EDITORIAL

Well that’s better. There is life after Foot and Mouth!  More events are coming to light as restrictions are lifted/clarified and permits are being issued, including our own Autotest Series which got under way on June 14th and 28th.  I got into trouble for reminding Darren Hall that it was on, but I believe he has bowed out gracefully this year to let others have a chance!  Ralph has had a go at both events so far with 2nd place finishes in both.  The remaining rounds are on Thursday July 12th, July 26th and August 2nd with and extra one on August 9th; signing on from 6pm. It would be nice to see more people both competing and marshalling, especially the youngsters.  Don’t forget the Production Class and any Sevenoaks member aged under 21 will have their entries paid for them (bring proof of age).
Noxious North Weald weather struck again on the 17th June and for a brief while that weekend we were plunged into October again.  Not having marshalled at North Weald for a while, I was a tad optimistic about the temperature. It’s June, I thought how cold can it get at this time of the year!  I had four layers on and I wish I had had a lot more!  I suddenly remembered that last time I had gone to North Weald and the weather was that cold and wet, it WAS October, but I had cadged a warm seat in the cab of the tow vehicle with John Twiss.
This time Colin Shipway and I were on Post 2 down at the Roundabout (or Banjo), out in the open. Never mind, I thought I have a flask of hot coffee to keep me going. We had a rather eventful day, with hardly  time to drink our hot drinks. When there was a natural break in the proceedings, stupid members of Joe Public, including a pillock on a scooter, kept trying to get round to the Drag Racing which was taking place just the other side of the airfield.  At one point a guy in a Fiesta, who had decided that he was probably in the wrong place, turned round just beyond the border cones just as a single seater was getting a little out of shape going round the roundabout!  It could have been extremely nasty!  We didn’t hear him approach because of the noise of the said single seater and because of the racket the dragsters were making of our other side!  We also had a dodgy radio which kept dishing out white noise at this point.  Luckily the driver of the single seater kept going round and not straight on and the Fiesta guy disappeared from view back the way he came. Not long after that, on the first set of timed runs, a TVR came through the gate at the end of the Straight and ran straight over the marker cones.  The radio decided to end it all at that moment and we couldn't radio to Control to hold the Startline, so I was furiously dancing up and down with the red flag, while Colin wrestled to get the cones free, which were firmly wedged under the chassis of a TVR Chimera. The driver, Nick Emery, was going nowhere until the cones had been cleared.  After this, Neville Moon drove down and swapped radios with us and things calmed down a bit after that.  We saw some good smooth driving and some wild sweeps round the cones and one Caterham 7 driver who decided that the fence opposite the end of the straight could do with a bit of ventilation.  Colin had to leg it to the other side carrying a fire extinguisher.  Blinking heavy those things, he puffed afterwards!
Apart from these little excitements, we thought the day seemed to run very smoothly.  I think a lot of the drivers thought so too.
Ralph was out in the Vectra but was not happy with his runs and finished fourth in class.  The competition was a bit stiff with cars as he was competing with cars with better power to weight ratio than the Vectra (well, that’s what he said was the problem!!) Well done to Tina and Neville Moon on their inaugural Clerking of an event and to Colin Roger for keeping up with all the changes to the entry list and for everyone who braved the conditions and came to marshal.  I have to say I do have a distant memory of a different North Weald event, when Ralph and I did a double drive in our first Golf and the weather was scorching hot and I got slightly sunburned! Yes I know this doesn’t happen very often but there is always the hope of an Indian Summer and the October event could be like June!!!!
The social side of the club has had a boost with Graham Baker organising an interesting night out looking round the Quaife factory in Otford.  Graham’s report is included this month and it was good to see the evening was well attended. The Committee decided to award Graham June’s monthly Mug for his efforts in bringing this excellent evening together.
The JULY social night will be John Milligan’s Team Quiz.  John has a mixture of motoring and general knowledge lined up for you all to have a go at and he has even taken the hard work out of finding a team beforehand, as teams will be organised on the night.  Arrive at about 8pm for an 8.30pm green light!  AUGUST then sees our traditional “FIND A PUB IN KENT” evening and the committee have decided it’s time to pay a visit to the excellent hostelry of Jon Miles.  The venue on Wednesday 15th August will be “The Spotted Dog”, Smarts Hill, nr Penshurst, Kent.  I have heard that the food and beer are excellent so we will be making a night of it, why don’t you?
Well the British Grand Prix will be upon us on the 14th/15th of this month and it could be interesting to see which of the Schumacher brothers will come out on top this time in their brotherly battle. The Williams is certainly going better these last few races, making sure Ferrari don’t get too complacent!  While on the subject of the 14th July, Borough 19 are holding their sprint at Lydden that weekend and if this hits your mats before then and you can help out in a marshalling capacity, then please give Tom Law.  A lot of the usual marshals will be at Silverstone. The B19 event is on Saturday so you can still watch the F1 race on Sunday. Signing on is between 8.30 and 9am.  Please help if you can.

Well, that’s it for this month.
Dawn

The Acorn : July Edition