MGCC South West Centre

SOUTH WEST

John Bird

johnbird@fsmail.net

The Annual Dinner and Presentation of Awards will happen later this month at The Limpley Stoke Hotel near Bath on Saturday 25 February price £25 (see www.mgccsw.com for further details) and may be ordered by contacting me. There is still time to book a seat. The evening is held in conjunction with the Luffield Speed Championship Southern Series and Julian White, General Manager MGCC, will be a guest of the club.

The South West Centre AGM will be held at The Ring O’Bells at Compton Martin at 8pm on Wednesday 3 March. Come along and have your say. Tell the committee if there is you want us to do, but don’t, or anything else. If you want to stand for election to the committee you need to get your nomination in beforehand, so contact the Secretary Andrew Owst. Centres and Registers are run by their members independently of Abingdon main office, and without volunteers we would not be able to promote events and meetings.

Motoring activities restart over the Easter weekend of 6^th to 9^th April. The Centre usually runs the Bristol start of The Lands End Trial on Good Friday at the northbound Michaelwood services on the M5. A good contingent of MG’s is normally in evidence.

Next up is The Kimber Classic Trial on Saturday 14^th April 2012, as I write details are yet to be announced, but by now should be posted on the website. Marshals on timed/observed sections are urgently needed, and is the best way to watch the event. Volunteer by contacting the Event Secretary or Andrew Owst or even email me. The Bristol Classic Car Show will take place the following weekend on 22nd/23rd April at The Royal Bath & West Showground at Shepton Mallett. Again the MGCC stand is designed, constructed and manned entirely by the SW Centre and we will need volunteers to help out over the weekend.

Finally, I’ll close with a glimpse into the Centre archives with photos of Bruce Weston in his TC at Silverstone Race Meeting in 1971 (Bruce will write the March Notes and still drives the same TC regularly); and a J4 Replica at the old Chisledon Autotest in 1972 unfortunately the driver’s name is lost.

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The Kimber PCT held on October 16^th was our last competitive event of 2011.

Sixteen cars entered ranging from an 18/80 to somewhat younger MGFs.

The day started rather damp making the hills very slippery but gradually improved allowing all drivers to reach the top of at least one hill.

Best MG was Dave Coppock – TC with Mal Allen- Midget, a very close second. Best Pre ’55 MG was Jeremy Hawke – J2.

Thanks to Bruce Weston and the Marshals for an enjoyable day.

The day before, we were invited to the Bristol Pegasus Sprint at Castle Combe where several of our members competed on a sunny autumn day.

Terry Drinkwater’s MGA Coupe was fastest MG (more of Terry later) with Andrew Till’s ZR second.

On October 23 rd John and Mavis Bird organised a social run from Bristol Downs to Tyntesfield House (National Trust). 11 MGs took part on a fine if a bit windy day.

Now that all of this year’s Drivers Championship events are completed, our overall winner is Jeremy Hawke – J2. Class winners are Jeremy Hawke, Chris Leverett, Phil & Jan Archer, Terry Drinkwater, Mike Angwin and Jim Lott.

Awards will be presented at our Dinner on February 25^th, see below. Full Championship results are on our website.

This year our very own Terry Drinkwater in his beautiful MGA Coupe is the overall winner of the Luffield Cars MGCC Speed Championship with a score of 806 points, second overall was Andy Walker with 796 points, pretty close.

The last and maybe the only other Southwest member to win the overall championship was John Thomas in 2001 driving his LHD 1954 TF.

To give you some idea of what was involved, Terry has competed in 17 Sprints or Hillclimbs, 15 of which were Luffield Championship events, he set 10 new course records for his class and won 9 other awards in a car he rebuilt and prepares himself.

Congratulations to Terry, I am sure that the increased number of MGAs we now see at our events and Natters is, to a large extent, due to his achievements and enthusiasm.

Now some dates for your 2012 diary, when you get it!

