Horace

Somehow reminds of this from Beyond the Fringe……. Peter Cook: I want you to lay down your life, Perkins. We need a futile gesture at this stage. It will raise the whole tone of the war. Get up in a crate, Perkins, pop over to Bremen, take a shufti, don't come back. Goodbye, Perkins. God, I wish I was going too. Jonathan Miller: Goodbye, sir — or is it — au revoir? Peter Cook: No, Perkins.

Ah, a bit of pointless green-washing a la large corporations - it does absolutely nothing but somehow seems to be expected by someone - mea culpa is the modern disease - and in the meantime Putin invades the Ukraine……

Powell’s in Ripon deal with classic cars (they have a an associated business that sells top end classics I believe). Can’t recommend personally as haven’t used them but not heard anything bad about them. I’ve used ORS in Sheffield to rebuild a couple of boxes and overdrives and they are very good but not sure they diagnose on the car. Bob

I did it and I’m no expert. Lots of info on internet. However, I did have the use of a press which helps a lot - especially if you buy new hubs as I did. Use two jacks and a spring lifter to align the top bolt of the vertical link to the spring. A bit of a knack to it but quite easy and not the terrible job some say it is as long as you think about it. I like confess I like the rotoflex set up! Bob

Given the number of claims for whiplash it seems modern seats are no protection whatsoever…!!!

I am 6’ and changed my Gt6 mk2 seats for spitfire 1500 seats new foams and used the basket weave vinyl covers (adapted for headrest fitting). I did this because my wife (5’9”)was used to headrests and felt unprotected without them. Personally I liked the original non head rest reclining seats. Not sure what the risk of being rear ended is given the miles we do in these cars and when generally we avoid commuting traffic in favour of open roads. In 35 years of motoring daily commuting etc I have only been rear ended once and then only at 5 mph. Perhaps I’ve been lucky. The 1500 headrests came up easily far enough for me to protect my neck and even my wife (who is incredibly fussy about car seats) said that they were very comfortable and we did the last RBRR in it without back, neck or leg ache. Perhaps new foams and check the movement of the head rests? However, seats are quite a subjective thing some body types suit some and not others. Bob

Good stand with a nice mix of cars. Better than TSSC stand - they went for the anniversary idea and filled it with Heralds. What a waste. TR Register has done similar in the past- I think it was a stand full of TR6s one year. People come to shows to see a range of cars and often to see a car they are thinking of buying. It’s so disappointing to pay a load of money and see 6 cars you have no interest in. If we want to encourage new younger owners they need to see the cars! Well done.

Has anyone done the analysis (or is it even possible) of Newbie failures vs those who have done it before? I'm with McJim on this one. I don't think its feasible to decide who is or is not mechanical. Small chassis rear ends bang, clank, grumble and whine a little bit a lot of the time. It may be prudent pre event to do a rear end rebuild prior to the event but that's no guarantee. I wouldn't want to carry the spares needed (both sides in a spitfire, decent jack, stands) or attempt that at the roadside even though I've done a few and don't find it technically challenging. You'd get so far behind, the controls would close and all the joy of doing it with a group of other people would go. Simple fixes only (usually electrical) is about the best you can hope for before the event becomes no fun at all. Educate, offer (not insist) a buddying service for newbies and those that have done it before, but I don't think there is much else you can do. If you fail, make sure you've got recovery and don't expect people to spend hours giving you a hand if a quick fix isn't an option. Bob

Misunderstood and misinterpreted - but hopefully not deliberately misquoted!? I know I’m banging on here about a point that is, even in my view, at worst, an historic one, but doesn’t that quote just sound a bit cliquey?! Perhaps we just have a different view of what constitutes a clique and I’m absolutely sure there is no intention to deliberately exclude anyone. My ideal is that we all just turn up with a common interest and newbies speak to the old hands and the old hands speak to newbies. Some newbies will be technically more competent than the old hands, many won’t be. Some newbies may have more extensive driving experience than the old hands, many wont. No one should lord it above anyone else but equally it’s common decency to defer to those who have more experience and respect and learn from that. I hope that is common ground and I think that is where we are now. To do this event you just need a Triumph car and a willingness to drive it for a long time. I hope those are the only preconditions ever imposed. I hope my extensive thoughts on this issue don’t stray into the winging category - as a confirmed critic of cliques I don’t want to go and form my own😁 Last word on it. Honest. Bob ps. I think Tim is being hard on himself - he even spoke to me (didn’t spot him coming!)

