Northallerton-based performance specialist and rally car preparation company Motoscope will be taking part in this weekend’s (3-4 May) inaugural Speed show at the Great Yorkshire Show Ground in Harrogate.

Motoscope will have a variety of competition cars on display at the event that they have helped prepare including a Puma 4x4 Evolution, a Mk1 Ford Escort with a Cosworth engine, a Mk2 Escort Duratec, an historic-spec Mk2 Ford Escort and a 700bhp Toyota Supra.

Not only will visitors to the show be able to look at the cars, but they will be able to see the BDG engined historic-spec Mk2 Escort and the Puma 4x4 Evolution in action as they will be taken on demonstration runs throughout the weekend.

In addition Motoscope will also have a trade stand at the show with a variety of items available to purchase as well as staff on hand for people to chat to.

Richard Pocklington, managing director of Motoscope, said: “It’s great to be having such a show held in North Yorkshire that we can support and we’re pleased to be involved in the first Speed Harrogate event.

“It gives the public a rare chance to get close to some of the interesting cars we work with and see them running. We’ll also be able to answer any questions people have either about the cars we have at the show or about their own cars.”

Motoscope has been running for 37 years and not only prepares competition cars but enhance performance on road cars with Superchips available to help with power and economy.

They have an extensive workshop facility, which includes a rolling road and offers engine diagnostics, gearbox, axle and transmission rebuilds as well as general servicing. In addition they sell a wide-range of automotive parts and accessories from their retail shop on the Standard Way Industrial Estate in Northallerton.

The Speed show in Harrogate is the first to be held at the Great Yorkshire Show Ground and has a variety of four-wheeled and two-wheeled machines on display as well as demonstrations throughout the event.

You can find out more at www.motoscope.co.uk

Motorsport enthusiasts are revving their engines for the Speed `08 Show

Members of Ripon Motorsport Club are planning to wow the crowds with their competition and rally cars at the Speed `08 Show, which takes place at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, on the 3rd-4th May 2008.

Visitors to the event, which combines the very best in both two and four wheeled performance machines, stunt shows, classics, rally cars, club stands and more, will be able to see cars like Tim Pearcey's Riponian Rally winner, the mighty Mitsubishi Evo 9, whilst Chris Wise will be bringing along his Metro 6R4 - another legendary vehicle.

Fans of old school Rallying will be in for a treat, with Nick Dale's Talbot Sunbean 1600, Gary Beckwith's Mk 2 Escort 1600 and John Parker's 1960s Saab 96 Sport two stroke on show.

John is a founder member of the Ripon Motorsport Club and the current class champ in the Historic Rally series.

Those who like to see modified cars will be feasting their eyes on the Honda S2000 engined Mk II Ford Escort special, owned by Yuk Hodgson.

This baby uses a shell imported from Portugal, with full GP4 spec, welded in roll cage, Bilstein suspension and the S2000 motor runs on Honda motorcycle carbs too! Take your time to appreciate 18 months hard graft that went into creating this fusion of classic styling and modern high performance.

From a classic Lotus Cortina, to a Subaru Impreza, the Ripon Motorsport Club should have something for everyone on their stand.

Be at Speed `08 and share the passion.

Photo; Tim Pearcey's Mitsubishi EVO 9, winner of the 2008 Riponian Rally.

Courtesy Ripon Motorsport Club

Speed 08 Show offers FREE stand space for performance car clubs

Speed 08, the all-new UK Motorsports Show, which takes place on 3rd-4th May 2008, at the Great Yorkshire Showground, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, is proud to offer FREE stand space to all UK Rally, High Performance, Custom or Kit Car clubs.

"We want the grassroots enthusiasts, the people who put their heart and soul in restoring a Caterham 7, or still enjoy driving an 80s Audi Quattro regularly, or perhaps own the most powerful Sierra Cosworth in their town, to come along and enjoy all the fun." commented Speed `08 Show Director Howard Cartledge.

"We are aiming to make this weekend a real festival of speed, power and petrolhead lust - on two wheels, as well as four," added Cartledge, "but we know that the show would be lacking something if it didn't have the awesome cars, and the true characters who built them, along for the ride."

"So our message to car clubs is simple; `You're all welcome to join in for free,' so contact us today regarding free car club stand space."

