Clearly we spend a lot of our time behind keyboards wittering on about cars. But here at PH we love to get out there and, contrary to myth and stereotype, actually socialise with like-minded folk. Here then we look at some of our favourite PH-worthy events from the year gone by, slightly immodestly including some of our own into the bargain! Well, if we didn't shout about them... Anyway, from informal meets to global motorsport extravaganzas, here's our shortlist. It's up to you to vote the winner!
Sunday Service
OK, a bit of a tootle on our own trumpet, if you'll excuse the expression. But, to be fair, we don't make Sunday Services what they are. You do. It's a simple formula, the fact that every event we hold (credit to Paul for his organisational skills here) is a 'sell out' in just hours proving the popularity of the format. Which involves an early start for many, a bit of a wander round and a chance to put faces - and cars - to names and appreciate the vast and eclectic four-wheeled tastes of PHers. The moment that symbolises it for me is the crowd of people, camera phones in hand, walking past a gaggle of supercars to cluck over a Rover SD1. Or the McLaren F1 owner who, hearing he'd missed the cut-off, emailed to say he was coming along just to enjoy being turned away at the door! (Dan)
Goodwood Revival
The Revival meet at Goodwood is, quite simply, one of the best motoring days out you'll experience. From the moment you enter, everything you see and hear harks from the 40s, 50s and 60s, from ladies in miniskirts to the ear-splitting sounds of historic racers warming up a few feet away. Only at Revival can you watch cars worth millions race bumper-to-bumper, say hello to a racing legend, or simply dress up in period clothing (essential) and enjoy taking in the sights and sounds of the past. It's no wonder the event sells out year after year, and why it's the only event I'll never miss on the racing calendar. (Paul)
Nurburgring 24-hour
Frontline motorsport is getting ever more slick and corporate but if there's one race that can't be tamed it's the Nurburgring 24-hour. The sheer length of the track and nature of the terrain means fans can't be contained in paddocks, force fed officially licenced sponsors' food and drink or controlled at all. Meaning vast, drunken temporary camps, pulsating with the throb of bad Eurodance and smell of barbecued meat deep into the Eifel forests. While out on the track factory teams and plucky privateers alike battle each other and that famously treacherous track in cars vaguely reminiscent of the ones we can buy and drive on the street. Do it. (Dan)
Brazilian GP
The final race of this year's F1 calendar was one of the all-time classics. A pure thriller from start to finish, the action was so unrelenting that neither pundits nor punters knew where to look. There will always be those who'll decry F1 for being dull, but this race proved the series still has the capacity to provide nigh-on two hours of edge-of-the-seat entertainment. What's more, this is the only event of all our nominations to have been broadcast live to the British public in its entirety on free-to-air TV. Nail-biting motorsport simply doesn't get any more accessible than this, and for that, it deserves your vote. (Alex)
Le Mans
Come on, do we really need to explain why? Le Mans is one of the most important events of the year for PHers; a 24-hour festival of racing that allows everyone who goes the chance to let their hair down and revel in the noise, the power and the passion. And the mud. And the beer. Lots of beer. But more than that, Le Mans is one of those events that allows PHers from all over the country to get together and share in a whole weekend of thrills, spills, and very occasional bouts of singing too loudly. Any Le Mans is the event of the year. Surely? (Alex)
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