Kicking Up The Spray
I will update my blog, as I go out and about, hopefully coming home with a few pics to share with you.
Benjafield's Sprint At Goodwood
On 21st May we headed down to Goodwood for the Benjafield Racing Club's Sprint. What a treat it was to pull straight into the circuit, travel underneath the circuit in the hallowed tunnel to park up right beside the Paddock, if only the Revival was like this! Naturally, we had a walk around the paddock taking in the sights and aromas of the proper machines on show, each one, no doubt, with many stories to tell of their individual unique histories. Bentley's were the mainstay of the paddock but other interesting machines were there too.
Stickers worn with pride.
Last minute preperations before the action began.
Always worth exploring the unlikeliest places to see what is hiding in there.
Queued up ready for the Marshall's signal to start their flying lap.
These mighty Bentleys look good parked up, but they look so much better when on the move.
The cars may be old, but they can still be hustled along at a good lick.
Just look at the size of that sump protruding underneath the car, engineering on a mighty scale.
Alas, a little drizzle of rain began to fall to make the track short of grip, but did that deter the intrepid drivers? Not one bit!
Big heavy Bentley, driven at speed in the rain, definitely not for the faint hearted!
The Mighty Samurai came out to play too in its bright paintwork.
Something very, very special!
The driver perched rather precariously at the sharp end of this ex Eddie Cheever F1 car.
Sporting a bigger wing than most light aircraft, this rather fast Porsche made short work of the circuit.
Car Washing Benjafield style!
After the lunch break and grid walk the rain started to fall again, only this time a lot heavier.
A Mini in the wet is always worth watching, especially one as fast as this one.
Not to be outdone this MG had a fair turn of speed too.
Early Porsche getting a right old soaking.
As you can see the rain really did fall with some force.
All to soon it was time for the drivers to depart, some of them driving home in the cars that they had just competed in. Oh, those were the days my friend!
Suitably togged up against the elements.
A great day put, at a fantastic venue, with truly sensational cars driven with gusto. What more could anyone want? Many thanks to all those that made the day possible.
Brooklands 1940's Day
The 14th of May saw us heading back down to Brooklands for their 1940's day. Pleased to report that it was a bright sunny day with no sign of any rain, which was great. People are the heartbeat of any place, but dressed in period attire they really brought Brooklands to life, as everywhere you looked there were nostalgic scenes for you to enjoy. Obviously, the place to be if you like your history played out in front of you.
Naturally, the forces were well represented at this event.
Not quite sure the shopping bag is military spec, but you never know!
Enjoying the sunshine.
Not only do the re-enactors dress in the right gear, they also bring along some very nice accessories to set the scene as well.
Looking suitably cool in the mirror shades.
Officer on the move
The Wellington Hangar was a suitable setting for the RAF contingent.
Lunchtime in the sunshine.
Very smartly dressed.
Moustache completing the authentic look.
Wearing his medals with pride, rightfully so.
Very stylish couple.
Proper 1940's glamour in the sunshine.
As it is Brooklands it would be rude not to feature some of the great vehicles on show.
Probably best not to argue with this mighty fine piece of machinery on the road.
Early in the afternoon, we were given a real treat as we had a flypast from a Hurricane. The place was in silence as all eyes and ears were turned to the sky to see the fantastic sight and sound of a great piece of machinery in the air.
Many traders were in attendance as well, ready to supply you with anything from a whole outfit to a small accessory to finish your 1940's look.
If shoes are your thing then you couldn't go wrong at this stall.
Ready to wreak havoc!
These boots were obviously not made for walking!
The dance tent was as always a very popular feature, and here we have Noelle Vaughn providing the right music for the era.
Much laughter was to be heard as everyone got into the spirit of the day.
At the end of the day when the dancing has taken its toll, it is time for a little relaxation before heading home.
Once again a very enjoyable day out, many thanks to all those that made it happen, especially the people who dressed up and were very happy for me to take photos of them, it was much appreciated. Looking forward to next year's event.
