Cataclean Southport Sprint Revival returns with unrivalled selection of cars racing against the clock

THE thrilling Cataclean Southport Sprint Revival is BACK for the third year this autumn. Organised by Aintree Circuit Club, it will see a selection of stunning cars from across the eras racing in time trials along the:- Marine Drive, next to Southport Beach, on:- Saturday, 13 September 2025.

Speed limits for the road will be suspended for the day to enable competitors to record the fastest times possible.

Spectators will be able to watch all the action from the safe position of Southport Sea Wall.

This year, free entry will be available to watch all the action for free with an unrivalled selection of cars from all periods and types, veteran right through to pure racing machinery.

Both free and VIP tickets must be booked here:- Cataclean Southport Speed Sprint Revival 2025 Tickets, Saturday, 13 September 2025, at 10:-00 on Eventbright.

It's a unique opportunity to see cars racing against the clock on the public highway.

There will be a VIP area near the start / end of the course, with tickets available for £10.

The action will take place along an extended 1,650m court with cars running in both directions along Marine Drive.

Southport Sprint Revival is taking place on the same day as the Southport 24 Hour Yacht Race, on a superb day or outdoor sporting action for the Town.

It will revive the historic sprint course that used parts of Marine Drive up until the early 1960s prior to the establishment of the Coastal Road.

This will be run under a Motor Race Order and Speed Permit, issued by Motorsport UK, providing delegated powers to Sefton Council to suspend the Road Traffic Act for the duration of the event.

Entries are now being invited. The course for the Cataclean Southport Sprint Revival is very close to several superb retail and refreshment / food outlets at Ocean Plaza and nearby, with a pub with outdoor seating right next to the Speed Course.  Close car parking facilities are also available.

Event organiser Michael Ashcroft, the Chairman and Director at Aintree Circuit Club, said:- "We are delighted to let people know that, following consultation with Sefton Council, the Southport Sprint Revival has been approved to run. It's all go now! We invite people to enter your cars for the upcoming Southport Speed Sprint. Join us for a thrilling competition where speed and skill take centre stage. Don't miss your chance to showcase your vehicle and compete against the best - register now and be part of the excitement! Last year we had over 40 cars taking part, with 5 timed runs plus practice runs, with the leading cars separated by just a few hundredths of a second. We'd love to attract even more this year. We are really excited to be back, and are really keen to build on this event. The Southport Sprint Revival is unique. There is nothing else like this in the UK. We want to revive and build on Southport's impressive motorsport heritage. Southport rivalled Brooklands as the top motor racing venue in the UK, attracting pre-war crowds of over 50,000. Next year will mark the centenary since Sir Henry Segrave broke the world land speed record on Southport Beach. Marine Drive makes the perfect setting for sprint trials. It's a beautiful venue to stand on the sea wall and watch cars racing past. It's the perfect day out for motor racing enthusiasts, and also for families. It's a brilliant spectacle. We'd love to see lots of people there! We want to encourage people from all over to come to Southport and enjoy a great day out. The event is taking place next to Ocean Plaza, next to Southport Beach, close to attractions including:- Adventure Coast Southport, and a short walk from Kings Gardens and Southport Town centre. It's perfectly placed for people to be able to explore all that Southport has to offer, with lots of great places nearby for people to be able to enjoy. We'd love to see Southport Sprint Revival giving a real boost to local businesses. Last year we had competitors and spectators travelling from all over the country. The Southport Waterfront Hotel, where we held a special dinner, was sold out, while we also had people staying in other hotels, including:- The Scarisbrick Hotel and The Prince Of Wales. During the event, local businesses such as The Guelder Rose and restaurants at Ocean Plaza Leisure were packed! We attracted around 2,000 people in 2024 and are really keen to grow that number this year. Free tickets will be available online, we're asking people to register their details so we can be well advised on numbers and can plan accordingly. Our VIP viewing space will be on the island near the start and finish line. It's a premier viewing area, with £10 tickets great value to see all the timed runs starting and finishing. All the money from VIP tickets sales will go towards the operational costs of this event. The Southport Sprint Revival really makes the most of Southport's natural assets and motor racing heritage to provide a truly unique and thrilling event that will attract car enthusiasts, families, and people of all ages to enjoy a brilliant day out. It adds to Southport's already vibrant events calendar which will also see other popular events such as Southport Flower Show and Southport Air Show taking place this summer."

