure racers and fans will benifit this season from all the hard work.

The new track prep guy being Jon Cross.

[ukdrn]

Thanks for the pictures, I would have liked to see the Avanti car but maybe next time.
I was trying to remember his name, thanks Jerry.

[muddytalker]

Its Alan Smith. he only ran the car once yesterday. The engine sounded rough and was down on power so he raced his Dodge Super Bee Pick-Up truck instead.

[muddytalker]

Here's a few from SCR Press Officer Dave Derry.


Built around a John Clift frame Simon Rees used to race a 500cc blown engine until he blew it up. Now the 'Dangermouse' drag bike runs a 750cc Triumph to very good effect indeed.


This is 13 year old Cai Youren who has the luxury of two bikes to race; a Honda CR80 built by his grandad Phil Baines and a 125cc Kawasaki. Cai's first sprint bike which took 3 months to build from scratch.


Tim Howell loves tuning bikes and it shows with this 10 second 750cc BSA drag bike and frame dating back to 1969.

[muddytalker]

This is the wild looking Viva Estate belonging to Shakespeare County Racer Paul Evans. All home built with a full tube chassis, Paul under took the ride of his life when an oil seal let go a 100 foot out from the start line and narrowly missed the Subaru Impreza of Mark Thwaities in the other lane as well as the armco.


Ray and Gary Christopher brought along their 383 ci Mopar powered ’34 Ford Coupe all the way from Poole, Dorset to run at Shakey. It is believed that it is the very same Ray Christopher who built some very famous rods in the mid seventies.
Photos by Dave Derry

[Badger]

That Viva estate is a rare piece these days. It's amazing how quickly cars that seem to surround us in vast numbers suddenly disappear. When was the last time you saw a Mk1 Mondeo? even ..

And yea, I suspect that is rodding creative Ray Christopher from the seventies, early eighties. I've seen his rear engined mini pickup down at the wessex rod n custom show here in Dorset. That looks like a bit of Dooster glasswork on that roadster.
I met a guy through work a few years back, a metal worker who fabricated all the brass lamps/grill etc for Ray's C-Ment T amongst other cars of his, that guy makes gates etc now - small world down here..

[JonC]

Oh I say!