Brooklands Museum Auto Italia
Time flies by at an alarming rate, and on 30th April I found myself heading back to Brooklands for their annual Auto Italia Day, where all things Italian gather to be admired. It is one of Brooklands biggest events of the year, so I always make sure I arrive nice and early before it gets busy. The weather was forecast to be a bit unpredictable, and so it proved, but that didn't deter a huge amount of Italian vehicles turning up, or indeeed the huge crowd that came along. There were 100's of vehicles in all directions on the site and in the overflow display areas, Alfas, Fiats, Lancias, Maseratis, Ferraris, Lamborghinis amd many more smaller makes stretched out as far as the eye could see!
Last minute polishing before the majority of the public come through the gates, to make sure everything is shining nicely. As you can see not only cars to look at but bikes too.
The unloading of valuable cargoes began in earnest around the site.
Driving gloves were removed by the drivers as they arrived.
Sixteen cylinders and four turbos, made this Bugatti Veyron, one of the more exotic cars on show.
The original at the front, new models at the rear.
Simply gorgeous Maserati, Italian style at its best.
Classic Lamorghini in a very distinctive hue.
The words classic and Ferrari trip off the tongue with ease, and these two show why they are so coveted.
MV exhausts in a row.
The only type of Ferrari I can afford. One of the many trade stands tempting your wallet to be opened.
The demo on the MB World track was as busy as ever, and the formation queue was a delight to the eye.
With such a rich sporting heritage for Italian cars, motorsport was well represented.
So very stylish, and no doubt so very, very expensive!
Whilst still a relatively new addition to the supercar scene, Pagani has quickly built up a dedicated following.
Not merely a supercar, but a hypercar.
The Oakley design Veyron, must surely have been the most powerful car in attendance, and also one of the most eyecatching.
Only for the very brave, seriously fast, and traction control only provided by the driver's right foot.
A sporting SUV before they had been invented! Absolutely love these LM002's, a real brute of a machine.
One particular owner, overcooked it on his demo laps and unfortunately got friendly with the barrier resulting in the rear wheel hanging at a rather jaunty angle.
Let us not forget the army of volunteers that keep the Museum ticking, doing such good work even when there is so much happening outside to distract them.
Of course huge crowds meant that the catering outlets were kept very busy.
As mentioned the weather did change and we had a couple of showers, but it didn't stop this photographer from getting the pictures he wanted.
When the rain falls I just can't resist taking pics like this.
All dark, moody and magnificent.
Nice graphics.
How many of you had one of the Athena posters with this car on, in their childhood?
When it come to choosing the colour of the paintwork, you pays your money and takes you choice.
On of the more unique paintjobs on show.
Brooklands Cars kindly opened their doors at the top of the hill for people to look around, and it never fails to impress.
Unbelievable line up of very desirable cars.
Then in the blink of an eye it was time to head home, some rather more stylishly than others!
Once again another fantastic day out at Brooklands, many thanks to all those that made it happen, and looking forward to Auto Italia 2017 already!
Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble
On Sunday April 24th we headed back to Bicester Heritage for their 8th Sunday Scramble. We found a massive turnout of classic cars on site, all nestling among the iconic military buildings. Never quite sure what to look at first, as around every corner there was yet more interesting stuff to be found, be it vehicles, people or indeed the aforementioned buildings. Not only that but the businesses on site open their doors too, for you to have a look round, be it purveyors of fine cars, or one of the many workshops containing highly skilled restorers on site.
An early car that was an early arrival, with what must have been a pretty draughty drive to the venue.
Fabulous lightweight E-Type, looking very fast even when it is stood still.
Cars to view in every direction, and as you can see some lovely sunshine to enjoy as you walked around the site.
Always good to see some modified cars at events such as this.
I did say there were a lot of classics, as can be seen here all neatly parked in line, rather in keeping with the military venue.
A proper gentleman's express.