February 25^th is our Dinner and Awards presentation including the Luffield Cars MGCC Speed Championship Awards Presentation at the Limply Stoke Hotel near Bath. Contact John Bird, 01179 560175 to book your place.

The SW Centre AGM will be held on the Tuesday March 6th (Natter night) at the Ring O’ Bells, Compton Martin.

The Kimber Classic Trial will be on April 14^th and the South West Classic Car Show on April the 21^st and 22^nd.

Seasons Greetings and a happy 2012 to you all.

Photos show Jeremy Hawke and J2, this year’s Centre Drivers Champion and AdrianWitcombe’s Midget at the October Social Run.

Bruce Morgan 01275 790855

A bit of a mixed month to report this time. The “MGs On Grass 2″ event was cancelled due to heavy rain, otherwise it would have been “MGs in Mud”! We are rescheduling this for September 25th, check the website for more information – and subscribe to our mailing list if you haven’t already.

The Wessex Sprint – at Castle Combe this year- was a great success, with a good selection of MGs entered. There is a full report on our website, and hopefully within these pages!

By the time you read this, the Wiscombe Hill Climb will have been and gone, and we will be preparing for the Kimber Car Trial on the 16th October – Chew Stoke, just south of Bristol – details on the website (www.mgccsw.com). It is a great site, and a good day out. The other invited clubs often bring an interesting selection of vehicles, just in case you feel like competing against something without an MG badge!

The plans for the Autumn Social Run on the 23rd October are currently coalescing towards a run to Tyntesfield House – details are on the website. If you know of a few people from your local natter who are interested, then you might like to plan a route together – let us know and we can add your details to the website in case others would like to join you. There is no charge other than the usual NT admission, and the day is not competitive!

One other date for the diary – our annual dinner at the Limpley Stoke Hotel is 25th February – more details on the site!

Oh, did I mention, there’s a website….

Richard Lucking

Well then, lets start with what you have just missed !  Well in June there was the 1st M.G. On Grass that was almost washed away-a report can be found here, and then in July the M.G. Auto Aero day at Henstridge (alas no write up and as I wasn’t there I cant say that much about it ! ).

We also enjoyed the MGF register’s Somerset Shenanigans and the MGA South West Tour (both at the end of July) not to mention the Abingdon Road Run in support of the M.G. Museum Restoration fund (none of these were SW Centre events but I know many of you joined in the fun).  Most recently we have had the famed Wessex Sprint (this time at Castle Combe circuit), the 2nd M.G. On Grass event Yatton and the magnificent Mendip Production Car Trial all in August.

If you are kicking yourself for missing some or all of this cornucopia of motoring delight then you only have yourself to blame for not going to our calendar and  checking what is going on in your area. Reference to this invaluable fountain of knowledge and information will bring you up to speed with all you want to know about the MGOT Castle Combe Track Day on 5th September, the incomparable Wiscombe Park Hill Climb (held in such stunning scenery it is worth going just for the countryside) on the 10th September and the cordial invitation from the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club to the Castle Combe Sprint on the 15th of the same month.

And if all that hasn’t left you completely breathless then in October we offer you the Kimber Trial at Chew Stoke, a Social Run in the Bristol area and an invitation to an Auto Solo at Chepstow Race Course from our friends in the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club (once more all details and much, much more on the website).

This lot will conclude the sporting activities for another year-if you have enjoyed any of them please drop me an e-mail with your comments/suggestions. If none of the above interest you then please get in touch with what might and I will see if we can arrange to include it in next year’s calendar-the club is, after all, run for the benefit of its members an for those ‘Who Practice Driving as an Art’ as it used to be advertised on the front page of this very magazine.

One last thing-if you have any pictures of your M.G. (or someone else’s) doing something exciting in the South West Centre then why not forward it for inclusion in the gargantuan Picture Gallery on the SW web site ?

