Our American friends Monte and Karen were probably still suffering from jet lag on the first day of the Euro Finals. With Paul leading the championship by 430 points we had high hopes for this weekend after yet another gearbox fix. Monte and Karen had start line passes on this beautiful morning and we were elated when Paul won the perfect light award of £50 in Super Pro but qualifying wasn't going according to plan with him propping up most of the ladder when the rain came. However that was put right with a number one qualifier in time for eliminations.
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| No 1 Qualifier |
Just before round 1 the car sprung a huge water leak which luckily was easily fixed and he progressed to the semi finals losing to main contender Lee Huxley who went on to win the final and narrowing the gap at the top to 310 points.
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| Photo by Kirsty Tramm |
Showing the Americans England
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| The Hop on and Hop-off-Bus in Bath |
Pistons and Props Sywell Aerodrome 22nd and 23rd September
This was such a shame. It was spoilt completely by the weather. We did turn up with the Model A and the NSRA put on a great display on their stand but many car clubs understandably stayed away. It rained and was cold for most of the day so Monte and Karen didn't get to see a British car show at it's best. They enjoyed the little museum and the art deco terminal building. We were supposed to return the next day but the morning weather was still poor and without windows or heating we couldn't face it. Instead we went to Twinwood Museum where our friends enjoyed seeing the last place Glenn Miller was seen alive, the WW2 museums and meeting some of the volunteers we know at the NAAFI.
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| NSRA stand at Pistons and Props |
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| Control Tower at RAF Twinwood |
An overnight stay was in order with the return of the lovely summer weather. We took the Phaeton and were glad we did as we turned up at Joyland Diner to find a few other cars had turned up so we parked up with them and enjoyed a rather large American style meal. After a day walking along the prom, sitting on the beach and eating fish and chips from the pier we drove back via Acle Bridge clocking the 45 000 miles. We stopped off for a drink before heading home, witnessing a gorgeous sunset on the way.
Aylesbury Vale Rod and Customs Breakfast Meet Sunday 30th Sept
On our first visit to this monthly meeting it was a cold but sunny morning's drive through pretty villages in Buckinghamshire. There was a good turnout at an industrial estate in Aylesbury, conveniently located next to a transport type cafe where the staff served a vast number of proper English breakfasts in quick time.
The Embankment Sunday 30th September
Making the most of the good weather we turned up for the last evening meeting of the year which had a decent turnout including John in his beach buggy. We even had a stop from several bikers from the nationwide Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride.
Unusually, this event was in October and we paid the price with not a wheel turning on the Saturday due to rain and going into the last event of eliminations with random pairings. Paul progressed to round 2 then was taken out by season rookie Ben Newsome on a 0.0071 reaction time! Then we had to wait for Lee Huxley to falter and luckily that happened in the next round giving Paul the championship with 210 points to spare! Phew that was a tough season making the reward even greater.
Santa Pod Run what you Brung 13th October
The final outing of the season for the dragster was a present for Ruaridh Hart's 18th birthday. We have known Ruaridh since he was 7 or 8 years old and this season he became a valuable crew member for the team. After listening attentively to Paul's expert coaching he went out and gained his Pro ET licence after only 4 runs and whilst dealing with gale force winds.
Blackpool 18th -20th October 2018
Somehow
Dave and I have got this far through life without ever seeing the Blackpool
Illuminations. We made the 200 mile trip up there in the Astra on the Thursday and were amazed
to find that this is the busiest seaside resort we have ever visited even
though summer is long gone. Yes, it's brash and there are more than enough
tacky gift shops but it is a lovely place to visit - a beautiful, 7 mile long
beach, a really efficient tram system, it's clean, there is some lovely
Victorian architecture and it still has three
piers. The Tower may not be as big as the Eiffel Tower but it was still a worthwhile
trip to the top. Our journey home across the Woodhead Pass in the Pennines in
glorious sunshine was beautiful.
The Embankment Sunday 28th October
With the weather still holding we went to the first afternoon meeting of the season. There were a few cars out. Then it was home and the Phaeton was packed away for the winter.
Blenheim Palace Friday 7th December
My final road trip of the year in the Astra was with my Mum to Blenheim Palace to see the Christmas Market, Cinderella in the Palace and the night illuminations in the Gardens a very pretty and worthwhile, if overpriced, visit.
Looking forward to the new season!
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