It’s The Latte Latte Delta Tea Break 2018

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Have a memory etched in my mind of Gerry, Tony and I indulging in a competition to see who could drink the others under the table.
I cannot recall a friendship with Whizzo, but Gerry and Tony were cracking fellows.

Legends, I’d say! Some stories not publishable, I believe........

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

On the subject of Tesla's, have you seen Matt's cartoon on today's Telegraph?

No, and can’t find it yet on the interweb. He’s clever, so am sure it will be good.....

[John Elwin]

I'll try & describe - the monitors on the ground, looking at pictures from the Musk rocket & commenting "still 200,000 miles to go & they're stuck behind a caravan".

Well, it made me smile.

On the subject of the Three Musketeers, messrs Marshall, Lanfranchi & Williams, I recall an incident which I am pretty sure involved all three of them. The occasion was an Escort Mexico race at Mallory Park, can't remember who won but all three went on the victory lap in one car, Barrie I think, in the boot clutching a pint of beer which he managed to control as they rounded the hairpin.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Looking ahead rather than back , as well as Formula E, by 2020 there will be at least 3 other race categories powered by electricity......

World Rally Cross has announced the in 2020 the World Championship will be fought out in electric WRX cars. And although they are already competitive in the Andros Trophy Ice Racing championship, again in 2020 the cars will be racing for overall honours. Thirdly, the much mooted ‘Electric GT’ series using stripped out Tesla Model S cars, has now received the necessary FIA rubber stamp, and been renamed the Electric Production Car Series.

Perhaps still a question mark over the last mentioned......

I don't suppose the owners would have the money for it but I would have thought that an electric powered championship should have Scalextric as the title sponsor.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Legends, I’d say! Some stories not publishable, I believe........

I enjoyed a very good relationship with Gerry, that lasted even after I stopped racing, and got married. He had a great sense of humour, and some of his antics can be put out there.

One such occasion was when a friend of mine had been looking for an Anglia shell to start building a car to race. Gerry had mentioned that he had one available for a very reasonable price around the back of the showroom where he was then working in North Finchley.

Four of us piled in to my car, with a flatbed trailer behind, and drove up the few miles to where Gerry was. We had a quick look over the shell with Gerry, and my friend agreed a price. Gerry told us to load it on the trailer, and to come into his office after to settle up.

When he had gone we went to pick up the shell, only to find that by doing so, the floor opened up from one door sill to the other - it was a very poorly cut and shut!

We dropped the shell back on the ground, and marched into Gerry's office to find him with a huge grin on his face, and asking if my friend still wanted to buy the shell! Having called him a few unsavoury names, we had a good laugh about it, and went on our merry way.

I have read comments by some past drivers and others that they didn't enjoy racing with Gerry, but I never had any problems with him, possibly because we were fair with each other, and therefore learnt to respect each others' space. But then, on the whole, that applied to most of the drivers that I came across.

[midgetman]

We had Gerry as guest speaker at the local MG Car Club annual dinner. It was an "ok" speech, but in the bar afterwards the tales were taller, more riotous and totally scurrilous. Wonderful evening!

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[Peter Mallett]

I was lucky(?) enough to meet Gerry fairly regularly in our, then, local boozer. He was great company and often somewhat disparaging of various members of the clientelle, golfers, whom he collectively called............................

That said I last saw him at Oulton Park where he drove an RX7. He was in a mobility scooter and frankly did not look well. That was around 2002.

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Môssieu Jean des Hauts de France you're a snobbish teaser!

08.45, it has just started to snow here. Gerard, what have you done??

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

I was lucky(?) enough to meet Gerry fairly regularly in our, then, local boozer. He was great company and often somewhat disparaging of various members of the clientelle, golfers, whom he collectively called............................

I would guess that that would coincide with the time that he had his own showroom in Temple Fortune, near Henly's Corner on the North Circular. One thing that could certainly be said about Gerry was that he was forthright!

[John Elwin]

Anyone remember Gerry's UNKLOG campaign, complete with car stickers (may even still have one somewhere)?

It was his battle against the Middle Lane Owners Club, as he called them. A battle that still goes on today.

[Gerard C]

Ha, ha John, at last you got the white message. Snowing again here. Pedestrians not knowing how and ABS system "works" walk in the streets instead of staying on the sidewalk.

By the way, GM has always been admired here, we didn't know that a touring car could be that fast in wet conditions! Dry either… What a legend.

[bauble]

My main memory of Gerry was at a pre season test session for a national touring car series (can't remember exactly what) and Mr Marshall turning up a little late in a Capri with the front brake discs glowing red hot from his drive to Snetterton.

