McJim

Don't think so. It was 2 hours in 2018. Gives folk who have had trouble heading north the ability to catch up with the event, as I did in 2018. Jim.

I'm biting my nails here! Jim.

Working on average speeds and times compared from previous runs, it looks like the stop at John O'Groats is reduced from 2 hours to 1 hour 30 minutes. Jim.

Andy, Do you have times for the durations for the stops? Arrival times as far as Falls of Shin are earlier than 2021 with the curious exception of John O'Groats, presumably to avoid gridlock at the pumps at Skiach. Beyond that, all of the arrival times are later as far as Badgers Holt with the finish control 13 minutes earlier. That might be a tall order given that the M25 is unlikely to be as deserted as last time due to sheeple panic buying fuel. Jim.

Never noticed that as a problem. Mind you, I've never opened the bonnet. Jim.

Here's the one on mine. This photo was taken by the guy who rebuilt the car. Jim.

Oh, I don't know - you can't hide money. Jim.

Crown wheel and pinion and probably the bearings as well knowing my luck, so a replacement diff is the best solution with only three weeks before we set off south. I thought of Fitchetts after reading about them from Roy Lacey's posts on here and Facebook. Seems he's never away from the place as he lives so close to them. Does he really have a dedicated parking space in Fitchetts car park? Jim.

Sam - your links don't appear to work. Jim.

First time using Fitchetts and well impressed with the service over the phone. Parts should be in the garage in Motherwell on Monday. Never gave much thought to the noise from the back previously when I had the hood up. I seem to remember that the Spitfire I had many moons ago when I was 21, sounded the same. God! That's 45 years ago! Thought it was par for the course till today when the noise was unbearable. Will now sleep like a babe on the RBRR when Katy's driving. Wore ear plugs last time - can ditch them now. Not long to go now., It's like "how many sleeps till Santa's here?". Getting excited. Jim.

Thought all prep was done to the Spitfire. Oh boy, was I wrong. While getting Mintex pads fitted, discovered that one of the calipers was goosed. Also, I usually drive the car with the roof down but today, on my way to the garage, I put the roof up and what a racket from the diff. The guy who owns the garage and who I've known for years assumed that I was happy to live with it. Eh, no way and certainly not for the duration of the RBRR. A few phone calls including Dave Pearson at Canley Classics who was very helpful but didn't do diffs but gave great advice and I ended up sourcing the calipers and diff from TD Fitchetts, who gave the best prices and delivery. So, hopefully, by next Friday, I'll be considerably lighter in the wallet but still with my hearing intact after the Round Britain. Here's hoping there's no more nasty surprises. Jim.

One of the reasons I wrote the above post, particularly for first timers, was for them to understand that it was normal to have to deal with tiredness, a car that keeps needing constant attention to keep it running and regretting ever entering the event when the adrenaline wears off somewhere far up the A9 in Scotland at four in the morning. However, the great feeling of accomplishment on completing the run will make up for it a thousand times. When you pull into the finish car park, there's just this euphoria that you have done something really special - driven nearly 2000 miles non stop in around 48 hours in a car that should only be polished for short Sunday afternoon runs in the country. You set yourself, your crew and your car a challenge and you've acheived it. Even if you don't finish, it's not the end of the world - and there's always another RBRR in two years time and now you'll have learned a lot about the event, your car and yourself. There are few other experiences in the classic car world like this and as the future is electric (apparently), they will, sadly, disappear. So, make the most of this while it lasts - you won't regret it. Do your preparation and planning, swap drivers when they are tired, pace yourself, this a marathon, not a sprint. Get into the hustle and bustle at the controls and the start and finish where you'll meet new and old friends, revel in the driving roads that Nigel has planned for you. And most important of all - enjoy yourself. Club Triumph - The Club That Does. Haven't heard that for a while. Jim.

