Cruising - Week commencing 15th June 2015

A602 Street and Strip Rods Car Club

 

Wednesday, we decided to take a chance on the weather (got away with it-just!) and headed off to the A602 Street and Strip Rods Car Club cruise night at the Three Horseshoes just outside Stevenage. It's a really nice gastro pub with expensive drinks. The club members were friendly and made us welcome. There were a dozen or so cars, less than usual as many of them were planning to travel to Bedford the following evening to the Drag Race and Hot Rod evening that Dave was organising for OMC at Oakley Sports and Social Club.

We got to Oakley club early so that Dave could arrange the parking.  We took the Model A, the Tot Rod and Paul's dragster down, Ruaridh Hart brought his junior dragster as did Dylan Bradley, Nigel Hale was in his massive truck and Butch turned up in his Hillman "Butcher's Shop" street eliminator car. Santa Pod brought one of their old top fuel dragsters and a nice assortment of  Hot Rods and American cars turned up to join the biggest ever Thursday night motorbike crowd of 240 bikes including one drag bike. Plenty of the local villagers came along for a look too and it all seemed to go down very well. Janet's Plymouth was much commented on as were all the others with everyone picking different "favourites". I'm not sure the immediate neighbours will have appreciated the cackle fest that took place at 8pm though especially as a number of car alrms were set off several streets away! Zoe got to start the dragster in front of a large crowd. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening, evidenced by the requests for it to become an annual event.

We arrived home on Thursday evening to discover via e-mail that the builder of our Car, Galen Meeker had recently passed away. Having spent the evening discussing Galen's achievements to all and sundry this message was particularly poignant. As I explained to his son when I wrote back, we have a board printed which we put with the car, naming him as the builder and it explains how he built it in the basement of his house from a wheelchair. People are already astounded at how beautiful the car is, how well engineered it is and how the “look” of it is just right and then they are full of admiration for how he achieved it. We have never taken it for granted and we also take great pleasure in the joy and excitement that the car generates to passers by from all walks of life, from the Rolls Royce owner right down to homeless people on street corners. Never have I come across anything that appeals to the whole population in such a way. We wondered if it would be as well received here in the UK as it was in in the USA and the answer is – yes it is! I also told him we won a top five prize with it at one of the country’s biggest car shows a few weeks back and when you consider it now has 34000 miles on the clock and has been driven on some pretty awful roads at times it is testament indeed to the skill and vision of Galen. We shall always be grateful for his talent.

Saturday, we had intended to go to Shakespeare County Raceway to join the Nostalgia Nats for the day but the forecast was awful and it proved to be a wash out so for us it was the right decision not to go.

 
  Sunday, we went to the Sharnbrook Hotel for their Classic Car Show for a few hours. It wasn't as busy as usual but there was a nice selection of cars including this beautiful 1903 Cadillac.









After that, we cruised a few more miles up the A6 to Rushden Station for their Father's Day special steam up day, so once again we were able to indulge another of our interests - Steam Locomotives and historical railway stations. It was busy with Dads riding the short train journey and drinking real ale in the cosy back in time bar at the the station. Since we last came, there has been quite a bit of work done in the platform rooms and it is now a museum full of local railway memorabilia. Definitely worth a visit!

 
Shame about the modern car in the middle!

Our final trip for the day was a two car cruise to AJ's Diner in Wellingborough with Derek and his daughter Rhiannon. A car show had already been cancelled there but we went anyway and we were glad we did. It's a nice little American Diner on the mezzanine of a Motorcycle sales showroom, serving typical fifties style food. At the same time, the showroom had been cleared of bikes and a group of people where jiving along to fifties and sixties music. We had a small problem when Derek noticed the oil pressure had dropped to nil (this was his new 32's maiden voyage!) but after a bit of head scratching and a check on the oil with a couple of spanners and a cloth to see if there was any pressure - there was, it was decided that it must be the gauge that was faulty and Derek was able to breathe a sigh of relief and drive the car home safely.

 

 Last but not least for this week, we made Custom Car magazine!

