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COMPOST
This is traditionally the time of year when you think about preparing the car for the forthcoming season. Notice the use of the word 'think'. It's still too cold, damp and miserable to be outside, underneath the car. If you're lucky enough to have a large heated garage, then there's no excuse, but otherwise, I know how you feel. I find it's the getting started on a job that's the most difficult. Once you're outside and working and can begin to see the end result, it's not a problem, even staying out for an extra half hour when the rain has started to fall is quite OK. Having said that, I still haven't lifted a finger on the Chevette apart from giving it a run every now and then. I couldn't resist taking it out on a cold dry day, good for power, before all the snow had melted. I'd forgot that the Avon's on the back are virtually slick and subsequently didn't offer much grip!! (slight understatement). One single track lane that I went down that seems to be only used by the farmer had a frozen solid mound of earth down the middle of the road and two narrow iced tracks either side. The exhaust started to scrape along the mound, my forward momentum became slower, mainly because I didn't want to rip the system off, until the old girl would go no further, SHIT!. I didn't bring my phone, I was in the middle of nowhere and beached. Fortunately, leaving the engine running for 10 minutes or so produced enough heat to just soften the frozen mud and with a deft bit of 1st - reverse - 1st shuffling, allowed the car to move again. That was lucky. If car prep isn't your thing or it's already done, then you now need to register for any championships that you may wish to take part in. Even though some championships may not start for another three months, registering early should ensure that your name and address goes onto the mailing lists that will be sent out to the Entry Secretaries of the clubs whose events you will be doing. It is these lists that are used for sending out regulations and entry forms. Even if you don't intend competing towards an overall championship, it's still worth registering if only to receive the regs but also most championship co-ordinators will send out updates throughout the year which may well contain useful information to you. It usually costs about £10 to register for a championship, though this can vary, but our own Marketing Machine Speed and Rally Championships cost nowt. Contact Steve Medhurst and Chin respectively for these, details inside front cover of ACORN. The Kent Road Rally is lurking just around the corner once again on the night / early morning of the 17th /18th February. PR for this is underway with, we'll call them volunteers for sake of argument, posting hundreds of PR letters through the doors of every dwelling along the route. I'm hoping to get out tomorrow and deliver my lot, but I'd better not say where, there might be some potential competitors reading this. The start venue this year is the Kent Gliding Club near Charing and as usual we will be needing all the help we can get on the night. Please phone either Chris Scudder on 01474 703346 or George Vost on 020 8302 6727 to offer your help. If you want to enter then phone Chin, numbers inside front cover. It's a good early opportunity to score some Chalkie White points and will qualify you to be eligible for a trophy in the Marketing Machine championship. The January 31st scatter will no longer happen, at least not on that date. We still suffer from a lack of numbers on these events and as an organiser, I know how much time can be put into looking for clues and preparing the navigation, that to then get only 4 crews out is disheartening. This particular date was always going to be one that might get sacrificed as it comes not long after another scatter and 12 car and falls shortly before the Kent. Perhaps I'll move it to March but I'm undecided yet. The Jan 10th scatter and Jan 12th 12car will and probably have happened and the Feb 28th scatter is OK with Colin and Sue Billings at the helm. I don't know the start venue for this yet but it will appear in February's ACORN, enough time before the event. I may soon be spending most of my time and money on something other than a car, no Chin, it's not a woman, more a sort of bungalow. It has a garage, not very big at the moment but to use estate agent speak, it has potential. I'm not going to tempt fate by saying anymore at the moment but I'm looking forward to the challenge! See you all, and I mean all, at Leeds Castle for the Dinner Dance. MARK DAWSON Not wanting to upset the new ed by not putting in the odd rude joke ….. Two nuns are out driving when a vampire drops onto the bonnet of their car. "Quick sister," screams one nun, "Show him your cross!" So the other nun leans out of the window and shouts, "Oi! You! F#<k off!" |
