Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
Moderators: Ian Grace, Will Grace
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
We have abandoned our Delta/Virgin flights to London from Seattle. We could not get any sense out of the airlines or Expedia (through whom we booked) and these airlines are canceling flights at no notice all over the place and leaving people stranded. And there are NO Delta/Virgin flights out of Seattle anyway and we cannot get them to re-book us through JFK, and even some of the JFK flights are being canceled at no notice. So with two weeks to go, I made the decision this morning to book entirely new flights with BA, who ARE flying out of Seattle to London. Now to book three sets of Covid tests. What a nightmare!
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
News today from MoD Air Events. The BBMF Spitfire is scheduled to arrive at Prescott at 1419 hrs. Will be a fabulous sight and sound as always.
I will know nearer the time which one it is, as I will receive a call from the pilot.
I will know nearer the time which one it is, as I will receive a call from the pilot.
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
The pilot has been announced. He's Sqn Ldr Mark 'Suggs' Sugden, currently a fighter pilot on the Flight. His current posting is as a Deputy Flight Commander on 11 Squadron, RAF Conningsby, operating the Eurofighter Typhoon. He will be taking over as OC BBMF at the end of the season. I should get a call from him two days beforehand, at which time we will know which Spit he will be flying.
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
Well, a week is a long time in rally planning! The headline news is that I have not been able to reach agreement with the BOC regarding suitable catering for our traditional Saturday evening BBQ, so I have arranged with the Shutters in Gotherington to expect an influx of thirsty and hungry punters on Saturday evening, with overflow, if needed, at the Royal Oak at Gretton. There will be catering and bar service at Prescott during the day and I will sort refunds for everyone who has paid for the evening do.
The reason for disappointing those who have already bought tickets requires an explanation. The situation goes back to last year when Ciaran Mac Cana, the owner of Exemplar Solutions who had catered Prescott for many years felt that he had been put in an impossible contractual position by the BOC and walked out. Apparently, the new team running the BOC had not realised that Ciaran owned all of the kitchen equipment (some hundred thousand pounds worth) plus the bar, tables and chairs and so on. He took it all with him. The upshot is that the club is scrambling to provide contract caterers, but even the caterer at VSCC Prescott last weekend has handed in their notice – for reasons I won’t go into here. This week, the new caterers for PWP provided via the BOC a very simple menu for Saturday night – basically a burger or chicken with few trimmings and asked for an additional £3-50 for an ice cream tub! Compared to the massive spread that Ciaran traditionally provided for us, including a wide range of meats, vegetables, salads, breads and desserts, I felt that I could not take £22 per person for such a simple menu. The problem is compounded by the fact that the BOC was going to take a 30% cut, which meant that the caterer would only have received £14 of your money, hence the basic menu. I do charge £22, so ‘make’ £2 per ticket for my trouble, but I also pay the £600 for the band and their BBQs and beer, so I actually offer the evening at a considerable loss anyway. Moreover, the BOC required me to deal with them and not the caterers directly and required payment in full to them by 1st September which precluded late ticket sales or sales on the day, as had been accommodated by Ciaran for many years.
I hope that the catering situation at Prescott improves by next year – we’ll just have to wait and see. So we will hold the awards ceremony by the start line, as we used to do in the past. I expect the bar to remain open for some time after the hill closes. I will certainly be ready for a pint.
Regarding BBQ refunds, I propose to refund all those who paid by PayPal, through PayPal and all those who paid by cheque or bank transfer I will reimburse with cash on the day. Please let me know if this arrangement causes any of you a problem.
Next - marshaling. After over 60 rollovers to next year, the Draft 1 marshaling plan was shot to pieces, so this week I prepared and circulated a new draft to all who have generously volunteered to help out for an hour or two. Please, if you received that e-mail, respond to confirm your slot if you have not already done so. And also please note that the FREE BEER chits for every volunteer that were to be legal tender at the Clubhouse will now be honoured at the Shutters in the evening!
Tickets. All the tickets for entries received up to last week were posted across to John Hicks last week. They arrived on Tuesday and he posted them on to everyone yesterday. I have posted about ten more sets directly from Seattle over the last few days, and John now has plenty of spare tickets and will post them on for any entries that arrive from now. Please check your tickets carefully when you receive them and make me aware of any screwups!
Regarding test-and-trace, MSUK licenses and pre-registrations with the BOC, I am not going to worry any more about any of this. We now know that we can all give our contact numbers on arrival for T&T, can fill in simple paper forms on the day for registration and MSUK license applications and I really don’t have any more time to waste on this pointless exercise. Go get your licenses and pre-register and send in your contact details if you wish, or sort all on the day.
