OK, the descision is made...
Keep your eyes peeled on Tertre Rouge...
And I promise I won't run open headers or use the line loc in Arnage on Sunday night.... Honest Mr Gendamme I won't... 

For the last two years I've gone to The Race in a boring Diesel Skoka.
Since it'll be the tenth anniversary of my first trip I reckon I should go in something more fun...

The choices are...

1960 V8 Zodiac
289ci Hadrcore, Gassered, Straight tube front axle, 8" Ford rear, stripped out and no compromise... (Got there once without breaking down)

1977 MG Midget
Niceley restored, black, rubber bumper model...
(Back on the road after 9 years)

Or take the Skoda again......

Someone help, really want to take both but that would take weeks driving the first one 1k then going back to pick up the second one

This statement from the FIA

LONDON -- Formula One leader McLaren emerged unpunished yesterday from a hearing into a spying controversy that threatened to wreck its title hopes.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that although McLaren had Ferrari data in its possession, there was insufficient evidence that it had gained any benefit from it.

This statement from 'Underground sources' who cannot be named for legal reasons...

LONDON -- Formula One leader McLaren boss Ron Dennis is said to be fuming having paid over a substantial amout of money for the 'Ferrari' technical dossier only to find out that it actually described the setup of the Spyker F1 car.

Anorak on...
That must be The Pod, in the background is the trailer for the Budwieser Funny car which never made an appearance at Long Marston/Avon Park/Shakespeare County/Whatever the hell it's called today..

PS: First car 1953 Austin Somerset

I know this discussion has gone on before but there did seem to be a bit of 'hightened' atmosphere at this years race.
Whether it was to do with the weather or something else I don't know, but certainly when the weather is not so good people's attitudes seem to change..
Maybe when it's hot and sunny people tend to 'chill' more...

Can't help thinking that this is where the 1981 Seville I had stolen from my garage seven years ago ended up.

The good thing with the photo is that you can look at it and say "Oh yes... that was Fran I was talking to"...

That's the problem with strolling back to the campsite at 4am and emptying the two bottles of Amarula in your tent, recollections of who you met get fuzzy

And you Bob,
That now makes about 5 faces I can put to names....

Look mum...
I can see my head just to the right of Black Granny....

Mine arrived yesterday...
Mini CA meet anyone?

On the way back from this year's race we had a couple of hours to kill in Boulogne so we went to visit a WW1 war grave cemetary up on the cliffs overlooking the town to pay our respects.
Leaving the cemetary two of the team decided to go and have a look at the statue of Napoleon...


I took my daughter off to the shops on the other side of the road..

20 minutes later, back at the car two breathless TTTD's came running over with the following story...

The garden around the statue was closed, but there was a low wall around it, over which they climbed.
They spent some time looking at the bullet scars in the base of the column and then Jon heard a dog bark.
Jokingy he said "Mark, let me know if you see a bl**dy big guard dog"..
At which point this came charging across the garden, with a bad attitude and heading straight for them.


They scrabbled up the base of the monument and stood looking down on a now, rather angry dog that was circling the monument with the clear intention of having two Dragons for lunch, Jon was also nursing a wounded foot where the dog had caught it as he climbed.

After five minutes the dog got distracted by something and looked away...

Cue the two guys leaping off the column and sprinting for the wall, followed again by the dog..

They leapt over the wall and landed in a 7 foot high patch of stinging nettles outside the garden.

Fortunately the dog was too big to jump...

Looking up the breed of dog on the web we found this information...

The history of the Bordeaux dog is full of fighting. The breed has been used for hunting, guarding of his human family, house and property, and in the ring, pitted against all kinds of animals; bears, wolves, tigers and lions

So, it can add being pitted against Dragons to it's list, only we now know that Dragons can run faster than a Douge De Bordeaux.

Didn't notice the lack of cows, but I did notice that they had repainted the chess pieces on the other roundabout further along...

We had a couple of bikes stolen last year on Tertre Rouge, (Fortunately we caught the little scrotes and administered 'swift justice').
It turned out that they had crossed the road outside the campsite and broken down the concrete wall to get in...

This year there were so many chains on our site and stuff that it looked like an S&M convention.

This sounds like an interesting Tom Tom development.

Do you want your directions to be

A) Via the shortest route
B) Via the quickest route
C) Via the seedy route

Is it a special plug in that you have to buy?