[Mike Bell]

Coincidentally, I've just been sent a great (Mike Dixon) pic taken at Cadwell by Andrew Kitson. It’s from a 1975 prod saloon race, and the cars are passing the long demolished farmhouse and barn. Guess who is in the lead.....

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Coincidentally, I've just been sent a great (Mike Dixon) pic taken at Cadwell by Andrew Kitson. It’s from a 1975 prod saloon race, and the cars are passing the long demolished farmhouse and barn. Guess who is in the lead.....

Do we get three guess's Mike?

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by bauble

Do we get three guess's Mike?

If you need more than one then I’m concerned.......

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Ha, ha John, at last you got the white message. Snowing again here. Pedestrians not knowing how and ABS system "works" walk in the streets instead of staying on the sidewalk.

By the way, GM has always been admired here, we didn't know that a touring car could be that fast in wet conditions! Dry either… What a legend.

It's stopped snowing now & the sun's shining, Gerard. How's Pareeeee?

[Mike Bell]

I know with cars, vans, trucks etc that they’re built all over the place, and just because you drive a mini, for instance, doesn't mean it was made here. Seems it’s same with railway stock, as a percentage of the new carriages we’re promised in this region are being built in Hungary, then fitted out in Switzerland..... The rest are being built in Derby though, which is nice to know.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

It's stopped snowing now & the sun's shining, Gerard. How's Pareeeee?

According to the beeb, the Eyeful Tower is closed as they dare not let salt or sand near it. The first could rust the structure, the second jam the lift mechanism......

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

I know with cars, vans, trucks etc that they’re built all over the place, and just because you drive a mini, for instance, doesn't mean it was made here. Seems it’s same with railway stock, as a percentage of the new carriages we’re promised in this region are being built in Hungary, then fitted out in Switzerland..... The rest are being built in Derby though, which is nice to know.

It's a lot of effort for a shed full of uncomfortable seats!

And I bet they ship them round by road.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

I know with cars, vans, trucks etc that they’re built all over the place, and just because you drive a mini, for instance, doesn't mean it was made here. Seems it’s same with railway stock, as a percentage of the new carriages we’re promised in this region are being built in Hungary, then fitted out in Switzerland..... The rest are being built in Derby though, which is nice to know.

But what are the percentages?

I think only Bombardier left in Derby now (Canadian company of course ...) - at least thinking about train related companies of any size.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by grantp

But what are the percentages?

I think only Bombardier left in Derby now (Canadian company of course ...) - at least thinking about train related companies of any size.

Indeed, Bombardier are the only company UK that have the capability to design and build rolling stock in the UK.

Hitachi assemble trains in the NE but they are designed elsewhere and assembled from imported components.

CAE design and build in Spain

Siemens and Alstom are about to merge their rail businesses and build i Germany and FRance, and elsewhere probably.

China, as with most industries, is a growing competitive threat (hence the Siemens-Alstom merger and past merger talks between Siemens and Bombardier), and I think 1 Chinese company is on the short list to bid for the HS2 trains.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

I know with cars, vans, trucks etc that they’re built all over the place, and just because you drive a mini, for instance, doesn't mean it was made here. Seems it’s same with railway stock, as a percentage of the new carriages we’re promised in this region are being built in Hungary, then fitted out in Switzerland..... The rest are being built in Derby though, which is nice to know.

Brittan-Norman builds its Islander aircraft in Romania and flies them to the UK in as bare a state as possible to be fitted out with the rest of the internal kit, including some avionics etc.

The RAFs upgrade of its Puma fleet to Mk2 standard was done in Romania, too. The aircraft were delivered to Romania, the equipment gathered from all round Europe including the UK, assembled and returned to the UK.

At one time it would have been done at the Defence Aviation Repair Agency (DARA) at Fleetlands in Gosport, but that's no more.

[gary396]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

I know with cars, vans, trucks etc that they’re built all over the place, and just because you drive a mini, for instance, doesn't mean it was made here. Seems it’s same with railway stock, as a percentage of the new carriages we’re promised in this region are being built in Hungary, then fitted out in Switzerland..... The rest are being built in Derby though, which is nice to know.

Northern Rail are replacing their trains this year with a fleet of about 100 - to be built in Spain before being shipped to the Czech Republic for trials before reaching the UK.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by gary396

Northern Rail are replacing their trains this year with a fleet of about 100 - to be built in Spain before being shipped to the Czech Republic for trials before reaching the UK.

What happens if they are found guilty?

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

What happens if they are found guilty?

They'll get the same punishment as the sheepdogs I suppose!