Thanks to Craig W

[reggie183]

My thanks also go to Craig, Emma & Greg. Even bigger thanks to Derestrictor for once again allowing me the pleasure of 'driving' the beast. Thanks to Dom for also spinning it, which meant I didn't feel like the only one. At least I got back in the thing and posted 174 in the dry.

Great day - can't wait for the next one.

Reggie

[clubsport]

Great to catch up with oldmates,,,many thanks for the P rides,,,hugely impressed with Melvs cup car,Richard stunned me with the composure of the 360.

Having taken the helm of DeR's mighty 993...mere words are not enough, I now realise why he needs a thesaurus, just to describe a run to the shops.

Once again excellent organisation by Craig & Greg.

quite a cheeky do-nut on the way out Craig!

[shnozz]

MOD500 said:

Sorry I did'nt take you out Shnozz

no worries mate - just wanted to make sure your bonnet flapped around and your windscreen wipers lifted to be reassured they all do that sir....

[craigw]

clubsport said:

Great to catch up with oldmates,,,many thanks for the P rides,,,hugely impressed with Melvs cup car,Richard stunned me with the composure of the 360. Having taken the helm of DeR's mighty 993...mere words are not enough, I now realise why he needs a thesaurus, just to describe a run to the shops. Once again excellent organisation by Craig & Greg. quite a cheeky do-nut on the way out Craig!

aha, I did wonder if anyone saw that

[chris_n]

It's Monday morning now and I'm still on a high!

Thank you very very much Craig, Greg, (& Craig's bro - sorry didn't catch your name!), for organising such a fantastic event.

From beginning to end the whole thing was superb.

The convoy out of South Mimms - what an experience! Great bunch of blokes, the sound and spectacle of travelling in a convoy of Lambo's, Ferrari's, TVRs, BMW M-cars of every description (and my Maserati!). Refuelling on the M1 was a great laugh too, with people coming out of the petrol station to stare.

Then the day itself. Superbly organised but with a relaxed atmosphere. Thanks again to all the guys for going to so much effort to make it so much fun for drivers and spectators alike. The atmosphere was fantastic - a really nice bunch of like minded people doing what they enjoy without any grief or hassle.

I was really pleased to get a best (I think - subject to the official confirmation) of 166mph out of the Maserati. Also a good opportunity to use the bendy bits to begin to learn the limits of the car. As confidence grew I switched off traction control and enjoyed some nice oversteery moments, but on the way out of the circuit, after the big cloudburst, I had a rather large spin on the final bend! No damage done but a few minutes later the "check engine" light came on and the management system went into "limp home" mode, either a result of the spin or because I was seriously low on fuel. Sorry if I was a bit of a moving traffic jam to anyone behind me. Anyway, switching off and filling up at the first petrol station sorted things.

Nice to have met lots of you, though next time I think I will consciously build a break into my driving to meet some more of you and blag a few rides!

Craig, when's the next one so I can start counting down the days?!

Chris

[GregE240]

reggie183 said:

My thanks also go to Craig, Emma & Greg. Even bigger thanks to Derestrictor for once again allowing me the pleasure of 'driving' the beast. Thanks to Dom for also spinning it, which meant I didn't feel like the only one. At least I got back in the thing and posted 174 in the dry. Great day - can't wait for the next one. Reggie

Reg, super to see you again mit das Nowvan Munkeh. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

"SlimFast Before" - still laughing at that

[adamt]

Oliver excellent pics, especially with the Jumbo in the background.

Martyn, very glad you enjoyed the run

all the best
adam

[hughjayteens]

Big thanks to Ted (without whom none of this would have happened),

CraigW for organsing the best sunday I have had in a long time!

Greg and Emma for their hospitality and much needed coffee!

DeR (for letting Carzee take me out in the beast) - 176mph

Bluesatin (Guy) - 160mph in the 'daily driver' and a little sideways en-route back to the startline

Essex Alf for the run in the spectacularly coloured Tuscan S.

Ninja for the 176mph run in the Spider (and even more sideways getting onto the back straight!)

AdamT (and family) for the indicated 206mphwithoutevenbreakingintoasweat run in the the truly wonderous Ruf R Turbo

Yesterday made me realise that the human race is not so bad after all! There could have been serious amounts of attitude and ego with so much exotica around, but everyone genuinely was there to have a good time, and share a passion for cars and speed with everyone, regardless of who/what you are!