In other news this week, Jayne and I have had so much trouble with Delta/Virgin that we have re-booked our Seattle-London flights with BA and hope to move our Delta/Virgin booking to next July if we can. We were holding direct tickets from Seattle to London (after four changes since early 2020), but there are no Delta/Virgin flights from Seattle to London right now. We could not get any sense out of Expedia, through whom we booked regarding possible re-routing through JFK and Delta/Virgin wouldn’t talk to us as we hadn’t booked through them! With time ticking away fast, and reading numerous horror stories on social media posted by others who had booked transatlantic flights with Delta/Virgin and been abandoned at the last minute, we were not prepared to wait to see what happened. BA is flying daily from Seattle to London and I have confirmed this by watching FlightRadar24 and actually seeing the flights arrive and depart every day.
We have also sorted our pre-departure Covid tests and day 2 tests in England, and now just have to fill in our UK Government Passenger Locator Forms and sort our pre-return testing. But at least we won’t have to quarantine now.
But enough of the sausage-making! I am very pleased to say that the last couple of clue stops have fallen into place this week for the Sunday Navigation Rally so I have been able to finalize the Tour Handbook and nav rally clue cards. Likewise for the Friday Scenic Tour and Weston’s visit. This is a full day’s run and completely FREE (apart from the Weston’s tour). You can find the current list of Friday entrants at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=547 (third link down) and I’m printing a few spare Tour Handbooks, so if you are not on the list and would like to be, just let me know. There is no booking form – and NO need for MSUK licenses! And I can now e-mail the final version of the Handbook to anyone who chooses not to start at Prescott on Friday morning, so you can join anywhere along the route. The Handbook returns you to Prescott, but of course, you can jump off wherever you wish.
A word about the Alvis Centenary Cavalcade up the hill in the lunch break. It turns out that the BOC now has to put all this through MSUK as an extension to the event permit – providing car details, driver and passenger details (including MSUK license confirmation). Also, there is a limit of 25 cars in the cavalcade, but we already have 31 Alvises entered so far. I have delegated the cavalcade organization to Anthony McGarel-Groves of the AOC to liaise with the BOC, so if you are an Alvis entrant, you should be contacted by Anthony shortly.
What else? I now have a time for the Spitfire – 1419 hours. We don’t yet know which one it will be (they have a choice of five – how many can say that?) and I will know which one has been allocated to us nearer the day. But I do know who the pilot will be. It will be Sqn Ldr Mark 'Suggs' Sugden, currently a fighter pilot on the Flight – his weekend secondary duty. His current primary duty is as a Deputy Flight Commander on 11 Squadron, RAF Conningsby, operating the Eurofighter Typhoon. He will be taking over as OC BBMF as his primary duty at the end of this display season in October. He’s going to call me two days beforehand, at which time we will know which Spit he will be bringing.
After receiving an informative article from the Cotswold Canals Trust (who will have a display at Prescott this year for the first time), the Commemorative Programme is now complete and ready to ship off to our printers in Cheltenham – another big job ticked off. All entrants of pre-war cars will receive a free copy at the gate. At 56 pages with a host of interesting articles, it is a VMR Magazine on steroids. Copies will be available to all others on the day for £3 each.
Entries and spectator tickets for Pre-War Prescott and all of the other weekend’s Summer Rally activities remain OPEN and we can now also accept entries and spectators on the day – simply turn up on the day and pay at the gate. Enter at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=161. But if you enter in advance, you receive a free climb. Right now, we should also have a few spare climbs on the day. Come and find me early!
Now a word about VSCC Madresfield. This is a truly wonderful annual day of gentle driving tests along the drive of Madresfield Court in the shadow of the Malvern Hills. It is held annually and this year will take place on the Sunday after PWP – 26th September. That means that Jayne and I will still be in England so we will be able to bring the Minor tourer. There is no charge for spectators (although you are encouraged to buy a programme on the day to help cover costs) and you DON’T have to be a VSCC member to come along. Bring a picnic and join Jayne and I on the day.
Finally for this week, Tony Gamble tells me that his incredible ex-Halbe Tjepkema 1929 Minor fabric saloon is still for sale. Halbe effected a meticulous and highly accurate ten-year mechanical and coachwork restoration of this ‘time capsule’ barn find and so it has to be tremendous value at just £10,750. This car also features in Register Ramblings in M 130 – attached. You can follow the restoration of this car on our Forum. Contact Tony if interested. Buy it and bring it to Prescott!