I’ve taken part in the Round Britain and finished in 2008 and 2010 in a GT6, failed to finish in a Spitfire in 2018 and breezed round in 2021 in the same Spitfire. This may come as a shock to many of you but I hated the entire experience with the exception of the 2021 run. Let’s break down each event. In 2008, my co-driver, Theo Boonen, flew over from the Netherlands and after leaving my house just outside Glasgow, we motored down to the Stone Trough for an overnight stay, the meeting place for the Pendle and Pennine group at that time. Martin Randle, who lived locally came in and joined us for a couple of pints. We were all in high spirits. Martin went home for his tea and shortly afterwards, Jon Ranwell, another stalwart of Pendle and Pennine walked in and another few pints were dispatched before he left and then we headed off to bed at a very late hour. Let me make you aware, this is not the way to prepare for the RBRR the next day. I don’t remember much, or anything, of the journey down to the start at the Plough at Enfield. The effects of our celebrations the previous night began to take their toll in tiredness and the event became to resemble something like the seven stages of hell. Things took a turn for the better, when the water pump let go just as we had left Land’s End. I had a spare water pump though. Unfortunately, I had made the decision to leave it 560 miles north of where we were. What’s the chance of a water pump failing on a car that is only used periodically. Quite high it would appear. We pulled into the Tesco petrol station in Penzance and contemplated going home on the back of a yellow lorry. One thing in our favour, we were the third car out of Land’s End after having a bit of “my car’s quicker than your car” banter with Paul Darbyshire. As a result, the entire entry piled into the petrol station behind us and David Aspinall offered a new water pump for a very, very reasonable price. Fortunately, Theo is an excellent spanner man and soon had us on our way again. By the time we got to the finish, we both headed straight to the hotel nearby and had another pint. I don’t think I even finished mine as I was so tired. All the way round, I don’t think I enjoyed myself much and felt pretty miserable during most of the experience. Only when we stopped at controls and I got out of the car and met some of my fellow “sufferers” did I get it – the whole camaraderie thing that is the essence of the RBRR. I didn’t enjoy the experience much – until we reached the finish and the euphoria erupted with the realisation that we had only gone and done it! And that is the entire reason for doing the Round Britain, that sense of achievement that you’ve accomplished something pretty extraordinary that will stay with you for a long time, if not the rest of your life. Two years later and I’m back again in the GT6 for the 2010 event. This time with my good friend, David Huddy. I’ve learned something from the previous event and modified the GT6 to make it more suited to the run by getting rid of the sporty exhaust with it’s nasty booming vibration at any speed between 50 and 70mph, the speed that you drive the majority of the route with the exhaust resonating in your skull for days after. We still don’t have a working heater and this was the thing that made this another unpleasant experience. The cold, more than anything, saps your strength and makes sleeping in the car more difficult. As time goes by, this more than anything makes you want to give up. This time it was exacerbated by a clunking noise as we headed north. At Conon Bridge, we had the back wheels off, checking the back axle and the brakes but nothing seemed untoward. We made the decision that this was our jolly boys outing and if something were to go wrong, we would deal with it when it happened and happened it did. On our way out of Wales, the M5 resembled a canal with some of the heaviest rain I’ve ever experienced. Heading down the A30 we hit a deep puddle and immediately the noise from the back made us aware that the exhaust was dragging on the road. Turns out that when I replaced the exhaust, I was ignorant to the fact there was a support clamp to be fitted halfway down the pipe. The weight of the exhaust and the puddle pulled one of the supports through the boot floor and the mystery of the clunking noise that had kept me awake for nearly 24 hours was finally solved. Anyway, a spare boot lace from the toolbox secured the exhaust for the next 800 miles till we got home. However, our problems were still not over as coming out of Bude, the GT6 lost power and cut out. Faffing about with the electrics seemed to get us going again but by the time we reached Tavistock, the problem returned. A gaggle of crews stopped to help and we managed to limp our way to Badgers Holt where we could only make our way out of Dartmoor by reversing up the hill out of the control with David chasing me on foot. Hilarious fun. We eventually dragged the GT6 out to Ashburton and phoned Tim Bancroft to tell him we were out of the event for all intents and purposes. But Triumph folk are resilient and soon Nick Jones arrived from nowhere after a call from Tim with some electrical bits and bobs and a replacement coil. With his help, we made it to the finish but again this was another two days of purgatory experienced before feeling the elation of finishing the Round Britain and now it all seemed worth it. Turned out our problem wasn’t electrical but the carburettor linkage had somehow slipped with only three cylinders getting enough fuel. Five minutes back home and it was repaired. Amazing what can be achieved when you’ve had a good sleep. I had now learned my lesson and had no intention of ever entering again, however, my daughter passed her driving test after previously failing for speeding. Never been such a proud Dad! Katy announced that she now wanted to do the Round Britain with me and being a good Dad, what was I to do? So, in September 2017, I started looking for another Triumph having sold the GT6 a number of years previously. In February 2018, I bought a rust free, Delft Blue Spitfire 1500 which didn’t seem to have done much mileage since it had been restored a couple of years before. I soon discovered why, when the wheels kept trying to detach themselves from the car. It had wheels not suited for the Spitfire and studs that didn’t seat in the hubs. A new set of Minilites and some Freelander studs and the problem was solved and our entry to the Round Britain was confirmed. The engine never sounded that brilliant and during the run north, it seemed to be getting much worse. The major bugbear of the 1500 engine, the big end bearings were on their way out. Having no heater was again a problem and that and the engine sapped my energy and enthusiasm and so, at Stirling, we retired since we were only 16 miles from home. We were gutted. But not defeated. We started preparing for the next RBRR. Through the pandemic, the engine was rebuilt by a race engine builder who now worked on engines in his retirement. LED headlights were fitted and, believe me, if you don’t do any other improvements to your car, do this. To paraphrase Clarkson, looking original is less important than being able to see where you’re going. The heater was sorted, and again, one of the best improvements you can make to your car for the Round Britain. New standard height front springs and shocks were fitted, which improved the ride quality and handling no end since the old springs seemed to have been completely compressed. A problem with the overdrive was sorted and now worked properly. Most of the other work had been done, so the car now drove and stopped well and could comfortably cruise the long distances. In 2021, we set out from Knebworth in a car in which we were confident that it could complete the event with no major issues. Apart from a scare with the light switch in the middle of the night in Wales that seemed to sort itself, we cruised round the event only with a clunk from what seemed a half shaft slowing us up in the run in from Badgers Holt. Something else that we did differently from all the previous events was to throw out the spreadsheet that told us when to change drivers and instead drive until I felt tired then wake up Katy who would have had a decent sleep. Finally, I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of the 2021 event. I loved Nigel’s route, the preparation, the atmosphere at the start at Knebworth, just driving the Spitfire as it was made to be driven, driving in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, the epic time in the Premier Inn after the finish but most of all, I loved doing the Round Britain with my daughter, Katy, and the special father/daughter moment in the finish car park at Knebworth. That alone is something she’ll remember after I’m long gone. And now, after all this time, I can positively say that I can enjoy the thought of taking part in another Round Britain Reliability Run. Which is why, Katy and I are entered as crew No. 21 in the 2023 event in the Scotch Pie Hunters Spitfire. Cobra stripes rule!

