Cataclean Southport Speed Sprint Revival 2025
Photographs by Patrick Trollope.

ON 13 September 2025, a free event had made Southport's seafront into a race track, with cars of different ages and makes conducting timed runs along Marirne Drive (Coastal Road).

The Cataclean Southport Speed Sprint Revival was well attended, despite the unpredictable weather and helps keep Southport has such a rich motoring heritage alive.

For many real motoring fans, events like this are externally important as very soon cars like this could become an endangered species on our race tracks, not just on our roads. At its current rate of decline, experts say that by 2029 the manual gearbox could be all, but extinct, like:- chokes, cassette players and wind up windows, so establishing events like this becomes even more important in helping keep these extremely interesting vehicles going for future generations. Like steam railways are now...

Very soon this might become the only place you will see cars like this, especially as EVs are taking over, with less and less drivers in future being able to take manual driving tests.

This year Aintree Circuit Club was supported by Liverpool Live Radio, did a fantastic job of keeping the action moving via giving a good commentary throughout the day. Some of our readers who couldn't attended got to see the action on the starting line, via our live feed on our YouTube channel.

This years event was started by the High Sheriff of Merseyside, Billy Hui BEM attended the event as a VIP guest and performed the ceremonial flag dropping at the start line.

This year spectators got to see a wide range of vehicles running from the Pleasureland Roundabout to Southport Pier.

Entertainment included everything from the smoking tyres of Terry Deere's Talbot Sunbeam Lotus to the sound of the Porsche 911, powering down the road, next to the packed out seawall. With lots of razzing, especially about the Mark Kermode's unusual Fiat 500.

There was something for everyone, from classic Triumphs and Aston Martins, to family hatchbacks to cars from the 1990s, with good represent of our nations motoring history.

At one stage an accident took place, but no one was injured and the swift response of the stewards and safety team made for an added sceptical that was the 2025 Cataclean Southport Speed Sprint Revival. This accident also demonstrated that this was not just a spectator event, but also a real motor sport event!

Chairman and Director of Aintree Circuit Club, Chairman and Director of Michael Ashcroft, who had organised the event said:- "Despite our concerns about the weather we had far more spectators this year, watching the action. Thankfully, throughout the day with a light shower all over the North West, we managed to escape most of the deluges that swept across the area. The building wind limited outright speed as did with the wet track in the morning, but clearer skies in the afternoon meant speeds crept up."

Some spectators attending the along Marine Drive also helped fund the event by buying VIP tickets, and helping to provide funds for its return next year. It also give them access to the Competitors Paddock and Premium Viewing Area.

In the end Laurie Hatchard retained the event's title with his Dax Rush Quadra, by posting a time of 66.14 seconds, followed by Anthony Adams' Porsche Cayman with 66.22 seconds, and Adrian Kermode who took his 911 to a personal best time of 67.6 seconds.

These are just some of the many photographs taken by our Editor Patrick Trollope at this event. More photographs can be found on the following 4 pages, within this edition. If you attended the event, please let us know what you thought about this event by emailing our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter. Please do let us know as we love to hear your views... For more information about this annual event by visiting:- SouthportClassicAndSpeed.Com.