BWM Rally Scooter and Ska - Top Dragster 12th -14th June 2015

I was hoping to get some photos of the Model A with some serious sixties scooters but the weather has put paid to that. We don't mind taking the car out and then it starting to rain but we don't deliberately go out of way to get it or us wet so it remained firmly in the garage for the weekend.

This event at Santa Pod Raceway is a lifestyle event rather than a race event of ska music and mods on scooters (they say old rockers never die but neither do mods by the look of it). We enjoy ska music but for us it was just supposed to be a bonus to our weekend of dragster only racing but Saturday was a wash out. At least the music was good. Friday night we enjoyed Heavy Sol, a mod/soul covers band and Bad Manners with Buster Bloodvessel who entertained us all with their early 80s hits. Saturday evening, I went along without Dave as we was at a stag do and enjoyed So77, a punk band and Definitely Could Be an Oasis covers band.

Racing finally got under way on Sunday. Paul didn't have a successful day results wise but did some amazing driving and as a result brought the dragster home in one piece!

Brands Hatch Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June 2015

Jason, Chairman of the NSRA directing traffic.

What a fabulous weekend this turned out to be. We were lucky to get free entry (Thanks to Jason and Joanne Hollamby, Richard Black and NSRA) to Brands Hatch for their third American SpeedFest, including VIP entrance and parking inside the stadium as part of their show.

The Indy Circuit, Brands Hatch

The main show was Sunday but it was a weekend ticket, so we stayed at The Larkview Priory Hotel  just outside Maidstone, an easy 12 mile drive along the A20 to Brands. Saturday was a really good day consisting mostly of  track racing of various types and classes of racing. The track was the 1.2 mile Indy circuit as opposed to the larger GP circuit so we could see most of the track when we sat in the Grandstand.  Our favourite race was the HRDC (Historical Racing Drivers Club) All Stars Race for pre-1966 Sports, GT and Touring Cars (which all have to be taxed, MOTed and insured for on the road). To see these cars like the dinky little Devon A35s racing round the track at speed with a little 997cc engine was really entertaining. The winner, Richard Skinner, was driving a Marcos and had a distinct advantage over most of the other cars but he was a worthy winner nonetheless. We were particularly following a little beige coloured, number 66, Austin A35 having chatted to the crew earlier that day in the paddocks. It was their first season having bought the car, ready to race for £25000. (Apparently you can get one built from scratch for about £30000). It was an immaculate little car and handled very well. He was having a dog fight with a Jaguar and had finally seen it off when he had to retire after lap 25 (of 30). I could see Dave and I doing this kind of racing.  All you need is a little trailer,  a tool box the size of a handbag and you can race in the rain!

The main racing attraction billed was the Nascar Euro series. We've never seen Nascar live and TV coverage has always bored us but with this circuit, it was very entertaining, noisy and in fact quite exciting at times. The first race only had a couple of yellow flags when cars spun off (including Dale Earnhardt's grandson) but the second race had a more serious off and so the race had to be stopped for a while. Judging by the further casualties on Sunday, it seems the drivers had failed to spot it isn't an oval circuit! Most of the day we just chilled in our lawn chairs, American style, with the car behind us, the track in front of us with our cool bag and basking in the sun (when it came out from behind the clouds). We didn't spot any other NSRA members that day but we did see Tom Atkinson and fellow drag racer Andy Dibley who were going to be with their car club V8UK the following day. The extremely noisy, F5000 qualifying run was cut short due to the strict 6.30 pm curfew at Brands and we were done for the day. We were glad we made the effort to go there while the crowds were smaller as we had a great view of the racing, easy access in the paddocks and had our fill of racing so that we could focus on other things the next day.

VHRC

We were fortunate to arrive just before the main rush on Sunday morning, having been caught up in car boot traffic on the way there. The NSRA had been allocated a cracking spot just inside the entrance and with a great view of the racing. The sun was shining, the wind had dropped from yesterday, the sky was blue (apart from those pesky white fluffy things that appeared from time to time), the company was genial and we were in for a day long treat. This time the racing was American themed in one way or another. The Nascar racing  wasn't quite so engaging due to the numerous stoppages for accidents but was still entertaining as were all the other classes including the F5000s.