>> Edited by hughjayteens on Monday 22 March 13:20

[whittaker52]

adamt said:

Oliver excellent pics, especially with the Jumbo in the background. Martyn, very glad you enjoyed the run all the best adam

Thanks Adam, glad you like them if anyone wants any of the full res shots dont hesitate to give me a shout and i will email them out.

Thanks,
Best Regards,
Oliver

[domster]

reggie183 said:

My thanks also go to Craig, Emma & Greg. Even bigger thanks to Derestrictor for once again allowing me the pleasure of 'driving' the beast. Thanks to Dom for also spinning it, which meant I didn't feel like the only one. At least I got back in the thing and posted 174 in the dry. Great day - can't wait for the next one. Reggie

LOL, yes the badger club was doing well with membership subs with all that rain around! hehe. Good to see you Reg, and multitudinous gratitudes to the Earl of Bolton for allowing me and a few other undesirables try out 490bhp of Teuton Titan. And to think I laughed at CarZ taking the beast out before spinning it like a top myself

Thanks for the rides, you know who you are!

Thanks to mrs fish for the mrsfishcakes.

And of course, thanks to Craig and Greg for their organisational prowess - and all the punters for coming along and thrashing the pants off their lovely, lovely cars.

[joust]

domster said:

LOL, yes the badger club was doing well with membership subs with all that rain around! hehe.

Badger's?

For me it was rather a case of this on the first trip out

I'll try and get the video of it up this evening.

J

[domster]

LOL, that is Alex's favourite song

I think the Bruntingthorpe badgers are a hardy race tho', they must have full riot gear given the frequency of machinery intent on paying them a little visit

[BCA]

Firstly, thanks to Craigw and marshalls (greg/emma?) for thier excellent work in putting together what has to be the best Vmax yet.

Thanks also to:

456mgt, Kevin what can I say, WHAT A CAR!!! It was an absolute pleasure to follow it in the smart, something I will never forget. I cant describe the sound it made - its so good it hurts your ears, literally. Thanks also for letting me sit in the stradale!! The previous piccys just do not do the interior justice. Raw yet refined, the colours suiting it perfectly - and then theres the carbon!!!!!! WOW. You are also *exaclty* as your PH identity posts, a true gentleman. It was great to put a face to the name and speak to you inbetween weather fronts! Finally, thanks for your kind remarks about the smart too I'll make sure its tuned next time I see you, please feel free to ask for the keys.

Joust (for taking me for a spin) I had planned to ease myself into the rides, starting with someone who I knew could get round without any drama... Anyway, stunning car, fantastic driver. I doubt the Cerb could have got through some of those corners that fast in the dry (my ride was in the wettest conditions of the day IIRC!) Truly magnificent grip and a lot of fun through the penultimate corner . I'll probably return the favour in the Cerb next time... Thanks again!

Adamt and family, thankyou for again allowing me to grace the passenger seat of one of your fleet. Superb car, what can I say - never thought I would go that quick in a car. EVER. Just like last time, im absolutely amazed at your driving and having spoken to your dad I now know where your charmingly polite, generous and calm manor has come from. I never thought that kind of speed would ever feel that safe and secure. Infact, I was in awe of the figure on the speedo. Thanks again, will see what I can do about borrowing the Cerb for next time I guess I also need to thank Alois RUF for creating such a car!! Effortless pace, exactly like Dazrens monster but with further enhanced time travel. (nearly 0.9G in acceleration at the end of first gear )

Bebbesen/Brian, Thankyou for a ride in your fabulous 360, a truly gorgeous sounding car. However, you owe me a ridiculous amount of money, I believe I will HAVE to buy a 360 or get dad to move on from his TVR. Definately a car for my future garage, although I may be tempted to go nuts and try and prize 456mgt out of his CS!!! The handling, noise, poise and speed felt just right, a definate possible step up from the land of TVR. My first ride in a Ferrari too, im going to be a very poor man indeed. Stunning.

DeR, marvellous to put a face to the pure automotive poetry. Finishing my day off by you showing me how that translates into driving was just perfect. I find it hard to believe that it is any slower than the other porsches, it really felt just as ballistic. I hope your future plans go well and I look forward to witnessing you demonstrate its abilities once again. I think im starting to "get" the whole porsche thing, scary...

