VMR Tenth Anniversary Rally 2010

[Ian Grace]

Sure - they always get invited, but rarely turn up ...

[Toby]

Hadn't seen it in amongst the other MR Morris centenary stuff!

[Ian Grace]

Three more entries received today - John Young with his Talbot, Mike New with his Morris Special and Jo White with her Riley - all entered last time. 33 declarations of interest now received - the target remains 100 by year's end.

[Ian Grace]

Alan and Chris Broughton have just entered the 1926 Morris Meteor Special, bringing to six the number of Morris specials entered by Bev Hicks' Morris Specials Group members. The MSG was founded jointly by Bev and the late and sadly missed David Bick, and 2010 will mark the Group's fifth anniversary. 34 entries now on the books, so a great weekend is shaping up nicely.

[Ian Grace]

Today we received the splendid news that the Wolseley Hornet Special Club, whom we recently invited to join us at Prescott, has approximately 30 members interested in entering. This should provide a superb gathering and display of these fascinating cars, and hopefully there will be a smattering of the early vertical dynamo models.

[Ian Grace]

Today I corresponded with the BOC to confirm that we would be paying the deposit for the hill by the end of the year. We booked the last free day thay have for 2010 several months ago (they are limited to 30 days a year because of noise restricions), and now I hear that there are several clubs on a wait list hoping for cancellations. So I have today formally confirmed our meet and will be sending in the deposit by the end of the year - since, with the help of the Morris Specials Group and the Wolseley Hornet Specials Club in particular, we now have, or will soon have 64 declarations of interest. If you have not yet sent in your declaration, please still do so, so that the deposit can be met by the end of next month.

Thinks - perhaps I should ask the BOC which clubs are on the wait list and invite them to join us!

[Ian Grace]

Another rally snippet. The Early MG Society is holding its AGM in January and VMR Prescott 2010 is on the agenda, and I heard today that Dedclaration forms will be handed out at the meeting, so I anticipate a strong MG 18/80 and flatnose MG entry once again.

[Ian Grace]

Declarations of interest continue to arrive in gratifying numbers as the word gets around. Latest entries include Ford, Dodge, Chrysler, Lotus, MG, Austin, and Morrises of course. Total entries now around 72 (including 18 Minors/M Types), so we are well on our way to a really fantastic weekend. Thanks to everyone who has been passing around the Declaration forms - I am getting forms and letters from several entrants via this grapevine system which is really working well - so thanks and keep up the good work out there!

[Ian Grace]

So here is the entry list at the turn of the year. To this, add about 30 WH Specials whose entries are being collated by the WHSC. 12 Minors, 6 M Types, 8 larger Morrises (of which 6 are specials), 4 Rileys, 4 Alvii and a good selection of other fine machinery. This list will expand considerably in the coming months. If your name doesn't appear here, and you plan on attending, please get your Declaration in the post!

1930 Minor Semi-sports Ian Grace
1933 Minor saloon (or 2-seater) Toby Sears
1930 Minor saloon Eric Mouser
1930 Minor Semi-sports Mike Jones
1930 Minor saloon Ken Martin
'Little Red Minor' Annabelle Swain
1931 M Type Sportsman's Coupe Roger Burnett
1930 M Type Peter Smith
1929 Minor tourer Terry Synnott
TBA Jon Rose
Porsche 911 Peter and Ally Balding
1930 M Type Frank Ashley
1927 Morris Oxford Special Bev Hicks
1926 Morris 6 Special Chris Cooke
1930 Minor Semi-sports (rep.) David & Diana Roscoe
1930 Minor tourer Clive & Laura Hamilton-Gould
1934 Minor 2-seater Andrew Batey
1930 M Type Cliff Bradshaw
1932 Alvis Firefly special Jack Clover
1931 Alvis 12/60 Beetleback Tony Morley
1930 M Type Thomas Willcox
1929 Morris Cowley Special Stuart Cooke
1927 Morris Oxford Special Mike Jaques
1930 M Type Stephen Lloyd
1929 Alfa 1750 SS Les Paul
1934 Riley Kestrel Nigel Hay
1926 Morris Cowley Richard Prest
1933 Riley 9 Special Catherine Prest
1926 Talbot 18/55 John Young
1928 Morris Sports Special Michael New
1930 Riley 9 Tourer Jo White
1926 Morris Meteor Alan and Chris Broughton
Minor TBA Simon Hodgins
1928 Chrysler 72 Bill Styles
1927 Morris Cowley 4-seater tourer Bob Mitchell
1918 Dodge Terry Curry
1929 Ford Model A Tudor D J Carter
1974 MGB Jim Weston
1958 Lotus 7 Series 1 John Reese
1935 Austin 10 Special Robert Collins
1930 Minor saloon Colin Lee
Alvis Sports 19 Jim Evans
Vauxhall 30-98 Kevin Lee
Frazer Nash 'Patience' Kevin Lee
1932 Alvis 12/60 D J Vickers
1929 Alvis 12/50 Murray Maclean
1933 Riley MPH Daniel Geoghegan
1934 Triumph Gloria David Main

[Toby]

Ian, in order to sort accomodation can we assume that Prescott will be central to the weekends events? Also, when sorting out the nav. rally/tour keep an eye on the maps:- We bought the recommended map, using Icombe for the centre point, for the 2009 rally but the actual route took us off the map which was problematic and only overcome by the fact that the lunch stop had a os map on the wall (or was that part of the cunning plan?!!) and the good sporting nature of another rallyist.

[Ian Grace]

Toby,

Prescott will definitely be Rally HQ, with camping in the Orchard at least on Saturday night, as there is no event scheduled for the hill Sunday. The Nav Rally will start from the Paddock on Sunday morning.

Re maps, you expect the route to stay on the map?! I once did a LCES rally and came across a rally sign by on the grass verge which read 'Edge of map'!

[Ian Grace]

More good news. I have arranged with the Bugatti Trust for them to open the Trust museum at Prescott for us on the Saturday. This is normally closed at weekends, but they have agreed to open for a suitable fee, to which I have readily agreed. For those who have not visted the Trust, you are in for a real engineering and historical treat. Entrance will be completely free with your Rally entry.

http://www.bugatti-trust.co.uk/trust/index.shtml

[ColinWLee]

How are things going for the Anniversary Rally?
Do we have the numbers yet?

[Ian Grace]

Colin,

All systems go - about 85 entries to date, including those listed above.

Latest news is that a new catering concern has been contracted by the BOC for the hill and I'll be sorting catering with them once they have their feet under the desk - including the Sat evening BBQ. Also Frank Ashley has kindly arranged for the BOC shop to be open on the day for us, and I have also arranged for the Trust to be open via Ian Patton.

I plan to get the actual entry form out once the catering is sorted - so probably by around March/April.

[Ian Grace]

Just received a cracking and article from David Roscoe for the Yearbook in the post today - 8 pages of manuscript detailing his hilarious experiences with an M Type back in the early fifties. So a few hours of two-finger typing in the schedule for this weekend!

I was also delighted to receive a Rally entry from Clive Perkins and 'Tiffy' today - haven't heard much from Clive for some time. Clive and Tiffy attended our first Rally ten years ago - driving all the way from Somerset to Cambridgeshire for the weekend.