Cheers until next week, do come back to me with any questions or concerns and as John Hicks is always advising me, keep taking the pills!
The reason for disappointing those who have already bought tickets requires an explanation. The situation goes back to last year when Ciaran Mac Cana, the owner of Exemplar Solutions who had catered Prescott for many years felt that he had been put in an impossible contractual position by the BOC and walked out. Apparently, the new team running the BOC had not realised that Ciaran owned all of the kitchen equipment (some hundred thousand pounds worth) plus the bar, tables and chairs and so on. He took it all with him. The upshot is that the club is scrambling to provide contract caterers, but even the caterer at VSCC Prescott last weekend has handed in their notice – for reasons I won’t go into here. This week, the new caterers for PWP provided via the BOC a very simple menu for Saturday night – basically a burger or chicken with few trimmings and asked for an additional £3-50 for an ice cream tub! Compared to the massive spread that Ciaran traditionally provided for us, including a wide range of meats, vegetables, salads, breads and desserts, I felt that I could not take £22 per person for such a simple menu. The problem is compounded by the fact that the BOC was going to take a 30% cut, which meant that the caterer would only have received £14 of your money, hence the basic menu. I do charge £22, so ‘make’ £2 per ticket for my trouble, but I also pay the £600 for the band and their BBQs and beer, so I actually offer the evening at a considerable loss anyway. Moreover, the BOC required me to deal with them and not the caterers directly and required payment in full to them by 1st September which precluded late ticket sales or sales on the day, as had been accommodated by Ciaran for many years.
I hope that the catering situation at Prescott improves by next year – we’ll just have to wait and see. So we will hold the awards ceremony by the start line, as we used to do in the past. I expect the bar to remain open for some time after the hill closes. I will certainly be ready for a pint.
Regarding BBQ refunds, I propose to refund all those who paid by PayPal, through PayPal and all those who paid by cheque or bank transfer I will reimburse with cash on the day. Please let me know if this arrangement causes any of you a problem.
Next - marshaling. After over 60 rollovers to next year, the Draft 1 marshaling plan was shot to pieces, so this week I prepared and circulated a new draft to all who have generously volunteered to help out for an hour or two. Please, if you received that e-mail, respond to confirm your slot if you have not already done so. And also please note that the FREE BEER chits for every volunteer that were to be legal tender at the Clubhouse will now be honoured at the Shutters in the evening!
Tickets. All the tickets for entries received up to last week were posted across to John Hicks last week. They arrived on Tuesday and he posted them on to everyone yesterday. I have posted about ten more sets directly from Seattle over the last few days, and John now has plenty of spare tickets and will post them on for any entries that arrive from now. Please check your tickets carefully when you receive them and make me aware of any screwups!
Regarding test-and-trace, MSUK licenses and pre-registrations with the BOC, I am not going to worry any more about any of this. We now know that we can all give our contact numbers on arrival for T&T, can fill in simple paper forms on the day for registration and MSUK license applications and I really don’t have any more time to waste on this pointless exercise. Go get your licenses and pre-register and send in your contact details if you wish, or sort all on the day.
In other news this week, Jayne and I have had so much trouble with Delta/Virgin that we have re-booked our Seattle-London flights with BA and hope to move our Delta/Virgin booking to next July if we can. We were holding direct tickets from Seattle to London (after four changes since early 2020), but there are no Delta/Virgin flights from Seattle to London right now. We could not get any sense out of Expedia, through whom we booked regarding possible re-routing through JFK and Delta/Virgin wouldn’t talk to us as we hadn’t booked through them! With time ticking away fast, and reading numerous horror stories on social media posted by others who had booked transatlantic flights with Delta/Virgin and been abandoned at the last minute, we were not prepared to wait to see what happened. BA is flying daily from Seattle to London and I have confirmed this by watching FlightRadar24 and actually seeing the flights arrive and depart every day.
We have also sorted our pre-departure Covid tests and day 2 tests in England, and now just have to fill in our UK Government Passenger Locator Forms and sort our pre-return testing. But at least we won’t have to quarantine now.
But enough of the sausage-making! I am very pleased to say that the last couple of clue stops have fallen into place this week for the Sunday Navigation Rally so I have been able to finalize the Tour Handbook and nav rally clue cards. Likewise for the Friday Scenic Tour and Weston’s visit. This is a full day’s run and completely FREE (apart from the Weston’s tour). You can find the current list of Friday entrants at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=547 (third link down) and I’m printing a few spare Tour Handbooks, so if you are not on the list and would like to be, just let me know. There is no booking form – and NO need for MSUK licenses! And I can now e-mail the final version of the Handbook to anyone who chooses not to start at Prescott on Friday morning, so you can join anywhere along the route. The Handbook returns you to Prescott, but of course, you can jump off wherever you wish.
