MOTORSPORT Sixty years since the former wartime air training ground first held a race meeting, Castle Combe Circuit celebrated its diamond anniversary with a weekend of nostalgia contrasted with the most thrilling action, writes John Moon.

Wonderfully evocative cars, tremendously close racing and incidents galore gave the huge crowd a weekend of first-class entertainment, but it was the 45-minute Masters Historic Racing 1960s Invitation race which provided one of the most poignant moments.

Presenting the trophies to race winners Dave Smithies and Chris Clarkson, in their Austin Healey 3000, was Joan Fry, the widow of Ron Fry from Bath, one of the circuit's icons from the 1960s. Joan, 81, had last visited the circuit in 1968 and recalled her late husband's victories in Anglias, Minis, Mustangs, GT40s and even a Ferrari 250 LM. As well as running Weston Post Office, the Frys owned the former Cheltenham Street Motors, before moving to Bournemouth to run a caravan site.

Nailsea's Ted Williams, another Combe veteran, was an early star of the race pushing his 1962 AC Cobra up to second place before the pit stops. After handing over to the car's owner, Gavin Henderson, Williams' good work was undone, the AC eventually finishing eighth.

Another highlight was the Historic Anniversary Trophy race. Appropriately, Combe legend Vince Woodman put his Cologne Capri on pole by almost three seconds, despite a small collision with an Austin Healey in qualifying. A jumped start put the septuagenarian from Chipping Sodbury on his back foot however, allowing the pretty Ginetta G16 of Graeme Dodd to take the lead, Ross Maxwell moving his Chevron B8 up to second after Woodman's penalty was taken into account. The Capri was therefore placed third with Frampton Cotterell's George Douglas fifth in his Ginetta.

Trowbridge's Andrew Shanley took his fourth consecutive pole and win in the first of two races for the circuit's Sports and GT championship. A scintillating start gave him a strong enough lead to defend easily from Darcy Smith in the Radical PR6, though an oil leak from his fine-handling Radical Prosport proved to be more serious than it looked, preventing Shanley starting race two on Sunday.

Mark Funnell overcame a grass-cutting moment in race one after avoiding a coming together with a Radical, going on to win class B again. Race two saw him gain another easy class victory and sixth overall in his road-going Lotus Exige after dicing as high as fourth with the faster A class cars.

Stuck in fourth gear, Yatton Keynell's Jason Cooper did superbly to run second for most of the first Saloon Car championship race.

Race two saw a similar outcome with Cooper running second for the first seven laps until an amazing off into the infield at Folly while defending from Kevin Bird. Most would have been unable to recover from such an incident, but Cooper kept his foot down, staying on the grass for long enough to get back up to speed, slotting back into the race ahead of Nick Charles.

He still took an incredible fourth place and the class win, with Charles some five seconds behind in his 106.

The race for the Castle Combe Formula Ford 1600 championship was an uncanny rerun of the one at the previous meeting.

Marcus Allen further extended his championship lead after Bratton's Ben Norton and Felix Fisher from Bridgwater had their second consecutive coming together, this time at Bobbies. Saltford's Steven Jensen and Castle Combe's Andrew Jones finished fourth and fifth respectively after a typically close race.

Chippenham's Kyle Tilley was beaten to the pole and win of class C for the first time this year after a qualifying accident but made up for it by fighting through to second place.