Contact:

Howard Cartledge - Bike Shows Europe/Speed 08

Tel 07979 244 576

Or email; howardcartledge@aol.com

If you fancy a Lotus 7 type of sports car, but want something which weighs in at around 600Kgs, offers an amazing range of donor engines, including the Honda Fireblade, Mazda MX-5, Honda S2000, Ford Pinto series, Yamaha R1 etc. and has a precision-engineered, fully-adjustable tubular chassis, then this car will take you to Trackday Nirvana.

The VortX is built for people who want a responsive, fluid-handling sports car, featuring details like independent double-wishbone suspension, 16/18 gauge steel tubular frame, plus a larger-than-average driver's cabin area, which can accommodate a 6ft 6ins tall driver comfortably. Available as a starter kit for those who have a donor vehicle, or as a complete, hand-built and SVA-ready vehicle for road or track.

The appeal of Autograss Racing is fiendishly simple; take a variety of modified cars and hurl them sideways around a 440 yard grass-covered oval. One of the most spectacular classes within Autograss is the bike-engined category, so if you have the urge to compete with the big boys then feast your eyes on the MNR Hayabusa powered grass track racer.

With over 175bhp from the fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, 1300cc Suzuki engine, shoe-horned into a bespoke MNR Racing chassis, plus safety cage, you'll be ready to make the dust fly at your next Autograss meeting.

See these fabulous competition-ready cars, and much more, on the MNR Racing stand at Speed `08, at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate.

It's petrolhead heaven!

Russ Swift is one of the best known stunt drivers in the UK, with appearances at dozens of shows, where his J-turns, two-wheeled driving tricks and awesome donuts in his Mitsubishi Evo always put a smile on the crowd's faces.

Russ began driving in the Autotest events back in the 80s and became British Champion, before contacting the Austin-Rover company and suggesting that he do some tricks in a car park, to help publicise one of their new models. The TV commerical, which featured a Montego saloon car on two wheels and spinning into tight parking spaces, won awards worldwide and actually made owning a Montego `cool,' for about 60 seconds...

Since then Russ has performed at various car shows, helped launch brand new MG and MINI cars, not to mention teaching Grannies how to do donuts in a Honda S2000 sports car for Top Gear. He is even rumoured to have stood in for the famous `Stig' on occasion...but nobody knows for sure.

Russ and his son Paul Swift are renowned for putting on a precision driving show and their display at Speed 08 will be no exception. Handbrake turns into seemingly impossibly tight parking spaces, J-turns, two-wheeled driving, or even `dancing' the car around a figure-of-eight circuit and more! It's all in a day's work for Russ and the team.

Unmissable action is guaranteed!

In just a few short years, Hampshire-based Chris Doney has put himself on the map in the sport of bicycle trials riding, with three British Championship titles, and a highly creditable 7th place in the World Championships in 2003.

Chris turned professional in 2005 and with help from sponsors like ZHI bikes and Yamaha, he competes at World level in Bike Trials, with the Fort William round of the championship scheduled for later in 2008. Chris has an interest in motorcycles too, owning both a Suzuki RM MX machine and the super-light Montesa Cota 4RT trials iron. He also counts the freestyle trickster Travis Pastrana as one of his all-time heroes.

Chris says his favourite riding is in rural France, but the best feeling in the world is competing on two wheels and winning trials events when everything goes right. Chris will be putting all his trials experience into play for the crowd at Speed 08, as he jumps his ZHI bike across a variety of obstacles, bounces off ramps, goes for the `high jump' and generally makes the incredibly difficult business of doing mountain bike stunts, on two wheels or even one, look like a piece of cake.

From a young age Ashley Mark was determined to earn his living from motorcycles, speed and adventure. Ash quit school at 15 to pursue a motorcycle road racing dream, and made strong progress on UK club racing scene.

But major league success eluded him so he retired to try snowboarding, Moto Cross and wakeboarding - but not at the same time!

Ash rapidly progressed to a level where he could claim podium finishes in the UK wakeboarding championships, but he never lost his need for speed on two wheels.

After a few impromptu displays for his mates, raising Hell on his stripped down sportbike, Ash became a regular on the UK motorcycle stunt show circuit, specialising in freestyle routines.

What is freestyle stunt riding? Simple really, it features everything from one handed wheelies to rolling burnouts, stoppies and exploding rear tyres.

Ash is renowned for the finale to his freestyle show, which is a trademark `laid-down’ motorcycle tailspin, where Ash stands on the prone machine, its rear tyre smoking crazily and the four cylinder, 170bhp engine is bouncing off the rev limiter.

You have to see it to believe it, so don’t miss a single second of Ash in action at Speed `08 in Harrogate.

Read Streetfighter magazine's feature on Ashley