So how was the DriveStyle Horseless Carriages sponsored “BNG 06” for you?  Yeh I know Saturday was wet!  In fact wet is an understatement.  Already the photos of submarining cars have appeared on threads in the discussion forum, but they were gritty drives.  Honest, somewhere behind those monsoon like rainfalls and clouds were the most fabulous views.  Maybe next year we can show them to you?

It all started very well, with dry conditions, bacon butties and hot drinks welcoming all to the Harrogate showroom. In between the new and used cars for sale was one of the Dealt sponsored T400 Le Mans car.  Its presence graced the showroom, complete with duck tape.  Oh the memory of being in France, as the two race cars lapped the TVR fan filled grandstand.  Maybe soon we can go back to Le Mans and support a factory entered team?  All too soon the rain began to spit and the 120 cars split into three three drives and set off, with 15 minute intervals, out into the Dales.  Spitting rain turned into torrents and with no roof to protect Jo and I, we soon lost the will to live!  The challenging conditions kept us all alert though. people enjoyed lunch, at 3 various stops. These were the Palmer Flatt Hotel at Aysgarth, the Buck Inn at Malham and the Tarn House Hotel Stirton.  All are recommended and provided a much needed feast for the hungry and wet adventurers.

After lunch the roads became rivers.  These photos give an idea of what the conditions were like but no amount of photography can really show quite how bad it was.  There are more photos like these and larger versions of these in our discussion forums.

When it came to Sunday we started in Harrogate with 139 TVRs (plus a few non TVR) parading through the town centre.  I must thank NY police for turning out staff to this event, even though they were hard pushed at the Eco demo at Drax power station.  Steve Williams, of DriveStyle, lead the huge parade in the newly registered Orange Sagaris.   Behind him was a queue of cars such as Harrogate, or perhaps any other town, has never seen nor perhaps will again.  My thanks to all of you who turned out early to wake up Harrogate.  Boy did you!  Having lapped the town once, and some of you I think twice, it was off to Newby Hall.

Newby hosted the gathering and welcomed all with the most impressive rainbow.  A little light rain fell from a sunny sky, which was confusing most as the heavens were clear.   Then the rain picked up for a couple of minutes which strangely drove some cars to leave.  Odd as soon the sun emerged once more and the feeling of sunburn returned.

Numbers of attendees vary but without an official count I have estimated over 250 cars.  Both parade and gathering were well up on last year.  So once again thanks.  Traders attending, were DriveStyle, Ride Drive, TVR Power, Absolutely Shocks, and TVRCC. 

The concours was judged throughout the event until around 1.30pm, when the loudest TVR competition began to break the peace.  One car I believe even blew the exhaust cat out the back!

The winners of concours and loudest are as follows:
Pre M – no entries
“M” – John Holden
“S” – David Bruce
Wedge –   (350) Tony Dearden
Chim/Griff -   (Chimaera) Peter Haslock
Current -  (Tuscan) Richard Thorpe
Non TVR   (Lotus Elan).
Best in Show – John Holden’s Taimar
Loudest – Jeremy Cussons’ (Cerbera 4.2) 125.7 Db

This years chosen event charity was Henshaw’s School for the Blind, at Knaresborough.  Items, consisting of a pair of shocks (Derek of Absolutely Shocks) and a half day driving course (Julian of Ride Drive), were very generously donated and auctioned off, raising £300 for the charity.  Thanks to all involved and those who bid.  I hope you enjoy your purchases.

Monday’s track day was a new addition to the BNG and something that had been both a worrying and exciting bolt on.  It had taken some work to bring about and the main thanks must go to “DriveStyle” for their underwriting of the event.  Without this financial support the track day would not have taken place.  Did it add to the event?  Well from the point of view of counting smiling faces at the end of Monday, I’d say yes!  50 drivers took to the tarmac at Croft.  Excellent instruction was at hand and for those who opted to take their advice the result was first time TVR drivers coming away with a thirst for more.

There were some exhilarating moments throughout the day but as one driver said, “You ain’t trying hard enough unless you have a little spin”!  I don’t know if I share that opinion but what a great day.  The weather was perfect, the drivers courteous and no incidents!  Jeremy Cussons won his second prize of the weekend, landing the draw from the first 20 entrants to the track day.  DriveStyle’s sales guru, Richard Pogson, handed Jeremy a goody bag of TVR related prizes.

There are so many to thank, including you for attending and making BNG what it is.  I won’t list all, but my heart felt thank you goes to you.

Are we doing it again next year?  You bet!  The drives are already being planned, the location sought and the track discussions start!  The first weekend in Sept, ’07.  Book it in your diary now, be part of a cracking do!   

Rich Abbott, North Yorks TVRCC RO