It is with deep sadness that I announce that the founder and former president of the TVR Car Club North America, Marq J. Ruben, passed away this morning, following a battle with lung cancer.
Marq had many close ties over the years with the TVRCC in England and founded the North American club in 1981, serving as its president for 20 years before retiring from the post in 2001 when current president Marshall Moore stepped into the position. Marq also served as the North American liaison for the UK club for most of those years and frequently visited 'across the pond' and had many TVR friends over there. Marq Ruben will be missed. Marshall Moore President TVRCCNA Members will recall that following the February sale of Blackpool Automaotive by the administrators PKF Ltd, back to Nikolai Smolenski, the Transport & General Workers Union, in conjunction with the Member of Parliament for Blackpool North & Fleetwood, Joan Humble MP, called on the DTI for a Government investigation into the sale. The T&GWU; claimed that Mr Smolenski's position as TVR's main creditor gave him an unfair advantage over other bidders. The TVRCC has this afternoon received confirmation from two independent sources, one of which is the T&GWU; itself, that a DTI minister has indeed agreed to this investigation. Since this news first broke earlier today we have now received the full press release which reads:
The 2007 TVR Car Club Challenge Cup/Dunlop Tuscan Challenge kicks off this Saturday where the 2006 competition finished with a double header at Oulton Park in Cheshire. Will TVRCC Competition Secretary and current series champion Graham Walden begin this season with the same consistency that he showed all through 2006, or will he succumb to the power and might of the stunning new Sagaris V8s that have been testing through the winter? Many of last years stars have changed cars and moved up a class including our own TVR Sprint Deputy Editor Howard Bryan who moves from Class C where he took class honours last year in his Tasmin and this year will pilot a Tuscan. We hope to have the full list of competitors for this year's competition on the Motorsport Page in the Members' Area soon - 26 are registered so far - but in the meantime we have the timings for this Saturday for those who are planning to cheer on their favourite drivers. Qualifying is from 0910 until 0925. Race one is due to start at 1300 and race two at 1615. So come on, get along to Oulton and let's get our support behind the TVRCC Challenge Cup drivers. This weekend sees the first round of the 2007 TVRCC Speed Championship which starts on Sunday at North Weald Airfield, Essex. Organised by the Borough 19 Motor Club, North Weald in March is going to be cold - especially noting the forecast of possible snow showers for the eastern half of UK for this weekend - but the Speed Championship always have a good turnout at this one. First practice stars at 0915. Please note though that this is a non-spectator event although it may be possible to gain access by arrangement - please contact series coordinator Steve Cox if interested in attending. For more details about the Speed Championship, click here Don't forget that the TVRCC's Annual General Meeting takes place next Saturday, 24 March, at the National Heritage Motor Museum at Gaydon starting at 1200 noon. Everyone should have received their voting forms by now with their March issue of TVR Sprint - any member who has not received one should contact the Club Office. Please remember that this is your chance to have your say in how the Club is run. If you can't attend in person, please ensure that the form is returned to the Secretary.
The following press release has been received today from PKF (UK) Ltd, the Administrators of Blackpool Automotive: Blackpool Automotive Limited in Administration PKF Partners and Joint Administrators of Blackpool Automotive Limited yesterday evening completed the sale of the main assets of the company for an undisclosed sum to a company controlled by Nikolai Smolensky. The sale included the TVR trademarks, certain vehicle stock, work-in-progress, and the manufacturing plant and equipment. In a statement, joint administrators Philip Long, Kerry Bailey and Matthew Gibson said: "Having advertised the assets of the company to the open market, we are confident we have achieved the best possible price in the circumstances and we are now looking to return money to the creditors as quickly as possible. While we had a significant number of companies expressing an interest, four demonstrated they had the funds required to enter a bidding process. Ultimately, Mr Smolensky's company came in with the highest offer." As previously reported on this website (see below), TVR Power are taking over Mallory Park this coming Friday to test and demonstrate their new supercharged 4.0 litre, 4.5 litre and 5.0 litre units side by side along with their 'Hybrid Taraka Plus' trackday car. We are now pleased to announce that the owner of TVR Power, Dominic Trickett, has opened up the day to allow a limited numbers of cars to join them on the track. Sessions will be limited to just 6 cars on track at any time - 2 supercharged cars plus 4 "normal" cars - and will run from 9:00-5:00 with an hour for lunch. This will cost just £65+VAT per car. For more information call Dom on 024 7636 6177 or email him on dom@tvrpower.co.uk We must point out that this is not a TVRCC Track Day and therefore your track day insurance may not be valid. Please check with your insurance company/broker.
For the rest of this month, the 1962 Le Mans Grantura, restored between 2000 and 2003, will take pride of place in the main display at Alfred Dunhill in Jermyn Street London. Dunhills have long had an association with motorsport and the car has been loaned to them by its present owner, City Region RO, Daniel Nash. TopGear Automotive are a new independent TVR specialist who have opened for business in Wolverhampton. Run by Club members Martin Cotterill and Kevin Harris, both of whom are factory trained and have between them over 25 years of TVR experience firstly at Team Central and more recently at Horizon, the company offers fixed price servicing on all models from Tasmin to Tuscan 2. They are offering discounts to TVRCC members on all work carried out with a special promotion on all work booked prior to 31 Mar 07. As a result of some overall changes to the BRSCC calendar announced at the Autosport Show, the provisional TVRCC Challenge Cup dates have changed. In short, Silverstone has dropped off the programme, Pembrey has moved into May, and there are additional rounds at Oulton Park in August and Brands Hatch in September. Full details can be found in the Motorsport pages. Please note however that these dates remain provisional.
If you enjoy driving your TVR then why not think about putting your driving skills to the test with an Institute of Advanced Motorists advanced driving course?The IAM is Britain's leading road safety charity and advanced driving organisation, and the TVR Car Club has linked up with the Institute to offer Club Members access to their "Skill for Life" course on special terms. For full details, please see the link in the members' area (under training) or this month's Sprint. On Saturday, 10th February 2007 at 1900 the THUNDERBALL begins! No, not arguably one of the best Bond movies of all time, but a party like no other in Blackpool. The Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool is the venue and it is a magnificent and fitting place for a party in the true spirit of TVR enthusiasts! For those who may not have heard about this or followed the debate both in our discussion forums and on Pistonheads, this event is being organised to say a final thank you to the staff at Blackpool who have built our cars and who have recently been made redundant as a result of the manufacturing arm of TVR, Blackpool Automotive, being placed into receivership just before Christmas. Well Christmas is over, therefore it must mean that the countdown to Le Mans has begun. This year's race takes place at the La Sarthe circuit 16-17 June but the build-up starts much sooner than that. The TVRCC Le Mans booking form will be in February's Sprint but because bookings always go quickly we advise you not to delay. Have you ever fancied something a little different though for Le Mans this year? Yes it's great fun driving through France, roof down but have you ever thought about cycling to Le Mans? Members of the TVRCC certainly have and this year will be the 12th consecutive year that some of our members have cycled the 250 miles to raise money for our adopted charity, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. It's not too arduous, completing just over 80 miles a day for three days and with a suitable back up team to ensure that all of your comforts (within reason) are taken care of enroute. |
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