Until next time,

Peter Jones

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John Delafield 01453 544497 john.delafield@btinternet.com

Centre Web site: www.mgccsw.com

Back in April the centre again hosted a successful Kimber Classic Trail with a healthy entry of 41 classic cars nearly all being MGs. Many thanks must go to Bruce and his team of helpers. A full report and even a link to a U-tube video taken by one of the Dutch competitors, can be found under the ‘events’ tab on our web site.

Despite a very wet day “MGs on Grass 1” was held on 12 June. Photos of Mike Searle BGT and Mike Angwin MGF illustrate the conditions. A full report again is under ‘events’ on our web site. Many thanks to the marshalls and competitors for braving the conditions. Events coming up:

MGF Register “Somerset Shenanigans” – 8-10 July, detail on the F Register web site.

MGA Register South West Tour – 17 July, detail on the MGA Register site.

MGCC Racing at Thruxton – 30 July, main club event, details on MGCC web site.

Wessex Sprint – 6 August

This year the venue has changed to Castle Combe, entry details are on our web site or call Bruce Morgan on 01275 790855, closing date for entries is 25 July. As ever marshalls will be required, call Bob Hart on 01179 409772.

“MGs on Grass 2” – 7 August

Our web site states, “Its probably the best fun you can have in a field, legally”, I’m clearly not going to make a comment on apart from saying it is ideal for your standard MG and no previous experience is required. The site, near Yatton North Somerset, is in pleasant rural surroundings and there is a pub for lunch nearby. Entry forms on our web site or call Dave Coppock on 01934 834429.

Safety First and Tyres – Nothing to do with the centre but be warned old tyres are lethal and the MOT test does not check the age of tyres. Although old tyres may look fine, even without showing any visible signs of ageing such as crazing / small cracks, the rubber harden and there is no real grip in the wet, trust me! There is ongoing debate on the subject of tyre ageing but make sure you know how to tell the age of tyres and your MG is not running old rubber. There are many web sites that tell you how to read tyre marking such as www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html. Now old is too old? Well depending what you read many web sites mention ~10 years. Drive safely.

John Bird johnbird@fsmail.net

The Bristol Classic Car Show again proved a successful showcase for the club despite an unfortunate clash with the Kimber Classic Trial. The SW Centre show stand featured four C-types to celebrate the 80^th anniversary of the model. Colin Withers’ “Blue Angel”, seen in the accompanying photo by Phillip Pittard, scooped the award for Best Pre-War Car.

MG Live naturally is the major June event and the SW Centre is again running the California Cup Autotests. It’s not too late to either enter or volunteer to marshal. To enter you need to contact MGCC HQ, e.g. via the MGCC website, but to marshal get in touch with Neil Lock through the Centre Website www.mgccsw.com and follow the Cal Cup link under events.

Meanwhile, we have “MG’s on Grass” on Sunday 12 June starting at 2pm. The entry fee is a snip at £10, and the event and should be done by tea. This a real grass roots, gymkhana style event held a few miles north of Bath and east of Bristol, just off the A46, Satnav users enter postcode BA1 8AF. Entry forms are available from the SW website or contact peter@pv.gotadsl.co.uk or Victoria on 01225 837545.

Sunday 3 July Tony Blake is hosting a fund raising picnic, aka MG Auto-Aero Day, at Henstridge Airfield, Somerset off the A30 east of Henstridge, postcode BA8 0TN about half way between Sherborne and Shaftesbury. Entries cost £8, bring your own picnic although the club house is open for tea and coffee, and lunch by advance booking. Proceeds will be donated to the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance. The airfield was used to train Royal Navy aircrew for deck landings during WWII, and the dedicated runway section is preserved. Entries in advance if possible but don’t be put off by a last minute decision. Contact Tony on tel 0117 9790108 or tonyblake38@hotmail.com .