This closed road motorsport speed meeting will see Marine Drive closed between:- 6am and 6pm, on:- 13 September 2025. This will be a competitive, timed, high speed event.

The diversion route for all traffic will be via:- Coastal Road, Weld Road, Lulworth Road, Aughton Road, Lord Street West, Lord Street, Duke Street, Leicester Street, Promenade, Fairway, Marine Drive and vice versa.

For more details please visit:- SouthportClassicAndSpeed.Com.    See our coverage from 2024's show by clicking on here....

UK Government to test the Emergency Alert System

THE UK Government will be running a national test of the Emergency Alerts system on:- Sunday, 7 September 2025, at:- 3 pm. The Emergency Alerts system is designed to provide warnings and advice in a life threatening emergency, such as:-

• Wildfires.
  

• Severe Flooding.
  

• Extreme Storms.

This test will run nationally, and the UK Government does not need to know your phone number or location to send you an alert.

People within the likes of the US and Japan will be familiar with the alerts, which are designed to tell you about simple and effective steps you can take to be more prepared for an emergency within your area.

Emergency alerts will only be sent by:-

• The UK's Emergency Services.
  

• The UK Government's departments, agencies, and public bodies that deal with emergencies.

You are automatically able to get Alerts in the UK based on your current location, not just where you live or work. You do not need to turn on location services to receive alerts as the message is sent via local cell (phone) masts, allowing for a targeted response to an incident within your area.

When this Test Alert is sent, it will be the same as what happens when you get a real Emergency Alert, and it will mean your mobile phone or tablet may:-

• Make a loud siren like sound, even if it's set on silent.
  

• Vibrate. The vibration will last for about 10 seconds.
  

• Read out the alert.

WHAT TO DO!!!

• If you get an alert, stop what you're doing and follow the instructions in the alert.
  

• If you're driving or riding when you get an alert.
  

• Do not read or respond to an emergency alert while driving or riding.

Find somewhere safe and legal to stop before reading the message. If there's nowhere safe and legal to stop, and nobody else is in the vehicle to read the alert, you can listen to news on live radio to find out about the emergency.
It's still illegal to use a handheld device while driving or riding, even to respond to these Alerts!

An Emergency Alert will include a:- phone number or a link to the:- Gov.UK/Prepare website for more information.

If you cannot receive emergency alerts:-

• If you do not have a compatible device, you’ll still be informed about an emergency. The emergency services have other ways to warn you when there is a threat to life.
  

• Emergency Alerts will not replace local news, radio, television, or social media.
  

• If you’re deaf, hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted.
  

• If you have a vision or hearing impairment, audio and vibration attention signals will let you know you have an emergency alert if accessibility notifications have been enabled on your mobile phone or tablet.

Alert languages...  Emergency alerts will be sent in English. In Wales, they may also be sent in Welsh. The UK Government found that the message did not reach around 7% of compatible devices.

The last time the system was used in this way, for a national test, was in April 2023. Back then, it failed to work on one of Britain's biggest mobile networks:- Three. When checking, the UK Government found that this error meant the message did not reach around 7% of compatible mobile devices (around 10 million devices) that used the mobile phone network. The UK's Cabinet Office said at the time that the problems uncovered would be reviewed and addressed ahead of another test. It is hoped that this test will demonstrate that the errors in 2023 have now been fixed. Interestingly, many of you might have already received these types of alerts on your phones within the UK since the first national test of the system, as the UK's Emergency Alerts system has been deployed 3 times since its launch in April 2023 for real emergencies.

• February 2024 - Alerted residents in Plymouth about an unexploded WWII bomb.
  

• December 2024 - Alerted residents in Wales and the South West about Storm Darragh.
  

• January 2025 - Alerted residents in Scotland and Northern Ireland about Storm Éowyn.

A simple version of the system was also used for giving updates during the Covid19 lockdowns.

More information can be found on:- Gov.UK/Alerts.

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