The place was heaving, probably the biggest day car event we have been to in the UK. As well as our Hot Rods, the Vintage Hot Rod Association was well represented and as for American Cars they were everywhere! A huge assortment of car clubs had turned up to represent the American car scene.  Colin Theobold brought "Bruce" along and found that as with everywhere else he takes his beautiful Camaro, it was much appreciated. There was plenty of entertainment laid on for the general public who turned up in their droves and were particularly appreciative of the NSRA's collection of cars. (beware though anyone thinking of going in the future, you can't be too precious about your car unless you are going to stay with it as some people could not resist touching- and even the glamour models thought it was OK to drape themselves over certain cars for a photo opportunity. Maybe the owners wouldn't have minded, they did look good it has to be said but I'm sure they would have liked to have been asked first!).


Before racing started we were allowed to walk the track and visit the Nascar garages where the drivers were giving away photos and signing autographs for the children which was a nice touch. I hadn't realised how sloped the track was even on the straight. It was strange to walk on a track without your shoes sticking to it though!

So we all relaxed, chatted to other NSRA members, got to know people better, watched the racing, ate and waited for the highlight of our day... a chance for all of us to drive round the circuit at Brands Hatch. The first bonus was getting the opportunity to drive some of the GP circuit where we lined up and waited to go on the Indy circuit. I didn't count how many of us represented the NSRA but it was a good number and a great assortment of models, makes and colours which presented an impressive display for the general public to see, most of whom were cheering or waving at us as we all drove by. The finishing straight was interesting as we weaved our way around the wreckage of two Nascars and the tow away vehicles! It was all pretty sedate but to be honest I'm not sure I'd want to take some of those corners at speed. No wonder so many race cars ended up in the sand. Even though I have done many many fabulous things in my life, I still don't take things like this for granted. I always feel the honour of being allowed to do something most people never the get the chance to do and this was no exception. A fitting end to a superb weekend.

Rye, East Sussex Wednesday 3rd - Friday 5th June 2015

Rye, East Sussex

We were due to spend the weekend in Kent and with the weather forecast looking good, Dave suggested we make a trip down to Rye in East Sussex for a couple of days first. Never one to turn down a few days away, the hotel was soon booked and we were on our way down the A1, M25 and M20. We have learnt that we can't always stay off the motorways in England, especially around the South East. Sometimes you just have to get on with the journey. Still, it gave Dave a few opportunities to blip the throttle in tunnels (child!) and it was a pleasure to drive across the Queen Elizabeth Bridge (Dartford bridge) even though the new on line toll charging system seems to be faulty but I won't go on about it here. The car was running well and we were soon driving through the pretty Kent countryside until we crossed the border into East Sussex and arrived in Rye, in just under three hours and 145 miles from home. In true Dave and Lesley road trip style, the first thing we did was pull into the nearest park, unload our food and chairs and have lunch. From where we sat we could see our hotel immediately above us up the cliff but it proved to be difficult to actually reach it what with the cliffs, diversions and one way system. It's times like these that you wish you had an inconspicuous car- especially when it's the third time you've gone down the High Street in five minutes. On the plus side we managed to drive along every one of Rye's pretty cobbled streets and we knew the town well before we'd even checked in!