A word about the Alvis Centenary Cavalcade up the hill in the lunch break. It turns out that the BOC now has to put all this through MSUK as an extension to the event permit – providing car details, driver and passenger details (including MSUK license confirmation). Also, there is a limit of 25 cars in the cavalcade, but we already have 31 Alvises entered so far. I have delegated the cavalcade organization to Anthony McGarel-Groves of the AOC to liaise with the BOC, so if you are an Alvis entrant, you should be contacted by Anthony shortly.
What else? I now have a time for the Spitfire – 1419 hours. We don’t yet know which one it will be (they have a choice of five – how many can say that?) and I will know which one has been allocated to us nearer the day. But I do know who the pilot will be. It will be Sqn Ldr Mark 'Suggs' Sugden, currently a fighter pilot on the Flight – his weekend secondary duty. His current primary duty is as a Deputy Flight Commander on 11 Squadron, RAF Conningsby, operating the Eurofighter Typhoon. He will be taking over as OC BBMF as his primary duty at the end of this display season in October. He’s going to call me two days beforehand, at which time we will know which Spit he will be bringing.
After receiving an informative article from the Cotswold Canals Trust (who will have a display at Prescott this year for the first time), the Commemorative Programme is now complete and ready to ship off to our printers in Cheltenham – another big job ticked off. All entrants of pre-war cars will receive a free copy at the gate. At 56 pages with a host of interesting articles, it is a VMR Magazine on steroids. Copies will be available to all others on the day for £3 each.
Entries and spectator tickets for Pre-War Prescott and all of the other weekend’s Summer Rally activities remain OPEN and we can now also accept entries and spectators on the day – simply turn up on the day and pay at the gate. Enter at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=161. But if you enter in advance, you receive a free climb. Right now, we should also have a few spare climbs on the day. Come and find me early!
Now a word about VSCC Madresfield. This is a truly wonderful annual day of gentle driving tests along the drive of Madresfield Court in the shadow of the Malvern Hills. It is held annually and this year will take place on the Sunday after PWP – 26th September. That means that Jayne and I will still be in England so we will be able to bring the Minor tourer. There is no charge for spectators (although you are encouraged to buy a programme on the day to help cover costs) and you DON’T have to be a VSCC member to come along. Bring a picnic and join Jayne and I on the day.
Finally for this week, Tony Gamble tells me that his incredible ex-Halbe Tjepkema 1929 Minor fabric saloon is still for sale. Halbe effected a meticulous and highly accurate ten-year mechanical and coachwork restoration of this ‘time capsule’ barn find and so it has to be tremendous value at just £10,750. This car also features in Register Ramblings in M 130 – attached. You can follow the restoration of this car on our Forum. Contact Tony if interested. Buy it and bring it to Prescott!
Cheers until next week, do come back to me with any questions or concerns and as John Hicks is always advising me, keep taking the pills!
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
I have absolutely no idea what this T&T nonsense is all about. We're in the wide-open, outside fresh air of the Cotswolds, not in a dingy little hovel packed in like sardines. And us double-jabbed no longer have to self-isolate either, so even more pointless. You can legally go shopping in a supermarket without wearing a face mask and there's certainly no sign of T&T in place 
(I will say I still do wear a mask in shops)
Ian, I currently have the intention of camping at Prescott over the weekend, from Thursday night through to Sunday morning, but only if the weather gods are smiling down at me. For that reason, I don't want to book ahead until we're only a few days away from the event (say Monday) when we should have a fairly decent idea of what the weather is going to be. Will this be an issue?
I'll be seeing a friend tomorrow who has voiced an interest in coming along but has yet to book. I think he'll wait until the day. He doesn't own a pre-war car so will be buddying-up with me over the weekend (Friday and Sunday Tours). I'll hazard a guess he'll be wanting to camp over the weekend too, but that's fine as my tent is a fairly big 4-man job with two separate sleeping compartments.
(I will say I still do wear a mask in shops)Ian, I currently have the intention of camping at Prescott over the weekend, from Thursday night through to Sunday morning, but only if the weather gods are smiling down at me. For that reason, I don't want to book ahead until we're only a few days away from the event (say Monday) when we should have a fairly decent idea of what the weather is going to be. Will this be an issue?
