The Easter Tour

Happy Easter to all.

My thoughts on this Good Friday have turned back in time over a few years to my participation in the Green Belt Motor Club annual three-day treasure hunt event known as the Easter Tour.

During the year a number of Sunday afternoon treasure hunt events would be organized in and around Hertfordshire, Essex and Bedfordshire, most notably in Herts, The Holiday Express and Christmas Tree events, in Essex the Last Chance and in Bedfordshire The Old Fox.

The Easter Tour though was a special event insofar it would take treasure hunt teams further afield, my first in 1983 was into the Lake District. Starting in Bakewell, home of the famous tarts, through the Peak District and north into the Lakes. All previously uncharted terrority but areas that over the years I would revisit on other motorsport activities.

Wales was a popular destination, as was the south of England. Over three days each team would notch up at least 500 miles by the time they returned home, many over the old highways and byways in search of the answers to cryptic clues and navigating on Ordnance Survey Maps using tried and tested forms of navigation like map references, tulip diagrams and herringbones.

Britain by the backroads is stunning at Easter and I wish to salute my former team mates on these adventures over the years including, Trevor Williams and Nick Grout, David Howe, Colin Anthony and on one year, Robert Taylor and the first I was navigated by Kevin Scanalan.

I had swapped seats driving on some events and navigating on others. I have very happy memories of these events, stopping at some neat little country bed and breakfasts to hotels such as the Chainbridge Hotel outside Llangollen in northern Wales. But of the memories I hold dear include, following Colin Anthonys Lotus watching it bottom out along narrow country lanes, a tight right over a small bridge yump in the Mini of Nick Grout with Trevor holding onto the roll cage in the back - a classic 1973 Orange Mini. Renting a Ford Orion with Dave Howe, and having muy brakes go a little soft over the Hardnott and Wrysenose passes in the Lake District to the east of Ravenglass in the Lake District in a Ford Cortina. Not the only time that brakes got a little too warm driving down twisting mountian roads.

Of course it was all about finding the clues, and keeping one step ahead of the competion. Jim Perkins, Adrian Gladwin, Tony Strong, Robin Rushforth, Dave Howe, Ian Davis, Robert Taylor, Des Meldrum and Wally Cenick to name but a handful of the regulars who treasure hunted on the Easter Tour over the 80's and 90's.

I have no idea if Green Belt Motor Club continue to organize this fun event, although to enter was serious and all wanted to win.

Happy Easter and my heartfelt thanks to all those who made these easters past an experience I will never forget.

Little Chef... coming soon

Not another story of how to boil an egg but the demise of the chain of restaturants along the highways and byways of Britain.

With assistance from my PB Correspondent (Thanks Dad!).

Formula One - Injection of rules and interest

Since 1983 I have been a devoted follower and critic of Formula One Racing. My involvement with motorsport generally has over time been much more than an armchair enthusiast, yet in this one area of the sport I do along with millions of others worldwide watch this twentyfirst century version of gladiators in millon pound chariots.

For the last seven years, F1 has declined to the point I was loosing interest. Races were being won and lost by pit stops and not through the skill of the driver. All the time F1 continued to take hold as an international business first, sport second. Then something happened.

The rules were revisited to reduce the overall costs of F1, tobacco sponsorship bans across Europe forced teams to look to other sponsors to help pay for the teams, travel and development of cutting edge technology. New rules were thrashed out and implementment for the start of the 2005 season, the Australian F1 Grand Prix.

Yesterday the grid formed for the first race of the season, Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari was at the back of the grid, penalized for an engine change since the practice session. This alone was enough to spark my interest that this was going to be a different race.

Benetton Renault had their car on pole, the new Red Bull F1 Team, formerly Jaguar F1 formerly Stuart Grand Prix who had promised much and never truly delivered had a car of 4th spot driven by David Coulthard (GB) formerly of McLaren, ahead of the McLarent cars.

Mark Webber, formerly of Jaguar had secured a coverted seat with Williams and was on third place on the grid racing in front of his Australian fans as the ozzie driver on the grid.

I am not aware of all of the new rules and I will take some time to bring myself up to speed include the banning of tyre changes during pit stops. Exceptions are that one tyre may be changed in the event of a puncture, and all tyres may be changed from slicks to wets if needs be. This rule challenged the tyre manafactures to develop a hard compound tyre that would last race distance at race speeds.

At the end of the race those cars have their engines sealed by the F1 scrutineers and must start the next race with the same engine.

These two rules alone dramatically change the landscape that has been F1 for too many years. Anything to add a little drama and excitement is a good thing. I do however hope that this one race was not the exception of a desert of clinical races of previous years. I figure that it is time for armchair enthusiasts who have been forced to seek out NASCAR as an alternative to look back again at F1. This could truly be the year the winds of change blow for the better in F1.

My predictions for the 2005 season.

Ferrari will as always be strong, but not as strong and dominant as previous years.
Williams have good drivers especially Mark Webber that will bring their performance to a higher level and should include a couple of wins.
Benneton Renault are the dark horse that will take on the prancing horse of Ferrari and surprise everyone.
McLaren, favored will not fare as well as they should.
Watch out for Red Bull, formerly Jaguar in the first six races. They will move back down the grid as the season progresses but show well enough to secure additional sponosrship for the european races.

It is difficult to assume anyone other than Schumacher will win the drivers championship this year. I predict that it will be a hard fought challenged and will not be secured until the last or penaultimate race.

The constructors championship will be won by Renault.

I am sticking my reputation on this, such as it is these days.