Our hotel, The Rye Lodge Hotel was very expensive and Dave was a little disappointed with it, having expected it to be grander and more luxurious  than it was. It was advertised in the Daily Mail with great emphasis on its champagne bar and leisure facilities but to be honest the bar was no more than a fridge with champagne in it and the Venetian pool whilst attractively laid out in a renaissance style was pretty small. However it transpired that all hotels in Rye are very expensive so while it cost us a lot more than we would normally pay, the price was in line with the locality. It had an ideal position perched on top of East Cliff overlooking the Estuary and Romney Marshes. It was originally a girl's school, built in the late 19th century in the gardens of the old monastery. Our room was furnished in Edwardian style (?) with great attention to detail. We had all the little extras that make a stay more comfortable including china cups and tea pot as well as towelling robes and so on. The staff were delightful and accommodating and last but not least the full English breakfast was delicious. The ambiance and layout of the breakfast room was a throwback to bygone times. We enjoyed our stay there and made full use of the balcony to sit and relax in the late afternoon sun. We liked Rye too. It is largely a tourist town filled mostly with silver haired people, so for once, Dave's imaginary "I am the Oldest" T shirt would have been out of place. It is a lovely little town and although we are not shoppers and so didn't patronise the little shops ourselves, it was lovely to see all those independently owned stores with not a Costa Coffee nor a Tesco Express anywhere in sight.

Dungeness Old Lighthouse

With a beautiful day expected, Thursday we were back in Kent for a day trip on the RH and DR (Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway). Before the train left we just had time to climb the 169 steps up the Old Dungeness Lighthouse to see the view over the Channel (we could just about make out Dover's white cliffs but it was just a little too hazy to see France), the vast Dungeness Nuclear Power Station and the fabulous panorama of Romney Marshes, not forgetting the now all to common wind farm. There is something about Dungeness that fascinates. It must be so bleak and remote in the winter and yet there were an assortment of small wooden houses, some of which were no more than sheds really. They are obviously occupied by people who neither want nor need to live in mainstream society and it is good to know that it is still possible to successfully live an alternative lifestyle in this country.

Number 10 Dr Syn at New Romney

Our affection for steam railways has now extended to include the 13 mile long RD and DR. (Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway). It is only a 15" gauge railway and was built in 1920s as a rich man's plaything (millionaire racing driver Captain J Howey) but it proved to be a huge tourist draw right from the start as well as a vital part of the Second World War effort, when it was used to transport supplies in a miniature armoured train. We started our journey on a diesel and as we pulled out of Dungeness station, we were aware of the diverse and beautiful landscape that this little country of ours has to offer. We started in a remote shingled area awash with salt loving wild flowers and were soon in the green and pleasant farmland so typical of England with the hills rising in the distance. After alighting to look at the excellent model railway museum in Romney we then joined a train pulled by the black number 10 Dr Syn steam locomotive, returning on the green number 7 Typhoon. I love the smell of coal smoke and steam. It's not a nostalgia thing as there were very few steam trains left in operation during my childhood and I have no memory of them. In between our journeys we took a pleasant stroll along the promenade overlooking the pebble beach in Hythe, stopping for our picnic lunch on this glorious day, the first time I've worn shorts for a whole day this year. Now this did make me feel nostalgic as all trips to the seaside do! I can't get enough of it, a symptom of living in the most landlocked part of the country I imagine and having fond memories of childhood holidays which in the "good old days" were restricted to one week a year if you were lucky.

The car decided to conk out on us on our way to the hotel. Luckily it was only a blown fuse and it seems to be a problem related to the aerial or radio so we didn't use that again during the trip! Something you don't see around Bedford much are layby produce sellers. Strawberries and Kent Cherries, they just had to be done.

Our evening meals weren't startling, just a pub meal at the Old Bell and the inevitable  Fish and Chips from Kettle o fish, neither the best nor the worst we've ever tasted. We pub crawled to Ypres Castle Inn- nice garden but not great lager choices for Dave, The Hope Anchor which was entertaining, listening to the locals gossip  but our favourite place was a nice inn in Mint Street, The Standard- a recently renovated 15th century pub, run by young staff which attracts locals and visitors alike.There were fewer senior travellers here so Dave's T shirt was out again. Dave experimented with some new lagers including Estraminet and I drank Orchard Pig's Reveller Cider and fortunately only one small glass of The Hog Father Cider which turned out to be 7% proof!