Just as long as he isn't wearing his Daisy Duke shorts. Jim.

They're air horns. Expect a General Lee soundalike when Tim leaves Knebworth. Bloody chavs. Jim.

Wode was never worn by Scots, with the exception of Mel Gibson. Jim.

Hope you like to party! Jim.

Be good to see you again Richard. Poignant team name. Nuala would appreciate it. Jim.

Hi Roger. Even the offer of vlaai can't tempt me right now. Comes close though. RBRR is the big outing this year and that's what the resources are ring-fenced for. Always 2024 though. Does it have to be a Triumph or can you enter a "modern" such as a 2013 1300cc Mazda 2 that I have lying around doing not much since the event I have always wanted to do is unlikely to ever run again given the current political climate. Might even sell the Spitfire after the RBRR and buy the MX5 Mk1 that I've always had a hankering for before my elderly body cries enough. Be good to see you and Theo again after so long. Jim.

As stated in the RBRR event section: The Drivers Meeting will be held on Saturday 23rd September 2023 to preview the event. This will be held at a location in the South Midlands. It is felt essential for at least one representative of each crew to attend the Drivers Meeting. Huntington’s Disease Association (HDA) will send along a representative to discuss the Charity with us, and how the collected money will be used. We will also issue the Drivers Packs and discuss the route within the Road Book. Advice will be given to assist crews in their preparation and finally a question and answer session will be held. This meeting is a good opportunity for crews to gain a feel for the event, meet other entrants and pick up tips to assist with completion of the RBRR. Jim.

I think part of the problem of attracting new entries is the surprising lack of information of the event, even on the Club Triumph website. There's no website (the one given above by Mike doesn't work), there's no details on the format of the event, no start or finish location, no idea of the entry fee, no eligibility of cars and what modifications are permitted, no information on what you require to take part such as motorsport licences, trip meters or levels of preparation or experience. Not criticising, but how could I be encouraged to take part with the amount of information currently available? Jim.

Relax. Once you get to John O'Groats, it's all downhill from there. Jim.

How else would you know if the Spitfire would make it all the way to Tebay? Jim.

Don't worry about being at the start line. You'll get an entry no problem. Previous years have had much, much larger reserve lists and everyone got an entry. Concentrate on getting your Triumph ready because you will get an entry and we'll all see you at Knebworth in October. Jim.

All crews should be doing this as a matter of course. Bad driving and speeding reflect badly on the Club and the RBRR. Jim.