South West Centre Safety Fast! Notes for April 2004

Hooray! The season has started and I have an event to report on! Last night, as I write, was the MGCC South West Centre Annual Dinner. It was the first dinner that Michèle and I have attended, but it certainly will not be the last. I think that I can rightly speak on behalf of everyone in attendance to say a big “thank you” to John and Mavis Bird for organising a cracking event with which to start 2004. The mystery speaker turned out to be Mike Penn, Curator of the Haynes International Motor Museum. Thanks, Mike, for a most entertaining speech recounting some of the funnier of his experiences in 20+ years with the museum. Thanks also to Pauline, Mike’s wife, for presenting the vast array of trophies awarded to competitors in the MGCC Speed Championship Southern Series. To paraphrase Mike, the identity of the mystery speaker was only revealed to him a couple of weeks before the dinner, and I am therefore doubly grateful!

 The South West Centre has two events in April. The crew of Lock and Cooke will once again be the one to beat at the Cheddar Valley Navigational Scatter on Sunday 18th, providing we can get my car started! If you think that you are up to the challenge (there’s a beer in it for anyone that is, apart from the Owsts!) or you simply want to have a pleasant morning of social motorsport, please call Dave Coppock on 01934 834429 for details. The Kimber Classic Trial is the oldest event in the MGCC calendar; this year it takes place over the weekend of the 24th and 25th. The route was amended in 2003 to ensure that the tests were utterly undamaging and hence encourage a wider range of vehicles to be entered. Whether you have an 18/80 or a ZT-T, why not give Bruce Weston a call on 01963 440941 for an entry form.

 I’ll tell you about May’s events next month, but I must mention the Wessex Sprint on the 3rd of May as the entry list can fill up early. Please contact Bruce Morgan on 01275 790855 for more details, and read on!

 You may recall that I promised to finish off my explanation of the various types of events by telling you about sprints and hillclimbs plus the joy of marshalling. So here it is:

 Sprints and Hillclimbs: Both types of event require some preparation to the vehicle and basic safety equipment (helmet, fireproof overalls and gloves) for the driver. Competitors are timed over a course – the fastest time wins. Sprints usually take place at racing circuits or disused airfields (eg the Wessex Sprint on 3rd May), while hillclimbs are often at specialist venues with the added attraction of superb scenery (eg the Wiscombe Hillclimb on 11th September). There are a wide variety of entries, so you may find your MG parked up in the paddock alongside anything from a mini to an exotic supercar. This is the serious end of the scale; although fast and competitive, the social side is certainly not neglected.

 All events need marshals, some more so than others. Marshalls are the unsung heroes of motorsport; they are almost always volunteers, who give up their time to allow us to compete in safety. Marshalling at a club event such as a Gymkhana is a fairly relaxed exercise involving time keeping and general supervision of tests (eg watching out for contact with cones or cars taking the wrong route). At the other end of the scale, marshalling at a sprint or hillclimb has additional responsibilities for safety of vehicles on the course. None of our events can exist without marshals – if you wish to volunteer, please contact the event organiser or give me a ring and I will point you in the right direction.

 Finally, if you enter or spectate at an event and have a digital camera, please send me your best pictures. I cannot promise to publish any of them in the notes – but it would be nice to have the option!

 Neil

neil@port-z.fsnet.co.uk

01275 817915 (before 9pm please)