Thanks also to Ted/Guy? for the rides in thier BMWs, very impressive cars indeed - I believe a fast BM is now a must for anyone who already has a toy lined up alongside in the garage. This post is getting rather long now.. superb generous people, seemingly always willing to let others appreciate thier wonderful cars!

Thanks to anyone who I have missed off the list who were kind enough to allow me to Travel Very Rapidly. It was good to briefly chat to Shnozz (great to see you again)/ CZ (JAMMY GIT!!)/ Ed (Always a pleasure, see you at the speed trials/PF? - Currently downloading the vid - you know why I couldnt do this VMAX)/ Daz(whos kindness knows no limits, much like his G-forceX50, he was working through a list the whole day, my endless respect to you for doing that)/ forgotten your name - chap with the MG Mr"how do I get passenger rides?" - then he ended up in most peoples cars by lunch time! Nice to meet you, have you stopped smiling yet?? / Big T, thanks for flying the Cerbera flag - sounded lovely and literally blew away the objects behind you

Rico - left me behind at lunch for a ride in something a little quicker. Your loss, still - you got to see a little more of what the smart was capable of, but not the full works. I'll have you converted soon enough... When you say its slow, most missiles would seem slow in that kind of company. For a totally standard 599cc cupboard on wheels, its quick Sorry I had to back off through that corner too, I have a history with that corner - still 0.83G lateral wasnt too bad. If you come along to the Smartclubtrackday you are welcome to the keys once again, only then you can push it a little more...

Oli - Thanks for everything, the journey to and from was interesting as ever (country lanes that suit the smarts handling). Good to see that you finally found out what I meant by "I let it squeal through that corner." For those that dont know, the smart runs on Fuel saver tyres that are as hard/durable as a 993Turbo. To make them squeal you have to push VERY hard... BTW MINES FASTER THAN YOURS OLI :P

Marshy/DiscoJ shame you couldnt make it - will have piccys ready on thursday...

CarZee, you are a truly insane driver by all accounts, nice one! Thanks for introducing me to DeR - it was a lovely end to the day. Enjoy the S2000, no doubt you'll probably trade it in for a 993turbo when the warrantee runs out

To finish, thanks to everyone that made the day so fantastic. Every car that I went in was driven responsibly, yet at ridiculous speeds. You are all far more capable drivers than you let on. However, you are all evil horrible people. I think that by the end of the day I needed somewhere in the region of £500,000 just to have an acceptable fleet. Im off to work my arse off now so I can get a place at my chosen Uni, then work even harder to get a fabulous job. You are all forcing me to work hard now!!!! ARGH! sooooo worth it

I look forward to seeing you all at PF/the next Vmax, what a fantastic crowd of friendly, polite and kind people you all are. I salute you all.

Thanks again Craigw, with a bit of luck I'll be at the next one with dad and the Cerbera!!(windows up)

Ciao,
BCA (B3NCA Smart City Coupe)

>> Edited by BCA on Monday 22 March 14:53

[joust]

Ben,

What a write up! Phew - I feel exhaused just reading it.

Sorry for chasing badgers with you, but you were grinning so wide through the previous corner I think I lost my concentration....

[Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it ]

J

[craigw]

the grass tracks looked very elegant though Joust, what are you going for next? Crop circles ? ?

[joust]

craigw said:

the grass tracks looked very elegant though Joust, what are you going for next? Crop circles ? ?

Didn't you see the tyre marks down at the U-turn end when I tried to gain 100+ foot on the Ruf by using my greater "cornering speed"???

Pure modern art.

I've emailed the Tate Modern saying they might want to rip the tarmac up and display it

J

[BCA]

joust said:

Ben, What a write up! Phew - I feel exhaused just reading it. Sorry for chasing badgers with you, but you were grinning so wide through the previous corner I think I lost my concentration.... [Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it ] J

It was fantastic fun, how the hell that noble gets through corners that fast is beyond me!!! Truly superb car, and a rather immensly talented driver. I certainly wouldnt have been anywhere near that fast in something with 4 wheel drive and all the leccy aids under the sun. Really really enjoyed it, never been in a spin before, but theres something intoxicatingly thrilling about the whole experience. Excellent!!!