I'll be seeing a friend tomorrow who has voiced an interest in coming along but has yet to book. I think he'll wait until the day. He doesn't own a pre-war car so will be buddying-up with me over the weekend (Friday and Sunday Tours). I'll hazard a guess he'll be wanting to camp over the weekend too, but that's fine as my tent is a fairly big 4-man job with two separate sleeping compartments.
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
No problem with any of this. You should be able to book/pre-pay at any time before arrival.
Just note the need to pitch at the far side of the Orchard.
Ian
Just note the need to pitch at the far side of the Orchard.
Ian
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
Here's the latest update as of today:
There is a great deal of information below, but the more issues we can sort in advance, the smoother things will run and the more enjoyable will be the weekend. So please read carefully and come back to me with any questions or issues.
Everyone who has entered for the weekend so far should have received their tickets by now (let me know if not). PLEASE check your tickets carefully for any errors or omissions and let me know if there are any problems. Also, ignore the July date on many of the tickets. These were printed before the change of date to September and will be fully valid on the day. I have been asked by a couple of people what the red raffle tickets are for. They are for the raffle! We will make the draw directly after our traditional charity automobilia auction in the lunch break, which reminds me to ask you all to please bring any quality items surplus to requirements to the VMR marquee in the morning. 100% of the proceeds from the auction will go directly to the RAF Charitable Trust, who really need our support this year, after two RIAT air display cancellations last year and this. RIAT is their main source of income. Additional raffle tickets will be on sale in the morning at the VMR marquee.
A reminder that the Saturday Evening BBQ has been replaced with a pub run to the Shutters in Gotherington, with overflow at the Royal Oak in Gretton, the Pheasant at Toddington and the Gardners Arms in Alderton – all close by.
An important reminder about camping at Prescott. Camping should be booked and paid for in advance with the Bugatti Owners Club. You should go to this link to make a booking:
https://www.prescotthillclimb.co.uk/eve ... r-prescott
Scroll down to the ‘Book’ button and click it. On the booking page, ignore ‘Tickets’ (if you need entry or spectator tickets, book these through us at www.prewarprescott.com). Below ‘Tickets’ you can book camping for any night from Thursday through to Sunday inclusive and pay the BOC directly. If you turn up at the weekend and wish to camp, I’m sure that you will be able to pay at the BOC office.
One more important request regarding camping. If you are planning to camp on Saturday or Sunday nights, I need you to pitch your camp (or caravan, or camper van) at the BACK of the Orchard, on the opposite side of the Orchard to the track. This is because there is another event at Prescott on Sunday, and their spectators will be arriving Sunday morning from early on and parking in the Orchard, as do our spectators. The Orchard will be marked out on Saturday evening. Thanks for your understanding.
Also a reminder that if possible all entrants and those 18 and over who wish to climb the hill should avail themselves of a MSUK Clubman license and then go online to the BOC website and pre-register for the day. The link to apply for a license is:
https://www.motorsportuk.org/competitor ... n-licence/
And the link to pre-register with the BOC, once you have your license is:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/Response ... I3WkgwOC4u
In addition, once you have received your license by e-mail from MSUK, PRINT IT OUT (or have it available on your mobile, but bearing in mind that mobile coverage is spotty around the area of the Prescott gates) and bring it with you on the day.
If you don’t or cannot apply for your license in advance, not to worry, there will be the facility at Prescott in the BOC office on the day to fill in a simple license application form on the day and another simple form to register. However, the more paperwork we can get behind us before the day, the more everyone will be free to enjoy the day!
Similarly, thanks to everyone who has provided their contact details for the test-and-trace list. But if you have not, you can simply provide this to our marshals at the gate on the day (if this requirement is still in place at that time).
This week I have printed all of the Tour Handbooks for the Friday and Sunday tours plus all of the clue and route cards for the Sunday Navigation Rally, so all is now set for Friday and Sunday. Full details of these days’ activities can be viewed at http://vintageminor.co.uk/Summerrally20 ... _2021.html.
I have also sent the final copy for the Commemorative Programme to the printers in Cheltenham and this morning I received the print proof which I approved. All entrants of pre-war cars will receive a free copy at the gate. At 56 pages with a host of interesting articles, it is a VMR Magazine on steroids. Copies will be available to all others on the day for £3 each.
To recap regarding Friday, there is a Scenic Tour and a tour and tasting at the Westons cider mill in Much Marcle. This is a full day’s run and completely FREE (apart from the Weston’s tour). You can find the current list of Friday entrants at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=547 (third link down) and I’m printing a few spare Tour Handbooks, so if you are not on the list and would like to be, just let me know. There is no booking form – and NO need for MSUK licenses! And I can now e-mail the final version of the Handbook to anyone who chooses not to start at Prescott on Friday morning, so you can join anywhere along the route. The Handbook returns you to Prescott, but of course, you can jump off wherever you wish.
