MOTORCYCLING A plethora of local riders are wheeling out their machines for the Castle Combe Circuit's Fowlers Motorcycles Probike National meeting on Saturday.

There are no fewer than 14 races in the packed programme but it is the traditional King of Castle Combe six-lap affair which has attracted the bulk of the West Country interest.

Many of the riders showed well at last year's meeting, including Chippenham riders Freddie Nickless and Nick Pusey on a Triumph 675 and Yamaha 1000 respectively. Timsbury's Alastair Fagan on a Honda 1000 and Radstock's Rob Jones on his 996 Ducati are others to watch out for.

Nickless, Pusey and Fagan also feature in the two eight-lap Bridgestone Pro-Bike Open championship races which includes Formula Xtreme 600-675cc. They are joined by Bath duo Ross Ashman on a Triumph 675 and James Cox on a Honda 1000, Chippenham's Jonathan Bartram on a Honda 1000 and Trowbridge's John Bundy on a Suzuki 600.

The Allcomers Championship race caters for machines up to 690cc and features top local rider Darrell Higgins in a Dennis Trollope Racing Yamaha 249 – a classic former Grand Prix winning machine. Hoping to stay in touch will be Glastonbury riders Simon Marks and Lee Hembury, both on Kawasaki 400s. On the same machines are Damian Smith from Wells and Bristol's Aaron Ridewood.

All of those riders will also feature in the Halo Leathers Two Stroke championship races, which cater for 250 and 125cc Grand Prix 'Post Classics'.

Staying with a classic theme, the British Historic Grand Prix championship, incorporating the Lansdown Classic Cup, should see Duncan Fitchett from Wroughton as a front runner on his 500 Norton.

The Sound of Thunder championship races provide further outings for Jones, Nickless, Ridewood and Ashman, with entries for the Maxxis Corse championship and Ducati 848 Challenge joining in the fun.

The Ducati DesmoDue series races cater for relatively unmodified machines up to 675cc in two classes, while adding a third wheel to the proceedings are the machines in the Yokohama-ACU-FSRA British F2 Sidecar championship eight- lappers.

For those whom a leisurely ride is more appropriate than competition, the Classic Race Bike Parades have machines from the 1951 Douglas of Simon Wavell, made in Bristol, to a 1974 Kriedler GP, a German 50cc race bike.

The event gets under way with practice from 8.45am, with the first race at 11.50am.

Admission prices are £12 for adults and £6 for OAPs. Paddock transfer is £2.50 and accompanied children under-16 are admitted free.