Finally, the Wessex Sprint has changed dates and venue to Castle Combe Circuit on Saturday 6 August. Although the circuit website in early May still lists the date as the Castle Combe Racing Club Sprint I am assured that it will be the Wessex Sprint and a round of the MGCC Luffield Speed and ASWMC Championships. Bruce Morgan on 01275 790855 has more details and contact numbers for entries and marshals

Our annual film night is April 5th, at the Ring’o'Bells, Compton Martin – more details in the calendar.

Bruce Morgan bruce.carole@tiscali.co.uk 01275 790855

Our last event for 2010 was the Christmas Dinner at the Ring O’Bells Natter where around 60 members and friends enjoyed good food and festive socialising. Many thanks to Andrew and Sue Owst for making it all possible.

In October our final Championship event was a Social Run to Kimber House. John and Mavis Bird arranged a route from the M4 that took in some of the old factory ‘Test Routes’ and, on a bright but very cold day, got to the Abbey car park in time for some lunch. Then on to Kimber House where we were met by Brian Moyland and Richard Martin from the Abingdon Works Centre who gave us an illustrated presentation of ‘Life at the Abingdon Works’ and then a tour of the Club HQ which was much enjoyed by all. Many thanks to Mavis, John, Brian and Martin.

So, our Centre Drivers Championship was completed with the Oldies Class won by Dave Mothersdill, the 50s Class by Dave Coppock, the Midget Class by Jeremy Hawke, the ‘ABCV8 Class’ by Terry Drinkwater and the FWD Class by Jim Lott.

Our overall winner was none other than Peter Jones who scored points in both his 18/80 and his TC, well done Peter. Following closely was Mike Hawke who together with his wife Anne also won the MGF/TF Class. Mike competed in nine Centre events last year, more than anyone else, an example to us all and a demonstration of his love of everything MG and his belief in the importance of ‘grass roots’ motor sport. He will be sadly missed.

Full Championship details are on our web site.

Now to this year:-

There should still be time to book your place at the SW Centre and Southern Series of the Luffield Speed Championship Annual Dinner and Presentation of Awards at the Limply Stoke Hotel near Bath on February 19th. Look on the web site or ring John Bird on 01179 560175

The SW Centre AGM will be held at the Ring O’Bells on Tuesday March 1^st when I am sure our Chairman will rattle through the business at a fair old rate (just like his TC!) to give us plenty of ‘natter time’

On April 5^th the Ring O’Bells natter, Compton Martin, will again put on a 1950s film evening showing a variety of motoring related films from the archives of the ‘Dustbin Film Company’. Starts about 8pm.

April 16^th/17^th will be a busy weekend for us as we have the Kimber Classic trial on the 16^th and the Gymkhana on the 17^th. See the web site or contact Bruce Weston for more information.

Also, on the same weekend, the Bristol Classic Car Show at the Shepton Mallet show ground is open both days and our stand will have to be set up on the Friday afternoon so if anyone can help by either marshalling at the trial or being on the stand at the car show (with free entry!) then please contact Bruce Weston on 01963440941 or bruceweston@tiscali.co.uk it will be much appreciated.

The Wessex Sprint. The bad news is that the powers that be at Colerne Airfield have decided not to allow motor sport activities any more. The good news is that we have secured a date at Llandow Circuit, near Cardiff so we plan to hold the Wessex Sprint there on Monday August 29^th. The event will also be a round of the Luffield Speed Championship, Visit www.llandow.com for more information about the venue, B&Bs, Hotels, Campsite etc. Regulations and Entry Forms will be sent out to regular competitors and will be on the web site.

I hope you have been able to dig your MG out of the snow and that we can now look forward to some warmer weather.

Richard Lucking
richard@mgccsw.com

After a busy couple of months – another year comes to an end. The South West Centres “MG80” event – the Kimber Trial – had a very good turnout, the photo shows the MG contingent. Since then we were invited to the Bristol Pegasus “Chepstow Challenge” Autotest, in which Dave Coppock (the other photo) was narrowly beaten by a Mazda.