                                                  Fisherman's Net Shops, Hastings

Friday, we were changing hotels so took the scenic route via Hastings and having never been there before we took the opportunity to park the car and walk, as usual with the top down and suitcases still visible. ( We managed to get 32000 miles around the USA without getting them stolen, how far will get around the UK? Watch this space). Unique to Hastings are odd looking Fisherman's Net Shops, tall black wooden huts  which used to be used for drying nets. The rest of the town is a fairly typical seaside resort, a mixture of beautiful Georgian terraces and unsightly amusement arcades. Funny the things you come across.

 It was the start of the World Adventure Golf  Masters (mini golf to you and me). We witnessed players from all over the world practising for the big tournament. Who knew? The pier is currently undergoing refurbishment (hurrah- I love piers) Suddenly the sky got extremely dark and we were a mile away from our car. Oops. We didn't make it back before the rain started but luckily a good Samaritan had pulled the tarpaulin in the car up and over our belongings. The rain didn't last long but we were treated to quite a light show over the sea and just as we left, I was nearly blinded by a flash of light at the top of the cliff above us, immediately followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Luckily it was all short lived. Apparently not far away there had been hailstones big enough to damage cars and some pretty extreme weather so once again our guardian angel was looking after us.

A visit to Hastings would not be complete without a visit to the site of the most famous battle and  date in English history. The battle of Hastings, 1066 took place where the town of Battle is now. To find the site where King Harold was killed we had to enter the English Heritage site for the Abbey and battlefield. William the Conqueror founded Battle Abbey out of gratitude for his victory and as a monument to the thousands who died there. Sadly it is mostly ruins now due to the actions of the wonderful Henry VIII when he ordered the destruction of the monasteries a few centuries later. The town is another pretty little tourist town and well worth a visit.  

                                                     Site of the Battle of Hastings 1066

The final leg to our hotel near Maidstone went along the winding B1096, a good choice, for we finally got to see a number of Oast Houses and a few hop crops for which Kent is famous. Settled in for the evening, our batteries were recharged ready for the weekend ahead.

Billing Fun Run 30th and 31st May 2015

 

Well what a fantastic weekend this turned out to be. The Billing Fun run is an event that has been going for over 40 years and is at Billing Aquadrome, a holiday park with all sorts of entertainment for all the family.  Dave went to some of the early ones and I've been to many of  them since 1978 but we both became regulars once we had Paul. Every year we would camp with the Stapletons and have a great weekend together along with many of our hot rodding friends. The only thing that was different this time was that we are not daft enough to camp any more when we have a perfectly good, warm bed only 18 miles away and the cars the boys drive are now big ones instead of Tot Rods.

We arrived on Saturday, just in time to join the cruise to Rockingham Speedway 25 miles away. Paul and Zoe were in the back of our Model A, Ricky had decided not to risk driving his Victor as the brakes had stuck on earlier so joined Brady in the dickey seat of Russ and Vicky's 32, while Dani and Lee were in his mighty mouse of a 100E.

Photo by Andy Sawyer

Photo by Ricky Stapleton

The cruise there was fun although we didn't catch sight of anyone else in front driving mostly along the A43 which was surprisingly deserted around Corby and so a bit of side by side tomfoolery was in order to catch some good photos. We needn't have bothered though, there were ample photo ops at Rockingham itself. Initially we parked up outside the arena with 70 or so other assorted cars and went into the stadium to watch some pretty powerful minis race. Once they had their break it was our turn and we joined a procession to enter the stadium via the tunnel and in doing so entered a competition to see who could create the most decibels. The winner was Justin's rat rod but Russ was a close second with 124dbs (he did take the silencers off though!) Driving through the tunnel revving the engine was a definite high moment for all of us. And it just got better and better. We all lined up in three rows at the start line and once the signal was given we joined a sedate procession around the track, everyone taking photos of each other and generally enjoying the atmosphere. If we thought that was as good as it was going to get, it was already an awesome experience but no, once we got to the straight, the throttles were opened and we sped along to the finish line, not once but three times. What a great experience, one of the highlights in the Model A so far. Paul and Zoe had an amazing time too and were glad they dragged themselves out of bed in the end.


Sorry about the wind but you get the gist.

