Silverstone MG International Weekend

12 - 14 June 2009

by Andrew Coulson

The Y Register had a few new options this year at Silverstone: MG Live, with an additional 'Meet & Greet' area in the main Club Marquee and several well known Y types making appearances.

As usual, held over the Friday, Saturday & Sunday, the show required manning for the regalia/information stand and this year Mike & Sue Silk led the efforts with a fully stocked, priced and displayed stand by 10 a.m. on the Friday morning! Successful trading in parts, books and those essential key fobs, mugs and pens contributed to what was probably the best Register performance for the first day of this three day marathon.

A new venture this year was for each Register to be invited to provide one car and a rota of knowledgeable/willing volunteers to host the Meet & Greet areas within the main area. Having driven his 1951 YA down from North Yorkshire on the Friday morning (5:30 a.m. start giving him a fighting chance of getting there on time!), Andrew Coulson was able to give the car a wash & brush up 2 miles from the circuit before being guided into display position a little before 10 o'clock.

Public (non-owning) and Y owners alike kept attendants busy with 'mini-seminars' on braking problems; headlining; unleaded issues etc. throughout the event. Somewhere around 60 leaflets introducing people to the MG Y Types were given out to help publicise the Register , the cars and of course the website!

Among the Y news items were....

• First look for everyone at Neil Cairns' recently restored YB; gleaming, smooth and elegant (that's the car, not the owner I'm afraid) and looking wonderful in the Register parking.
• Dick Jacobs YB 0414 saloon was auctioned (again) and Marc Hanson is the lucky new owner. He promises to join the Register, carefully re-commission the car and has ideas for long distance rallies with it!
• Dick Jacobs other YB 1551, the last YB chassis, was in the paddock sporting number 1 and looking decidedly fit for purpose. Delighting the crowds during the racing, the car competed and completed 8 fast laps of the circuit to come (I think) second in Class — XPAG specials!

Apart from that, how was Silverstone this year? Well, if you like variety of cars, options to haggle and some feisty racing it was very good — yours truly even left with an 1890's Victorian electric shock machine in a beautifully crafted wooden and brass box (Yes, some of the traders are less than purists in their offerings!)

The weather was good enough each day for picnic lunches (the best food/drink buys at Silverstone are actually from the BP/M&S services 2 miles down the road) and by 16:30 on Sunday when the marquee cars were given the green light to 'start your engines' I was ready for a shower and a rest. Of course the 175 miles to drive home still lay ahead, but what the heck — in a Y-type that's just the added bonus for the weekend!

To enlarge the pictures, double click on them.