Alf Tudge conducts the Beckenham Special II – Pre-War Prescott 2016. A feature article on this historic car is slated for the 2017 Souvenir Programme. (571Photography)
Needless to say, planning is well in hand and entries are already arriving. As I write this in mid-January, we already have 18 entries, 43 climbs allocated, 11 entries for Sunday and 18 cream teas ordered!
We are delighted to announce that we will be joined again this year by our good friends and supporters at Motor Wheel Services. Helen at MWS tells me: “Please do ask people to contact us in advance – we always bring a range of stock with us for on the day sales but obviously there is a limit to how much we can bring so knowing in advance really helps. We will not be bringing our trailer so please mention that – owners can have a chat about their wheel and tyre options and buy/collect tyres and other parts but no fitting and balancing.”
I am highly delighted to let you know that the Dutch MG Group will once again be joining us this July and swelling the numbers of the MG Car Club’s Triple M Register. The Group provided us with tremendous support in 2015 and last year joined the MMM Register’s Ulster Tour, but have decided to return to Prescott again in 2017.
It was announced in the November newsletter that we will also be joined for the first time this year by the Bean Car Club and the Talbot Owners’ Club. Now we can announce that we will also be joined for the first time this year by the British Hotchkiss Society. The key to the huge success of Pre-War Prescott is twofold. First, it enables one-make clubs who may not have the financial resources to book Prescott, to hold a rally there as a ‘gathering within a gathering’. The format is extremely informal, allowing clubs to gather in the Paddock, including not only parking together but having their own club tent, autojumble stalls, award their own prizes, and anything else within reason (!) – all at no charge to the club whatsoever. All we need is rough numbers (which we will know from the entries coming in) and any tent space requirements and we then allocate space accordingly. This means that your members can have ‘all the fun of the fair’ including untimed climbs of the hill, all of the catering, access to all the trade stands, displays, etc., etc., and all with little or no organizational overhead to the club. All that is needed is for your members to enter, and we do the rest.
The second key to our success is the now-legendary informal, garden party, minimum of red tape atmosphere of the day. No nonsense, no marque snobbery, just equal reverence for ANY car that survived the War.
So if you are a member of another club or group that you think might also like to join us, please talk to your committee and also let us know so that we can follow up with a formal invitation. We would also welcome post-war car clubs who are very welcome to gather as spectators in the Orchard. At £25-00 per car which includes all occupants, this is a tremendous opportunity for a great day out for all.
This website (www.prewarprescott.com) has been updated to 2017 specification, including on-line entries which are now open and entries are already arriving. Watch this space for news as planning gets into top gear.
A reminder that the dates for the weekend are Friday 21st July to Sunday 23rd July, NOT the previous weekend as published in the 2016 Rally Programme. The Bugatti Owners Club changed the date just after the Programme went to print. Why is this important right now? Because we know that many of you wisely book your accommodation well in advance of the weekend and we want to make absolutely certain that nobody books the wrong weekend!
Finally for this update, we will know some time next month (February) whether we have been fortunate enough to have been selected for a flypast once again by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.