FOLLOWING the recently-announced British and Clubmans Rallycross dates, as well as the prestigious British Rallycross Grand Prix in 2016, Croft Circuit is planning a high-octane season for the thousands of local motorsport fans to enjoy.

Headlining the action at the venue near Darlington is the British Touring Car Championship, which heads to Croft over the weekend of June 18 and 19 and will see the usual frenetic battling between the superstar drivers in front of the TV cameras.

The increasingly popular Nostalgia Festival takes place on August 6 and 7 and will feature a throwback to yesteryear, with classic and vintage vehicles on display and race action on track, as well as the usual sideshows and air displays.

On a similar theme, the Battle of Britain meeting, which was resurrected earlier this year, reverts to its traditional August bank holiday weekend on August 27 and 28 and will again uniquely feature races for bikes, sidecars and cars around the 2.1-mile international track.

Indeed, modern motorcycles feature in the NEMCRC meeting on April 2 and 3 and the Derby Phoenix meeting on July 9 and 10, with the classic machines in action over the weekend of May 7 and 8 at the Classic MCC bonanza.

BARC hosts a programme of car races on April 23 and 24 and July 23 and 24, while the 750 Motor Club visits North Yorkshire on May 21 and 22 and the BRSCC brings their competitors to Croft on September 10 and 11. Most meetings will feature the popular Darlington and DMC-organised Northern Sports and Saloon Car Championship, which again has seen packed grids this season.

With the rallycross action opening and closing the season in March and November respectively, plus the ever-popular winter rallies, it promises to be an epic season to remember. Season passes are available, starting at £60 per adult. For more information, visit croftcircuit.co.uk.

AFTER the recent announcement that the 2016 Riponian Rally will take place on Sunday, February 28, the joint organisers, Ripon Motor Sport Club and Whitby and District Motor Club, have released regulations for the event.

The format of the event is largely unchanged, featuring two runs through a group of stages on the western edge of the North York Moors National Park to give just over 40 stage miles.

While much of the stage mileage will be familiar to regulars on the Riponian, one stage, expected to be in the Duncombe Park complex, near Helmsley, uses some never before rallied mileage coupled with mileage not used for more than 10 years, while another stage uses some mileage never before used on the Riponian.

Another change this year is that, while Thirsk Auction Mart will again form the hub of the event, with rally HQ, scrutineering, documentation, main service and finish all contained within one site, the event will start from Ripon Market Square, raising its profile and giving competitors and their sponsors increased exposure.

The organising team is again grateful to the event's main sponsor, Peter Stephenson of ABLE UK, together with a significant contribution from Matthew Robinson, of Robinson Road Planing Services, without whose continued support the event couldn't run.

Regulations and online entry are available on the club website riponian.co.uk and entries are already steadily arriving. The event will again need plenty of marshals and all offers of help should be sent to Mark Williams by email at atmarshals@riponian.co.uk.

SUNDAY, December 27, will see the massively popular Swift Signs Christmas Stages Rally take place at Croft Circuit, where a capacity 90-car entry will tackle the annual Northallerton Auto Club event.

Local ace Kevin Procter, from Leeming, has won the event six times in the past seven years and will be hoping to defend his crown ahead of a who’s who of British asphalt rallying.

A full preview will feature in next week’s Darlington and Stockton Times, but in the meantime, for further information, visit northallerton-ac.co.uk.