Sorry about the MASSIVE post - I think I ran out of words for fantastic somewhere in the first "thank you"

[adamt]

Ben thank you for the kind words, it was good to meet up with you after the last VMAX and take you for a blast.

Nearly 0.9 g's in acceleration is good too i've got to get one of those APP 22's, great gadget

all the best
adam

>> Edited by adamt on Monday 22 March 15:33

[ninja_eli]

Big thanks to Greg and Emma for tea & coffee, for your efforts at Bruntingthorpe, and for being as nice as you come across on PH Great to finally meet you both.

Bit disappointed that Derestrictor doesn't talk as he types... Your car is fantastically fast dude, Carzee pulled a massive gap between us when he drove it, although I have to admit I flucked up my gearchange. But even later on the 2mile straight it just kept pulling away, fast, very fast. Will be interesting to see the figures.

Thanks Carzee and Derestrictor for the entertaining drive there, shocked at how well Aidan drove that Primera, well done for the mods! I thought I'd give myself a gap so I could have a, ahem, *laugh* catching you up, then noticed you were pulling away ridiculously fast so pressed on a little bit... a little bit too much coz I got it *slightly* unstuck at like 70odd through one of the corners. Scared the pants out of me.

Good to finally meet:
Matt (Plotloss), been meaning to say hello since the PREVIOUS BTaP,
Andrew (Rico),
Phil (Shnozz), thanks for your assurance regarding the MGFs. The Mrs left still smitten with her car!
and (I think) Mrs Fish!!!(yeh!) .

Kevin on our way out, Nat & I looked across to the start area to see your car leaving the line, it looked so great it was a picture moment, the colour looked wicked in the sunshine, it looked and sounded so "Ferrari". We were scrambling for the camera, but unfortunately didnt get to capture the moment, but suffice to say, it put paid to ANY chance EVER of taking the piss out of you for having an orange car Pah, there was me thinking I could get one back for the Simon Cowell jokes... I was really hoping that one day it would look orange... damn! Sounds the bollocks too, really does. 355s still sound most F1, but yours sounds EVIL. Nat loved the fuel cap, and stitching on the seatbelts BTW. Women, look at the things they take notice of?

Sorry to all those I couldnt find afterwards for passenger rides, I was kinda waiting for people to ask for a drive, but no one did so I often found myself waiting in the rain at the start area, beginning to think whether my car was out of favour My brakes starting stinking, not sure if the fluid was overheating but I started to slow down earlier and earlier, in the end it was just for the passenger rides. Also petrol was running out. I think I got my fastest time when it was pissing down. I just couldnt get the car to brake well enough later on. Must need a service now
But next time, anyone fancying a blast, please just come up and ask. You'd always be more than welcome.

Thanks to Joust for his demonstration of what a glued down car the Noble is, I dont know if you saw me getting it sideways trying to follow your speed into one of the corners, by the time I'd corrected and got back to speed you were steaming through the next, wasnt sure at first whether your brake lights worked properly mate

Thanks to Dom for wearing his porn star jumping, well appreciated by Nat and myself. You looked top quality in that

Thanks to Craig for organising it, it was alot more fun than I thought it would be (gunning it down a straight wasn't *really* that appealing at first to be honest). But I guess it really comes down the people who were there, they made the fun.

Thanks finally to that gypo Alex(Iguana) for not bending my car (more ) when you took it for a drive. But, mate your accent is nothing like Italian, more Greek I'd say. Needs some more work to be convincing, although your humour wasnt bad (I could fit him in my pocket. you bastid!). Hope you dont intend to use our little "interview"? what did you think of the 360? After hearing Dom had spun another car, I decided against asking him if he wanted to take it for a drive...

Sorry for the long post but lots of people to thank and I look forward to the DVD. Lots and lots of stunning machinery there.

[BCA]

Ninja, didnt really get a chance to speak to you other than a quick hi at lunch (was trying to get the AP22 performance meter to work so I was slightly pre-occupied im afraid!) If I had known you were doing passenger rides I would have been begging you for one after the blast in Bebbesens! (Your passenger seat seemed to be occupied by a rather beautiful lady throughout, Mrs Ninja I assume? So I didnt ask)

Will make more of an effort to chat next time, I apologise for not being able to do so yesturday. I must say though, lovely spyder - black just works with certain cars doesnt it?