Thursday 14th August 2014

PistonFest - New stuff!

More events added to the itinerary for PH's summer spectacular

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For the uninitiated, the concept of PistonFest is a simple one - it is a weekend celebration of all things PistonHeads. It's a chance to enjoy cars, music, food and, er, cars! Alongside this we'll also be laying on numerous ways to get involved, win stuff and have fun, from traditional pub games to simulators.

The event is taking place on Saturday August 30 at Hertfordshire County Showground and is being organised by the team behind our activities at Le Mans and is set to be a great weekend. Furthermore, you can enjoy waking up to a high-octane dawn chorus on Sunday as we're joined by over 600 cars that are booked in to what will be one of our biggest Sunday Services ever.

Have your own go at this!

Better still, thanks to the nice folk at Dunlop the ticket price has been halved to just £25 per adult and under 16s go free. Included in this price is entry, a pitch for your tent and numerous free goodies, again from Dunlop and our friends at Autoglym.

Once at the festival, the activities are 100 per cent free (except your food and drink) and include:

Live music on stage from The Mighty Goodfellaz
Sit back with a drink and enjoy the music as the Goodfellaz rock late into the night.

Flying lap challenge with RMA Trackdays
Everyone loves an opportunity to show the world what a dab hand they are behind the wheel, so we're giving you the chance to shine. Simply set the fastest time on our driving simulator and win a free track day courtesy of RMA.

The PistonHeads Darts World Championship - with Dunlop tyres
We couldn't think of a more noble and honourable sport in which to find a champion worthy of winning a complete set of Dunlop tyres for their car. Bringing your own darts (it's just a regular board) and gold jewellery is optional.

Hear everything about the BTCC from Ollie Jackson

Caterham wheel change challenge
Have a go at being a member of a pit crew as you go up against the clock to see how fast you can change a wheel on a Caterham SP/300.R.

BTCC team talk by Ollie Jackson and STP Racing with Sopp & Sopp.
Get the inside scoop on the BTCC from a driver's perspective as Ollie Jackson talks us through the highs and lows of being a competitor.

The PH Pub Quiz
A traditional pub quiz that focuses on all the subjects that we know and love. Namely cars, automobiles, motoring and vehicles. There may also be a general knowledge round... about cars. The winning team will be awarded both eternal recognition and some prizes.

Best PH car, supported by AutoGlym
Make sure your car is clean for Saturday as the car that we deem to be both shiny and a great example of what PH is all about will win a money-can't-buy prize from AutoGlym. They will host you and your car at their "laboratory" for the day. You'll leave with a VERY clean car, loads of goodies and a PhD in vehicle detailing. Maybe.

We'll bring this along too

Hang out with the PistonHeads team
We'll all be at the event and look forward to seeing you all there and answering any questions you may have and generally chewing the fat. We'll also be entering a team in the pub quiz.

We're really looking forward to seeing lots of you there, so hurry now and book your tickets HERE.

The details:
Where: Hertfordshire County Showground, The Showground, Dunstable Road, Redbourn, Hertfordshire, AL3 7PT
When: 12:00 on August 30 until approximately 12:00 on 31st
Why: To celebrate all the things PistonHeads
Camping: Either bring your own tent or let our team on the ground sort that out for you for a small fee , if you want a tent setting up, please email [e-mail] with a subject line of "PF14".

[BTCC pics: LAT]

[nigelpugh7]

I wonder where that Caterham Picture came from Mr Drake!!

[john_r]

Darts?! A darts competition?! Seriously? Are you lot smoking something or what?!

[NotNormal]

PH Article said:

....by over 600 cars that are booked in to what will be our biggest Sunday Service..

You sure?

Seem to recall space for 750 at Goodwood SS gathering and 600 at Merc World SS's

[Quhet]

If I wasn't going to be in New Zealand or didn't find the concept of meeting up with a load of strangers from the internet strange, then I'd seriously consider oing to this. Looks like it could be great fun!

[Beyond Rational]

Seeing as the numbers attending appear to be in the mid to low teens, anyone even slightly handy on a track, with darts and a sponge could make a very good return from their £25.

[Output Flange]

How many tickets have sold now?

[Garlick]

NotNormal said:

You sure?

Seem to recall space for 750 at Goodwood SS gathering and 600 at Merc World SS's

900 at MINI is the all time record

[eybic]

Excluding suppliers, we've currently got just short of 70 people signed up so as has been pointed out, someone could get a very good return on their £25 ticket price with some great goodies being given away including t-shirts and goodie bags.

Another brilliant update is that thanks to the kind people at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone, we've got one of their awesome driving experiences to give away. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to buy a ticket to PistonFest, one lucky attendee will be chosen at random so at the minute you have a 1 in 70 chance of winning the driving experience.

We hope to see lots of you there, buy your tickets here

[chrisemersons]

Quhet said:

If I didn't find the concept of meeting up with a load of strangers from the internet strange,.

I know what you mean, stood around in a field/ carpark looking at each others cars - i just dont get it !

Its probably the endless nonsense people waffle on about at these things that i find boring !

[Ari]

john_r said:

Darts?! A darts competition?! Seriously? Are you lot smoking something or what?!

And a pub quiz! And and and... the chance to 'Hang out' with the Pistonheads Team.

[sc0tt]

Ari said:

john_r said:

Darts?! A darts competition?! Seriously? Are you lot smoking something or what?!

And a pub quiz! And and and... the chance to 'Hang out' with the Pistonheads Team.

Unless Sabine is now part of the PH team and it was the chance to "Hang out of" i'd be interested.