Absolutely immaculate Austin-Healey proudly parked up.
A rather lonely looking Porsche.
And this one didn't seem to have too many friends either!
You have admire the American car designers for never quite knowing when to stop adding decoration to their cars, but they are truly great to see, knowing that it isn't yourself that has to keep the acres of chrome polished!
A rather stylish accessory.
Of course flying was the primary purpose of the base when it was operational, and so it was rather fitting to see some planes using the airfield.
No this isn't the pipes from an organ, but lengths of tubing awaiting the attention of Ryan Edwards who transforms them into exquisite exhaust systems, that really are works of art.
The buildings never cease to fascinate me, and come in many different varieties.
Rather nice addition to the door.
Although many of the buildings have been superbly sympathetically restored, there are still some buildings awaiting this treatment, and it was a pleasure to be allowed into them.
It is only when looking close up at these unrestored buildings that you realize the amount of work that must go into restoring them.
Decay and deterioration can be quite artistic at times.
Probably best not to plug your kettle in here!
The people always supply the heartbeat of a venue and Bicester Heritage is no different. The traction engine needed a bit of a polish up, which I can assume is a bit like painting the fourth bridge, a job that is never quite completed.
The Homeguard reenactment group were out as well, adding more military nostalgia to the site.
A proper British picnic at a proper British venue, what more could you ask for?
Once again another very enjoyable day out, many thanks to all those that worked to make it happen. Looking forward to the next one, and if you haven't been I highly recommend that you do so as soon as possible.
Silverstone WEC & ELMS
On Saturday 16th April we headed to Silverstone to have a look at the WEC event there. Being the Saturday meant that we could catch the WEC cars practice and qualify as well as see the 4 hour race for a round of the ELMS series. I had never seen these endurance racers in action before, and looking at current machinery rather than the classic variety made a very pleasant change.
We arrived to find the rain falling fairly heavily, falling almost as quickly as the temperature as it was absolutely freezing.
So out came the WEC cars for practice, and I have to admit when you see them in the flesh, they are quite the strangest looking machines I have ever seen.
As the track got wetter, and the temperatures continued to plummet, grip seemed to disappear at a fast rate and they tip toed round for only one lap.
Then to cap it all we had a pretty severe snow shower, more suited to rally cars rather than these tarmac terrors.
After a bit of a delay, the action got underway once again.
You have got to give credit to the livery designers when the cars look as striking as this.
Now things began to get moving at a quicker pace.
Never seen so many curves and straight lines in one machine as these machines exhibit.
The Toyotas were hoping for an improvement in form from last year with their comprehensively redesigned car.
Whilst much more closely related to a road car, than cars in the some of the other classes, it is a pure bred racing machine.
If you find one good viewpoint, you can be sure the other photographers will swarm around it like bees around a honey pot!
After lunch, the sun came out to play.
One thing that I did notice was the strange aroma in the air when the cars were on track, quite unlike any other smell that I have found at other events, especially unlike the classic events where the air is thick with the aroma of good old Castrol R. It had a wheaty, oaty scent to it almost reminiscent of a brewery!
Sunshine and shadows!
If anyone sees a spare wheel laying around, I think it belongs to this guy!
One thing that did come as a pleasant surprise was the accessibility granted to normal punters like us. The paddock was open at all times, and I took this picture whilst sat at a table with a coffee. Also note how few people were around.
Spare parts just in case!
Catch recessed into the carbon fibre.
It was great to see all the mechanics going about their routines to keep the machines in fine fettle whilst out on track. Wheels and tyres seemed to be of particular interest too them, with regular wheel washing a constant sight.
Tyre pressure were checked with precision.
There were literally truckloads of tyres all around the paddock, along with an army of tyre fitters to keep the cars shod.
A little time for relaxation, no matter how hectic things appear.
Of course no event is complete these days without the 'selfie' being taken, and this one was no different!
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable day out, even if a little cold at times, but the sight of such fast machinery in action more than made up for it!