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The first event of the 2011 for your diary is the Annual Dinner, again at the Limpley Stoke hotel on Saturday 19th February. The menu and guest speaker will be on our website soon, all are welcome. Speaking of our website at http://www.mgccsw.com saw a major “update” this year along with the associated mailing list. We are slowly updating it with information about our events. By the time you read this we may have updated our calendar with details of next years events (Although Peter said the same thing last month). If not – join our mailing list and we’ll let you know when we do.

The final scores for the drivers championship are currently being totted up – the website will be updated as soon as we have all the scores in. We have had a fantastic range of vehicles (and people!) entered this year – both covering a similar age range. All are welcome to enter, it’s not as scary as some people seem to think – come along and marshal at an event if you want to see what happens.

As promised – Regalia! Well, you either love it or you hate it, apparently… When I brought up the subject as ‘any other business’ at a recent committee meeting, it was met with enthusiasm and revulsion in equal measure. Some of the negativity was based on past difficulties with managing orders, stock and returns but it was decided that – subject to addressing those issues, we ought to dabble in the world of regalia once more…

The committee has agreed to fund the production of artwork (ie the MGCC SW Centre logo). Work and holiday commitments mean that there is nothing to show you as I write, but by the time you get to read this there will be something to look at on the website. There’s been no attempt to create something fancy, we’ve gone for a straightforward design featuring the MGCC logo with “South West Centre” above and www.mgccsw.com below.

Rather than stocking a limited range of clothing – usually in the wrong colour, or size, or both – I’ve identified a local supplier who will make your item to order in the style, size and colour of your choice. The downside of this approach is that there can be no returns (unless faulty of course) but the advantages are manifold. Firstly, the range of items is huge. Secondly, it is possible to personalise your regalia at extra cost with, for instance, your initials, registration number, natter or even the name of an event. Thirdly, there’s no waiting for the next natter or event so that you can place your order with the ‘regalia secretary’ (indeed, there’s no need for a ‘regalia secretary’ at all, so that’s another plus point) – you can buy what you want, whenever you want. And finally, the arrangement keeps the taxman (and Centre Treasurer) happy as the sale is between you and the supplier so no money passes through the Centre accounts. Following on from the last point, sales of regalia provide no financial benefit to the Centre so the price is keen; in fact, our supplier has offered to provide single items at the price usually quoted for bulk buys.

To choose your item, visit www.propeaks.co.uk (there’s no need to memorise the URL as there is a link from the Centre website) and follow the link to the on-line catalogue. Choose your item(s) then call Peaks to get a price and place your order. Delivery is extra, but as the cost is ‘per delivery’ rather than ‘per item’ you can get together with friends or your local natter to make up a bulk delivery.

I apologise to those of you without internet access at home, but your committee considered that regalia had potential to become a full-time job and hence the need for an arms-length approach. To get round the difficulty, each natter leader will be provided with a hard-copy brochure.

The range of stuff available from Peaks is absolutely huge as I said, and includes items from well-known brands such as Fruit of the Loom, Helly Hansen, and Regatta. You can choose from clothing, outerwear (including zip-together fleeces and rain jackets), hi-viz, overalls caps and hats, bags and accessories. There’s even a selection of underpants! Man sizes range from small (chest 34”) to 2XL (chest 50”) with some items available in sizes up to 5XL. There are clothing ranges for women (sizes 8 through 22) and children of all ages. Most items are available in a variety of colours, with up to 20 choices in some ranges! There are tens of thousands of combinations, so you ought to be able to find something to suit…

The number of options can seem a bit daunting, so I’ve identified a ‘core’ range to get you started. Please note that this is simply the stuff that I like the look of; it’s most definitely not the cheapest, so you shouldn’t be put off by the prices – there’s something in the catalogue for everyone with plenty of items at less than a tenner. To see what I’ve chosen, please go to the website or give me a call.