Alas I have a dusty dartboard in my garage I am more than happy to charge PH'ers a fiver to use.

[sc0tt]

Song hits from the Might Goodfellaz include "Happy Slapper" and "Shut Yer Mouth"



Who booked them?

http://www.reverbnation.com/mightygoodfellaz?page_...

[Tango13]

Any chance of PH negotiating a discount at the topless dancing bar just up the A5 by the Watling Street Cafe?

[V41LEY]

sc0tt said:

Song hits from the Might Goodfellaz include "Happy Slapper" and "Shut Yer Mouth"



Who booked them?

http://www.reverbnation.com/mightygoodfellaz?page_...

Errrrrr..........No !
Was expecting something less pub rock ! Still the other
bands there might offer a different musical experience.

[sc0tt]

V41LEY said:

Errrrrr..........No !
Was expecting something less pub rock ! Still the other
bands there might offer a different musical experience.

There aren't any other bands apart from the loom bands all the middle aged men will be wearing that their kids made.

[bruciebonuz]

Sorry if this is a really dim question....but is there a non-camping, turn up on the Saturday option which isnt £25 (e.g. around a tenner)? I live locally so would like to come along for the Saturday (and am signed up for the Sunday Service) for a few hours, but £25 is a bit steep just for that. Wouldn't attendance potentially be higher (not least from passers by given its on a main road 2 minutes from Jct 9 of the M1) if that was an option? I appreciate its aimed at the pistonheads community but if projected attendance is low, isnt it better to open it up to a broader audience?

Give that Harpenden Classics on the Common takes place 5 minutes from the Herts Showground if this were more broadly advertised I am sure it would get decent attendance. A car boot sale is also held at this site every few weeks which gets big attendance so there is plenty of passing traffic.

[bruciebonuz]

sc0tt said:

There aren't any other bands apart from the loom bands all the middle aged men will be wearing that their kids made.

That is hilarious....very observant. Will be glad when loom bands phase out...my dog keeps eating them.

[WillBrumBrum]

I went to the last one ten years ago and that was boring.

So is this 2014 lineup:
1. Live music on stage from The Mighty Goodfellaz (unknown band)
2. Flying lap challenge with RMA Trackdays (computer simulator)
3. The PistonHeads Darts World Championship (watch a game of darts)
4. Hear everything about the BTCC from Ollie Jackson (listen to a talk)
5. The PH Pub Quiz (pub quiz with strangers in your team)
6. Best PH car, supported by AutoGlym (car show)

To be constructive, this is what PistonFest should be like:
1. Live music on stage from Jay Kay (or a known band with some connection to cars)
2. Flying lap challenge with real cars (could be a go-kart, could be an old Mk1 Fiesta, just make it real)
3. The PistonHeads Pit Girl Challenge sponsored by Dunlop (have a Miss England type competition to watch)
4. Interview with Murray Walker (listen to a talk from someone famous)
5. The PH Car Quiz (pub quiz just about cars)
6. Best PH car, supported by AutoGlym (car show - ok keep this as is)

You could say what I propose wouldn't ever happen... but if you book them, they will come!

[LukeR94]

WillBrumBrum said:

I went to the last one ten years ago and that was boring.

So is this 2014 lineup:
1. Live music on stage from The Mighty Goodfellaz (unknown band)
2. Flying lap challenge with RMA Trackdays (computer simulator)
3. The PistonHeads Darts World Championship (watch a game of darts)
4. Hear everything about the BTCC from Ollie Jackson (listen to a talk)
5. The PH Pub Quiz (pub quiz with strangers in your team)
6. Best PH car, supported by AutoGlym (car show)

To be constructive, this is what PistonFest should be like:
1. Live music on stage from Jay Kay (or a known band with some connection to cars)
2. Flying lap challenge with real cars (could be a go-kart, could be an old Mk1 Fiesta, just make it real)
3. The PistonHeads Pit Girl Challenge sponsored by Dunlop (have a Miss England type competition to watch)
4. Interview with Murray Walker (listen to a talk from someone famous)
5. The PH Car Quiz (pub quiz just about cars)
6. Best PH car, supported by AutoGlym (car show - ok keep this as is)

You could say what I propose wouldn't ever happen... but if you book them, they will come!

If this was the event, I would be booking now.

[JamesHayward]

WillBrumBrum said:

I went to the last one ten years ago and that was boring.

So is this 2014 lineup:
1. Live music on stage from The Mighty Goodfellaz (unknown band)
2. Flying lap challenge with RMA Trackdays (computer simulator)
3. The PistonHeads Darts World Championship (watch a game of darts)
4. Hear everything about the BTCC from Ollie Jackson (listen to a talk)
5. The PH Pub Quiz (pub quiz with strangers in your team)
6. Best PH car, supported by AutoGlym (car show)

To be constructive, this is what PistonFest should be like:
1. Live music on stage from Jay Kay (or a known band with some connection to cars)
2. Flying lap challenge with real cars (could be a go-kart, could be an old Mk1 Fiesta, just make it real)
3. The PistonHeads Pit Girl Challenge sponsored by Dunlop (have a Miss England type competition to watch)
4. Interview with Murray Walker (listen to a talk from someone famous)
5. The PH Car Quiz (pub quiz just about cars)
6. Best PH car, supported by AutoGlym (car show - ok keep this as is)

You could say what I propose wouldn't ever happen... but if you book them, they will come!

The ticket price would also be somewhere in the £1000's of pounds each if it was expected to cover costs. You don't think Jay Kay & Murrary Walker would just show up because they like cars do you?