Following a successful inaugural event, The Island Car Centre Sandown Sprint will be returning to Culver Parade over the weekend of Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th March 2023, it has been announced.
The closed-road motor racing event – the first to be held on the Isle of Wight in over 50 years – was staged back in April this year to great fanfare. Now, an agreement has been reached to allow its return in 2023.
The Sandown Sprint will involve 100 cars competing on a specially constructed track at Sandown’s Culver Parade, with the start in Fort Street and finishing in Yaverland. This year’s event saw a whole array of vehicles entered, from clubman Mazdas through to supercars and WRC rally cars.
2022’s fastest lap time was set by experienced Island rally driver Will Nicholls, who will be returning next year with the hope to better his time.
Will commented:
“The Sprint is a fantastic opportunity to bring motor racing to the Isle of Wight. We had a great crowd to enjoy the first event and I’m sure the competition will be just as close next year. I’ll be entering a car again and looking forward to defending my title”.
2-time world rally champion Miki Biasion entered the first Sandown Sprint, courtesy of Chichester-based Rally Replay. Organisers are looking forward to announcing the headline drivers and cars for 2023 in the next few weeks.
Tickets go on sale today (Friday) via the event website at www.isleofwightspeedtrials.co.uk.
Once again, overall spectator numbers will be limited, so motor racing fans are advised to book early. The cost of admission has been held at just £10 per adult, with concessions.
This is good news Just don’t close the footpath this time and make people walk along the beach or make a lengthy diversion. Apart from that, the last one was an excellent event.
Why couldn’t they hold it in summer when there is a better chance of decent weather for an outside event?
Probably not the best idea to close one of the main roads into Sandown for 5 days in the busy summer months.
They could hold it in May or June, hardly busy months for the island.