All organisations tend towards cliquiness. It’s natural as old friends find it easier to talk to old friends and unless you are a very confident person, you feel you don’t want to impose yourself on others without invitation. I’ve been on both sides of the fence. It’s up to those who know the ropes to make the effort (and that was very much in evidence this year). I don’t think anyone needs “earn their stripes” - they have earned them by having the guts to take part in a demanding event. God knows what stripes they may have in other areas of their lives that makes taking part in a long distance driving event look like a walk in the park! To be fair, some things are just beyond your control. It would be interesting to see if the stats for mechanical retirements demonstrate first timers as more likely to break down than old hands….my bet would be they don’t! Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt! Certainly I did two successful runs and failed on my third. I prepped the same and failed because the fuel line out of the tank had become constricted. It only became apparent on the M6 to Tebay when opening the taps for some catch up miles - the float chambers couldn’t replenish themselves with sustained high speed driving. The lines were no more than 2 years old and supposedly Ethanol proof, the filters were all clean and changed pre event. It was a TR4 that had done several toughish classic rallies in that year and never missed a beat. It had been to Spa a couple of times and maintained by me regularly. Should I have replaced all fuel lines just in case? Perhaps. Certainly my prep for this one was far more thorough because I was determined not to bail out again but I spent a lot of time on a car that drove fine. In my view, earning your stripes means you have a right and obligation to pass on your experience and support to those who have never done it before - not for them to be in awe of you! The feel of the event, and the efforts to welcome all comers, including newbies is so different to that in 2014 (I don’t think Im alone in that feeling) and that is a very good thing. That is a massive plus and a credit to the Club. I think this is a very special Club with a great ethos of using our cars for the purpose they were intended. It seems pretty unique in the classic car world where increasingly, ownership is about over priced trailer queens that if driven would conk after 20 miles. - never mind 2000. And while I’m in praise mode, can I also say the Club Magazine is by far the best club mag! Just to be clear, I think the event hit new heights this year - in all areas - and wouldn’t complain if nothing changed for the next one. Bob

Sorry, should have made my point clearer. I meant pairing cars not drivers and co drivers. Just knowing another car is with you helps you feel less of a novice and gives some reassurance that you are not on your own if something goes wrong. It may also add an element of safety to the event as well. If you have an accident or an off or don’t turn up at a control someone else will know quite quickly. I don’t think it should be imposed just some crews could volunteer and those interested could pair up. The drivers meeting could be a meet up for them. Perhaps the Club could recommend first timers to do this and then put them in touch with someone who has volunteered. If they are local to each other they could meet up for a practice or help with preparation…. After all the spirit of the event is all for one and one for all. Finally, it should be made clear your buddy car is there to help only if possible not hang around for recovery with you if it becomes clear it’s a very long fix or a no hoper… Bob

Another option may be to pair up experienced people with novices (on a voluntary basis). Not only does it help technically it also promotes friendliness and combats any tendency to cliquiness. They could liaise pre event, give tips on the event, spares to carry etc. In 2016 I did it with a colleague from work in his 20s. He was dead keen, loved old cars and the whole idea but no way would he have done it without someone who knew a bit about the car we were in. It’s that sort of person we need to encourage as the future. He still talks about our adventure today and when family allows he’s going to get spitfire (we broke down in Scotland but got going again to finish). A lot of people already appear to do this event with friends and form convoys. Being in a team of two or more would be good fun. After all, any idiot wants to do this has a lot in common with the the other idiots taking part! Bob

Completely agree with York’s Spam. Just makes it look like you’re demanding you need to be in the know to enter. Horrible idea and perpetuates the slightly cliquey feeling I had on my first RBRR in 2014 at the Plough. I felt this year there was a real feeling of new blood and open friendliness. Clubs die when they look inwards…. Bob

Praise indeed but I can't help but agree! Well done everyone involved from organisers to marshals and all the other helpers that make it happen. In recent times, many organisations have given up and cancelled things and run away to hide. It just shows, if you hold your nerve, accept some risk and uncertainty in life, the end result can be pretty damn good!

We did a shade under 36mpg in our Gt6 mk2 - standard and on strombergs. Quite a lot better than normal economy figures which are a bit below 30mpg. Bob