A word about the Alvis Centenary Cavalcade up the hill in the lunch break. It turns out that the BOC now has to put all this through MSUK as an extension to the event permit – providing car details, driver and passenger details (including MSUK license confirmation). Also, there is a limit of 25 cars in the cavalcade, but we already have 31 Alvises entered so far. Anthony McGarel-Groves, chairman of the AOC is liaising with the BOC, so if you are an Alvis entrant, you should now be in contact with Anthony. If not, pleas contact him at chairman@alvisoc.org. at your earliest convenience as the BOC needs to send driver and car details to MSUK next week.
Entries and spectator tickets for Pre-War Prescott and all of the other weekend’s Summer Rally activities remain OPEN and we can now also accept entries and spectators on the day – simply turn up on the day and pay at the gate. Enter at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=161. But if you enter in advance, you receive a free climb. Right now, we should also have a few spare climbs on the day. Come and find me early!
Now a reminder about VSCC Madresfield. This is a truly wonderful annual day of gentle driving tests along the drive of Madresfield Court in the shadow of the Malvern Hills. It is held annually and this year will take place on the Sunday after PWP – 19th September (not the 26th as I reported last week). That means that Jayne and I will still be in England so we will be able to bring the Minor tourer. There is no charge for spectators (although you are encouraged to buy a programme on the day to help cover costs) and you DON’T have to be a VSCC member to come along. Bring a picnic and join Jayne and I on the day.
Period dress. A reminder that this is to be encouraged and the splendid Best Dressed Quaich will be discretely judged through the day and the Quaich awarded at the award ceremony at the start line after the hill closes.
There is a great deal of information below, but the more issues we can sort in advance, the smoother things will run and the more enjoyable will be the weekend. So please read carefully and come back to me with any questions or issues.
Everyone who has entered for the weekend so far should have received their tickets by now (let me know if not). PLEASE check your tickets carefully for any errors or omissions and let me know if there are any problems. Also, ignore the July date on many of the tickets. These were printed before the change of date to September and will be fully valid on the day. I have been asked by a couple of people what the red raffle tickets are for. They are for the raffle! We will make the draw directly after our traditional charity automobilia auction in the lunch break, which reminds me to ask you all to please bring any quality items surplus to requirements to the VMR marquee in the morning. 100% of the proceeds from the auction will go directly to the RAF Charitable Trust, who really need our support this year, after two RIAT air display cancellations last year and this. RIAT is their main source of income. Additional raffle tickets will be on sale in the morning at the VMR marquee.
A reminder that the Saturday Evening BBQ has been replaced with a pub run to the Shutters in Gotherington, with overflow at the Royal Oak in Gretton, the Pheasant at Toddington and the Gardners Arms in Alderton – all close by.
An important reminder about camping at Prescott. Camping should be booked and paid for in advance with the Bugatti Owners Club. You should go to this link to make a booking:
https://www.prescotthillclimb.co.uk/eve ... r-prescott
Scroll down to the ‘Book’ button and click it. On the booking page, ignore ‘Tickets’ (if you need entry or spectator tickets, book these through us at www.prewarprescott.com). Below ‘Tickets’ you can book camping for any night from Thursday through to Sunday inclusive and pay the BOC directly. If you turn up at the weekend and wish to camp, I’m sure that you will be able to pay at the BOC office.
One more important request regarding camping. If you are planning to camp on Saturday or Sunday nights, I need you to pitch your camp (or caravan, or camper van) at the BACK of the Orchard, on the opposite side of the Orchard to the track. This is because there is another event at Prescott on Sunday, and their spectators will be arriving Sunday morning from early on and parking in the Orchard, as do our spectators. The Orchard will be marked out on Saturday evening. Thanks for your understanding.
Also a reminder that if possible all entrants and those 18 and over who wish to climb the hill should avail themselves of a MSUK Clubman license and then go online to the BOC website and pre-register for the day. The link to apply for a license is:
https://www.motorsportuk.org/competitor ... n-licence/
And the link to pre-register with the BOC, once you have your license is:
https://forms.office.com/Pages/Response ... I3WkgwOC4u
In addition, once you have received your license by e-mail from MSUK, PRINT IT OUT (or have it available on your mobile, but bearing in mind that mobile coverage is spotty around the area of the Prescott gates) and bring it with you on the day.
