Motoring enthusiasts from across the North East will be heading to RAF Edzell this Sunday (27th March 05), as the first ‘Race to the Base 2005’ kick-starts this year’s drag race season.
Meanwhile, the world record bike stunt champion, Dave Coates, will revisit RAF Edzell on Easter Sunday, as he performs his internationally acclaimed bike stunt show in front of the thousands of spectators, which are expected to attend the motoring event.
Coates, who is sponsored by Yamaha, holds several World Records, including the fastest time for riding a bike backwards at 151.7mph, while in May 2003 he smashed the record for completing the most donuts in one minute, which currently stands at 21.
Coates – who along with his wife, Sandra, hold the fastest record for two people riding a bike backwards, at 137.6mph - will perform a variety of his world famous stunts, such as wheelies, stoppies, burnouts, surfing and skiing off the back of the bike on titanium shoes.
Sunday will be the first ‘Race to the Base’ Edzell event of the year, following on from an enormously successful 2004 season, which attracted thousands of people from across Scotland. The monthly event is organised by William Robertson, owner of the Fife based World War II airfield at Crail - Scotland’s Drag Strip - who has been successfully running the country’s largest modified car events for the last seven years.
The Edzell base, which lies two miles from the A90 between Dundee and Aberdeen, is currently owned by DM Carnegie, of Steelstrath Laurencekirk and is used for manufacturing oil services and storage.
The site has previously run bike, tractor pulling and rally events over the last couple of years, but saw drag racing for the first time in 2004. The mile long runway is ideal for this type of event and owners look forward to Edzell becoming a popular events arena for every type of motoring enthusiast.
The only requirement to take part at Edzell is a valid UK driving licence, £7 for admission and a £15 signing-on fee, which entitles participants to unlimited runs. At the end of the day personal performance print-outs showing reaction times to the start lights, 60', 1/4 mile times, and top speed will be given out – personal times can also be easily accessed through crailraceway.co.uk
Gates open 9.30am, the strip at 10am. The drag strip will remain open till 4pm. Adults £7:00, children £3:00.
