Wednesday 23 November 2011

North East Area Christmas Party

Christmas party logo Venue: Birtley Catholic Club,
Date: Saturday 10th December.
Time: from 7:30pm
Cost: £5.00 per head, under 18s are welcome and go free.

Tickets available at the December meeting or by prior arrangement with Mark at the door.

Directions to the venue:
the map below will allow you get directions to the venue 

View Larger Map

The Club is on the opposite side of the road to the church and has car parkin onsite, the front car park gets filled up quite quickly but there is another carpark round the back access off Orchard street . See plan below. 
Birtley Venue Car parking Hope to see lots of you there 
Aaron   

Thursday 10 November 2011

2011 Hexham Historic Rally - 19th November 2011

Hi Folks building on the information from Sam Mark has picked this information up from one of the Triumph forums, 2011 Hexham Historic Rally its held on 19th November 2011, so if you interested in entering your going to have be quick off the mark.

Details of the rally:  

There are 2 rallys
  • Hexham Historic Rally
  • The John Robson Navigation Rally
Regulations are now circulating for the 2011 HEXHAM HISTORIC RALLY, 19th November 2011, the final round in this years NESCRO calendar, this unique rally, which unlike most Historic events doesn't feature any tests, offers a 120 mile route over some classic, all asphalt roads in wildest Northumberland, an area which , although unknown almost territory to many, posesses a wealth of superb terrain, everything from tight twisty lanes to flowing moorland roads, all remarkably traffic free. Navigation is extremely straightforward, Novices get an all-tulip roadbook with the option of marked maps, Expert instructions are equally straightforward, a mix of references, tulips and map symbols, no MENSA degrees required.The rally will be based in Chollerford , a stones throw from the historic Chesters Roman Fort and the world famous Hadrian's Wall, which the rally route actually crosses no fewer than 4 times! It will feature the usual format of an early evening start with a finish in time for the traditional after rally supper and awards. Entry fee, which includes tea and supper is a modest £44.50 and regulations can be downloaded from the Hexham & DMC website.

hexham rally
 
Good entry building up for this year's Hexham Historic, quite a variety of cars, so far we have Porsche. Lancia, Ford Cortina & Anglia, Alfa Romeo, Clan, Triumph, Mini Cooper, Wolseley, MGB, Volvo, Lotus, a Morris 10cwt Van! and a Ferrari Dino !!!

 
http://www.hexhammotorclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=5

 
Mark

Tuesday 8 November 2011

November meeting

Hi,
Well attended meeting in November despite the cold.
Quite a few club cars outside, many more inside garages for many various reasons.

Nice to have first time attendees in a lovely GT6 and another in a Stag. Unfortunately no pictures as yet, not sure wether we got any.

Christmas party all sorted, entertainment, buffet etc...

Cost £5.00 per head, under 18s go free. Birtley Cattholic Club from 7:30 10th december.

Tickets available at the December meeting or by prior arrangement with me at the door.

Yours
Mark

Thursday 3 November 2011

North East Classic Motor Sport Events

Many thanks to Sam for the following information:

The first couple of weekends next month are particularly interesting for any enthusiasts of classic motorsport.

The R.A.C. Rally (2nd - 5th December 2011) 
Members ‘of a certain age’ may remember the RAC Rally of the 70’s and 80’s, where something like 250 cars and crews would spend 5 days (and nights!) competing over a course from the south of England into Wales and Scotland and back.  The competition was in the form of perhaps 70 timed special stages in the grounds of stately homes or forests, which were very slippery and even snowy, testing the car control of the drivers to the limit.  Why, you may even have turned out in the forests of Kielder or Hamsterley to watch.

Sadly, the present-day event is a shadow of its former self.  Now styled ‘Wales Rally GB’, it consist of 60 cars taking on a handful of stages in some obscure corner of South Wales, all done in office hours over a weekend.  But wait!  The RAC Rally lives on, in the form of the R.A.C. Rally!

The punctuation in this case is important, as R.A.C. stands for Roger Albert Clark, the full name of one of Britain’s most celebrated rally drivers of the 70’s and 80’s.  Although most of his exploits were behind the wheel of an Escort, Clark also competed in many other cars, including a Metro 6R4 and a Triumph TR7 V8.  The event is based on the style of the earlier rally, starting on a Friday and running over the weekend until Monday, although the crews do get overnight rest halts this time.  And the good news for us is that it’s all based in this region.
The rally starts at Duncome Park, a stately home near Helmsley, on Friday 2 December, and there are some stages there and also in the spectacular Dalby forest.  Restarting at Duncome Park on the Saturday, the event once more visits the Yorkshire forests, near Pickering and Whitby, before moving to Croft circuit for a service halt and a couple of stages, and then the forests of Hamsterley and Shepardshield before overnighting in Carlisle.  Sunday is all in the Scottish forests apart from some spectator stages in a quarry at Heathall, and the sting in the tail is in Kielder on the Monday, with a return to Carlisle for the declaration of results and the winner.  The entry in previous years has not featured many Triumphs and this year is no different, but for anybody who can remember the sight of a full-house Escort being driven sideways at impossible speeds on a narrow forest track, or the sight and sound of the fabulous Lancia Stratos, the R.A.C. Rally is not to be missed.  More information at http://www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org/

UPDATE: Spectator details are here: http://www.rogeralbertclarkrally.org/RAC_2011/2011_spectator_info.htm


The LeJog (10th - 13th December 2011) 

Lejog
The following weekend sees the running of LeJog, which also passes through the region.  LeJog is a contraction of Lands End-John O’Groats, and I suppose in some ways is similar to Club Triumph’s biennial event, except that this one is competitive, with a mixture of timed tests on private ground, and road sections timed to regularity.  Whilst this might seem a bit tame, it is far from the case.  There is, for instance, in the early hours of Saturday morning, a 3 hour section on the roads of  Mid Wales which has a time control every 4 minutes, as used to be the case on championship road rallies of the 70’s and 80’s – believe me, that’s hard work!  In our area on the Sunday there is a brief halt at Tan Hill, and tests later in the day at Eastgate and at Derwent Reservoir, before an overnight halt at Gosforth Park which is where the cars can be seen close-up.  And what cars!  The entry list starts with a 1937 Riley Special, and goes on to include Morgans, MG’s, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, Mercedes, Volvos, and Porsches.  Triumph is represented, at the minute, by 5 TR’s and a 2000 saloon.  The website for the event is at www.heroevents.eu

So, a fascinating couple of weekends for motorsports enthusiasts.  Might we see you out there?
Sam

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Classic Le Mans update

le-mans.jpg

Area trip to Classic Le Mans is now booked for those who paid deposits.
We have a passenger seat available in one of the cars.
Anyone interested?

The cost of the camping and general entry would be £125.91 for the camping share cost and general entry. Add in £12 for a paddock ticket, a must in my opinion, and a further £24 if you want to be able to access the grandstands during the day.

You'll need to let me know and stump up the cash as soon as possible.
No news on ferry costs as yet.
Expect around £150 per person based on 2 in a car.

Yours
Mark