If you don’t or cannot apply for your license in advance, not to worry, there will be the facility at Prescott in the BOC office on the day to fill in a simple license application form on the day and another simple form to register. However, the more paperwork we can get behind us before the day, the more everyone will be free to enjoy the day!
Similarly, thanks to everyone who has provided their contact details for the test-and-trace list. But if you have not, you can simply provide this to our marshals at the gate on the day (if this requirement is still in place at that time).
This week I have printed all of the Tour Handbooks for the Friday and Sunday tours plus all of the clue and route cards for the Sunday Navigation Rally, so all is now set for Friday and Sunday. Full details of these days’ activities can be viewed at http://vintageminor.co.uk/Summerrally20 ... _2021.html.
I have also sent the final copy for the Commemorative Programme to the printers in Cheltenham and this morning I received the print proof which I approved. All entrants of pre-war cars will receive a free copy at the gate. At 56 pages with a host of interesting articles, it is a VMR Magazine on steroids. Copies will be available to all others on the day for £3 each.
To recap regarding Friday, there is a Scenic Tour and a tour and tasting at the Westons cider mill in Much Marcle. This is a full day’s run and completely FREE (apart from the Weston’s tour). You can find the current list of Friday entrants at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=547 (third link down) and I’m printing a few spare Tour Handbooks, so if you are not on the list and would like to be, just let me know. There is no booking form – and NO need for MSUK licenses! And I can now e-mail the final version of the Handbook to anyone who chooses not to start at Prescott on Friday morning, so you can join anywhere along the route. The Handbook returns you to Prescott, but of course, you can jump off wherever you wish.
A word about the Alvis Centenary Cavalcade up the hill in the lunch break. It turns out that the BOC now has to put all this through MSUK as an extension to the event permit – providing car details, driver and passenger details (including MSUK license confirmation). Also, there is a limit of 25 cars in the cavalcade, but we already have 31 Alvises entered so far. Anthony McGarel-Groves, chairman of the AOC is liaising with the BOC, so if you are an Alvis entrant, you should now be in contact with Anthony. If not, pleas contact him at chairman@alvisoc.org. at your earliest convenience as the BOC needs to send driver and car details to MSUK next week.
Entries and spectator tickets for Pre-War Prescott and all of the other weekend’s Summer Rally activities remain OPEN and we can now also accept entries and spectators on the day – simply turn up on the day and pay at the gate. Enter at http://prewarprescott.com/?page_id=161. But if you enter in advance, you receive a free climb. Right now, we should also have a few spare climbs on the day. Come and find me early!
Now a reminder about VSCC Madresfield. This is a truly wonderful annual day of gentle driving tests along the drive of Madresfield Court in the shadow of the Malvern Hills. It is held annually and this year will take place on the Sunday after PWP – 19th September (not the 26th as I reported last week). That means that Jayne and I will still be in England so we will be able to bring the Minor tourer. There is no charge for spectators (although you are encouraged to buy a programme on the day to help cover costs) and you DON’T have to be a VSCC member to come along. Bring a picnic and join Jayne and I on the day.
Period dress. A reminder that this is to be encouraged and the splendid Best Dressed Quaich will be discretely judged through the day and the Quaich awarded at the award ceremony at the start line after the hill closes.
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
A reminder:
All entrants and their passengers (18 and over) who wish to climb the hill should obtain a MSUK Clubman license.
To obtain a MSUK Clubman license, go to https://www.motorsportuk.org/competitor ... n-licence/ and apply online. It is very simple, quick and free. When your license is e-mailed to you moments later, PRINT IT OUT AND BRING IT WITH YOU ON THE DAY.
Once you have done this, you should all pre-register with the BOC – both drivers AND passengers using this link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/Response ... I3WkgwOC4u
If you have not or could not for any reason obtain your license or pre-register, do not worry. You will be able to fill in simple forms on the day in the BOC office.
All entrants and their passengers (18 and over) who wish to climb the hill should obtain a MSUK Clubman license.
To obtain a MSUK Clubman license, go to https://www.motorsportuk.org/competitor ... n-licence/ and apply online. It is very simple, quick and free. When your license is e-mailed to you moments later, PRINT IT OUT AND BRING IT WITH YOU ON THE DAY.
Once you have done this, you should all pre-register with the BOC – both drivers AND passengers using this link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/Response ... I3WkgwOC4u
If you have not or could not for any reason obtain your license or pre-register, do not worry. You will be able to fill in simple forms on the day in the BOC office.
