This year’s road race season really kicks into gear on Saturday with the return of the Bob Smith Spring Cup at Oliver’s Mount, as the Auto66 club and the circuit begin their anniversary celebrations.
A number of top stars will be in action in a jam-packed schedule at Oliver’s Mount as many of road racing’s British-based riders begin their preparations ahead of the upcoming North West 200 and Isle of Man TT this summer.
Auto66, in their 50th anniversary year have been determined to try and attract a number of young riders to the Oliver’s Mount circuit in recent years and with the likes of James Cowton, Junior Manx GP champ Billy Redmayne and Daley Mathison in action they are succeeding.
Cowton and Mathison love it at the Scarborough circuit and along with Redmayne all three have announced they’ll be competing at every Oliver’s Mount event this season, beginning on Saturday.
Admission to the Bob Smith Spring Cup Meeting is £20 on the Saturday and £30 on the Sunday. To save a rush on the Sunday a two-day ticket is available on the Saturday. Children under 15 are free when accompanied by a fully paying adult.
With 10 races on the Saturday kicking off the show and 12 races, including the showpiece Bob Smith Spring Cup, on Sunday the fans flocking to the Yorkshire coastal circuit look set to be in for a treat.
A star-studded line-up includes Gold Cup holder Dean Harrison, Oliver’s Mount veteran Ian Lougher, Lee Johnston, William Dunlop, Ivan Lintin, Davy Morgan, Cowton, Redmayne and Mathison who will be riding with Team Classic Suzuki in the first round of the UK Classic F1 Series at Oliver’s Mount.
The Stockton rider is a fan favourite at the circuit, and he’ll also be competing on his Junior & Senior Suzuki machines as well as a Honda RS125 which is part of the new UK 125/Moto3 Championship.
Alongside the solo riders, Oliver’s Mount plays host to an impressive sidecar entry with TT legend Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle returning to battle it out with old foes Ian and Carl Bell and local hero Conrad Harrison. The sidecars will see 16 pairs battle it out for just 12 places on the grid, with the shootout taking place on Saturday morning between 9am and 1pm before all racing begins at 2pm.
The biker’s village campsite will be open from Friday afternoon. However, paying on the gate is no longer an option and all camping must be booked in advance. The club says this is also to help reduce congestion on the roads leading up to Oliver’s Mount and the car park.
With such a stellar cast, the hope of good weather and a return of road racing it looks set to be a great weekend on the Yorkshire coast to start off what is an exciting year for all involved at Auto66 and Oliver’s Mount.
Oliver’s Mount Marketing Director Scott Beaumont says he can’t wait to get going this weekend as the Bob Smith Spring Cup gets road racing underway once again at the iconic Yorkshire circuit.
Beaumont and the Auto66 club have helped attract another superb line-up of riders including Dean Harrison, Lee Johnston, Ivan Lintin and William Dunlop among many more and he is adamant fans are in for a treat on Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s the first race of our anniversary season, obviously it’s 50 years for Auto 66 and 70 years of Oliver’s Mount,” he told Bikesport News.
“A lot of people have been talking about it all week, that the road season is here and we’re aiming to start ours off in style. We’ve had a couple of MotoGPs on the telly, BSB has started too and then we get our chance to wow the fans this weekend, so the season has really started now. Everyone’s ready for it and I can’t wait.
“It’s a great line-up we’ve attracted once again with Ivan Lintin, Lee Johnston, Dean Harrison, William Dunlop and so many more.
“We’ve got 16 sidecars entered as well so it’s going to be fantastic and we can’t wait. A lot of the top TT sidecar guys are there as well, including old Scarborough favourite Conrad Harrison and others.”
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