HE skies over Popham Airfield will be full of racing planes this weekend as the airfield plays hosts to the third round of Royal Aero Club Record Racing and Rally Association’s Handicap Air race Programme.

There will be two races at the north Hampshire venue on both days of the weekends in a sport which is steeped in history.

There will be various aircraft in action with the entries expected to include Vans RV, Robins, Bulldogs, Pups, Grumman’s, Cessna’s, a SIAI Marchetti and an extra 300L.

It will be a fly weekend of flying and on Saturday there will see practice sessions.

The pilots will then do battle for the Grosvenor Challenge Trophy in the afternoon which is a trophy which has been competed for since 1923.

They originally they used to make five compulsory stops, but today the planes will not be stopping every lap.

The race starts at 3pm and should finish just over an hour.

The following day at noon, the pilots will once again take to the skies this time for the Society of British Aircraft Constructors.

This was first race for in 1927 and like the Grosvenor Trophy there are many famous aviation names on these trophies like De Havilland Anyone who has not seen handicap racing is in for a real treat as the planes take off one by one with the gap between then denoted by their handicap.

The idea of this is it should produce a mass finish at the end of the race.

However, before this the pilots will go around a given circuit in the sky, going over the the airfield in every lap.

This of course leads to plenty of over taking as the faster planes catch up the slower and more vintage flyers in the fleet.

Therefore it all makes for a great spectacle and entry to the event is free and there is a cafe and picnic area on site.

It is a friendly event so there is also the chance to the pilots before and after they have flown.

Mike Pearson chairman of the 3Rs and Popham Airfield Manager said: “We are really looking forward to hosting this event as we did last year.

"There is a great family atmosphere and also the chance to see some very good racing, which is something difference."

Pearson added: "We welcome everyone to come along and have a great time with us.”

Championship leader Bob Ellis in his RVB is expected to be flying at Popham, where he will be looking to extend his lead over the skies of north Hampshire.

Also over the weekend Airborne Aviation Ltd based at Popham are offering race spectators the opportunity to experience 30 minutes in the world’s only C42 (Ikarus) motion simulator for £45.

The meeting in north Hampshire is the third race in the 3Rs racing calendar.

The first two races were held in Abbeville and Leicester.

Then after its visit to north Hampshire, the series moves to Lanbedr (June 18/19), Compton Abbas (July 9/10), Sherburn in Elmet (August 6/7) and Shobdon (September 3/4).

The Championship finishes with the Schneider Trophy over the skies of Alderney in the Channel Islands on the weekend of September 24 and 25.