Then we cruised back to Billing and went into the petrol station only to be joined by Wendy and  Brian Lucas in their proper '29 Phaeton, an immaculate specimen which was a lot like ours was before we started our 33000 mile journey. We parked up next to each other on the showground, which unusually for a Saturday, was packed.

 We did our American thing and set up our lawn chairs behind the car and ate our picnic lunch while enjoying the sunshine on a warmish afternoon. Later we wandered over to the American Auto mag stand where there was an array of 70s Rods. Cue much nostalgia among the men of Dave's age for whom these vehicles were full of memories at a time when they could only dream of owning one. Particularly poignant was the newly restored  "Revenge" built by Nick Butler who was there to talk a little about it, start and drive around it the field in the absence of its current owner Roger Fulkner who tragically and suddenly died earlier in the week. "Revenge" would not be complete without  another of Nick's builds, "Andromeda", owned by Roger's and our own very good friend Ed Brown. We didn't realise at the time that the unwashed but otherwise perfect 70s styled Model T was Mr T. (Dave is cross with himself for not realising.)

Paul got a taste of hot rodding when he took the car round the Park to get used to it. I don't suppose it will be long before he's taking it out for the evening. Later on it got really chilly so we wandered across  the Park just as the Chopper Cruise (push bikes not motorbikes - more seventies icons!) was starting and went to Frankie's Hamburger restaurant just over the bridge. I'm not a great fan of hamburgers but these are excellent as are the chips which are bottomless and all for £8.50 too.

We all went back to see the band. It was good to be there with our own car again. It makes all the difference to your enjoyment of the event. Once the band struck up we realised it isn't our kind of music. However, it was definitely to many others taste as the marquee was packed. So with the cold evening and rain forecast to be arriving any time we decided to be sensible and go home.

The rain did arrive and we woke up on Sunday wondering whether we should go or not but decided not to be woosies so we set off during a dry spell, togged up for the Arctic under very grey skies. When we arrived we were intending to go over to Tootall Paul's stand to have the pin striping reinstated on the back fenders but we got ushered into a precious front row spot right in front of the marquee so that was where we stayed for several hours. The rain came back in force and so we took shelter in the marquee taking the opportunity to chat to various committee member somehow found themselves temporarily with little to do and also John Price who as always keeps us entertained and even managed to  encourage the sale of a few NSRA umbrellas. Once the rain stopped more and more cars found their way onto the show field. In the end there weren't as many as on Saturday but there were some beautiful cars and trucks to be seen as well as plenty of the old faithfuls we know and love.

Eventually we took the car over to Tootall Paul's and it really was quite a thing watching him work. For the first 25 minutes he appeared to be just doing his own thing, eating, chatting , this and that but all the time you could see he was eyeing up the car giving it consideration. Once he started it was done in minutes exactly as we wanted it. To see him working with such a steady handy was incredible. The way my hands shake at times I'd be useless even if I had the talent. So if anyone is thinking of having pin striping done I would definitely recommend him and he won't do anything to your car that he doesn't think will suit it so be prepared for having your grand ideas toned down.

We were surprised and delighted to find out we had been chosen for an award but embarrassingly when Dave tried to start the car to go over there he couldn't . This was going to look good, 33 000 miles around the USA but not able to cross the show field at Billing. Luckily Dave realised that the choke had stuck on when we came over to Tootall Paul's there and so quickly cleaned the plugs etc and we were on our way just in time for the start of prize giving. Ricky won the best uner 25's award, we won a top five award which was marvellous. We know the current quality of the car is not to such a high standard as many others on the show field so we imagine it was picked because if it's back story, so thank you to everyone who voted for us.

Photo by Ricky Stapleton

Best in show

And so it is over for another year. Another fantastic weekend. Our verdict on the car in the UK so far is:- Fantastic but would like to see some blue sky!
Links:
Video footage of cruise around Rockingham Raceway.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze02GtxvDIY -
More photos
 https://www.facebook.com/dave.brown.7334/media_set?set=a.829218587156369.1073741843.100002047078348&type=3