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
Just received our pre-departure Covid test results. Both NEGATIVE! We can now fly to Heathrow tomorrow. After over two years of planning and re-planning, five dates for the weekend and five flight changes, at last I can allow myself the luxury of REALLY looking forward to next weekend.
One more entry to report - Nigel Stroud with his M Type.
One more entry to report - Nigel Stroud with his M Type.
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
Returned home from Pre-War Prescott a little after 8pm this evening. Some will know I had a problem as the second climb of the hill was nearing the Finish line. I had 'smoke' enter the passenger compartment through the gear-lever area and along with the smell both my passenger/navigator and I immediately thought it was the clutch. On arriving back in the paddock a whole lot of steam started to billow out from the bonnet louvers on the off-side. I quickly jumped out and lifted the bonnet and the issue was very obvious to see... The rear core plug on the side of the cylinder head had completely gone! I thought it was game over for the rest of the weekend but a number of amazing chaps came to my rescue and after a brand new plug failed to seal properly, another one appeared with some bonding sealant which was applied around the plug, and the car was left without water in the system until 7am this morning. After refilling the radiator we shot off on the 2 1/2 mile drive to The Royal Oak at Gretton, the starting point for the Tour and Navigation Rally, and completed the 80 mile Tour without any problems other than poor navigation on the part of my passenger/navigator I then had to head over to Leominster, another 50 miles, to drop my friend home then drive home to Worcester, another 32 miles. I'm utterly, utterly exhausted now. But very happy and relieved too.
Oh... and totally unexpectedly I left with a Cup for managing to complete the Tour given the problems that beset me yesterday. I very much felt I had to pass the honours for fixing the car to the ones who were so selfless yesterday. All I did was drive the car.
So a big shout out and Thank You to Clive with the green Minor Saloon, Nigel with the Ford V8, Ali with the Semi-Sports, and a number of other individuals who offered help and advice but their names escape me.
My friend Mark wanted to take Clive's Saloon home with him. He is totally enamoured with it.
I then had to head over to Leominster, another 50 miles, to drop my friend home then drive home to Worcester, another 32 miles. I'm utterly, utterly exhausted now. But very happy and relieved too. Oh... and totally unexpectedly I left with a Cup for managing to complete the Tour given the problems that beset me yesterday. I very much felt I had to pass the honours for fixing the car to the ones who were so selfless yesterday. All I did was drive the car.
So a big shout out and Thank You to Clive with the green Minor Saloon, Nigel with the Ford V8, Ali with the Semi-Sports, and a number of other individuals who offered help and advice but their names escape me.
My friend Mark wanted to take Clive's Saloon home with him. He is totally enamoured with it.
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
Jonathan,
Congrats on winning the Sports & Vintage Cup. Awarded because, as a new owner, and new to this sort of car, you persevered when many others would have given up and had their car recovered home. This is exactly the spirit that should be recognized and is an example to others entering our sport.
I am so glad you were able to enjoy the day, the tour on Sunday and your visit to Madresfield the following weekend.
Ian
Congrats on winning the Sports & Vintage Cup. Awarded because, as a new owner, and new to this sort of car, you persevered when many others would have given up and had their car recovered home. This is exactly the spirit that should be recognized and is an example to others entering our sport.
I am so glad you were able to enjoy the day, the tour on Sunday and your visit to Madresfield the following weekend.
Ian
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
Thanks Ian. The Minor is stricken again... exactly the same issue. This time it's the brand new plug that has popped out. Ended up having to be recovered home about 8 miles. I have another new core plug, just need to bite the bullet and attempt to fit it. I'll use a sealant before fitting this time around.
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
Good luck Jonathan. I think the trick with core plugs is to be brave and give them one really good blow to seat them. Tapping them multiple times never seems to work.
Re: Vintage Minor Register Pre-War Prescott 2021
Peter McFadyen has published his photo sets of the weekend.
There are two sets:
https://petermcfadyen.co.uk/#/gallery/p ... pwp21-119/
And one specific to the Alvis Centenary:
https://petermcfadyen.co.uk/#/gallery/p ... pwp21-164/
Also, he has a great six-page article in the online magazine Classic & Competition Car.
http://classicandcompetitioncar.com/
There will also be an article in the Automobile, due on news stands on 15th November.
There are two sets:
https://petermcfadyen.co.uk/#/gallery/p ... pwp21-119/
And one specific to the Alvis Centenary:
https://petermcfadyen.co.uk/#/gallery/p ... pwp21-164/
Also, he has a great six-page article in the online magazine Classic & Competition Car.
http://classicandcompetitioncar.com/
There will also be an article in the Automobile, due on news stands on 15th November.