TRADITIONAL winter thrills and spills will be returning to a North-East motorsport circuit this year, with drivers from across the region set to get behind the wheel.

Croft Circuit, near Darlington, has three meetings left before the off-season, including events organised by the Northallerton Automobile Club and the Darlington and District Motor Club.

Racers from Richmond, Northallerton, Yarm and East Harlsey will be among the petrolheads taking to the North Yorkshire track.

Saturday will see the final round of the Autosport International BTRDA Clubman’s Rallycross Championship, with around 90 competitors contesting the various classes.

Multiple British Champion Dave Bellerby returns to the sport in the Super National class whereby the driver from nearby Northallerton will be at the wheel of the Lotus Exige which daughter Paige contested the British series this year.

Brompton’s Darren Grimston and Northallerton driver Martin Peel will battle it out in the Classic category whilst in the Juniors, Tom, Luke and James Constantine, of Richmond, go up against Ben Sayer, from Northallerton.

Matilda Procter, of Leeming, and Eleanor Corner, of East Harlsey, will also be in action in their requisite 1300cc Suzuki Swifts.

Yarm’s John Rook will also be in action in his Citroen Saxo in the Production class with drivers from Belgium, Norway, Poland and Ireland all set to contest the single-day event which also features top Supercar drivers Ollie O’Donovan, Derrick Jobb and Tommy Graham.

A Croft Circuit spokesman said: “Later in the year, the annual Swift Signs & Shirts Christmas Stages Rally will take place as usual, but instead of being held on its traditional date in between Christmas and New Year, this year’s event is slightly earlier on Sunday, December 16.

“It is organised by the Northallerton Automobile Club and the format is expected to remain as eight stages totalling around 45 miles around various routes of the racetrack and access roads with the final couple of stages running into darkness.”

The Darlington and District Motor Club’s annual Jack Frost Stages Rally will also shift from its traditional January date and will take place on Sunday, February 17, next year.

Like the Christmas Stages, it will incorporate a number of rounds of regional championships.