HSCC Oulton Park Gold Cup

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by scoop

Brands:

Just trying to get a handle on your view of the rally stage,

Here's a view of the rally stage from a genuine Brand!

I have a serious complaint! I was the Post Chief at Bailey (Warwick) Bridge on Monday; I could hear all those wonderful rally cars going round & round, but I couldn't see them!

The tyre squeal from the rally stage did cause some confusion - 'sounds like a biggy at Druids'...empty track! I did register my complaint with Mr Briggs, which was heard with a very sympathetic ear...

I did manage to grab a couple of minutes & was rewarded by seeing a lovely Mk1 Escort in full flight, so it's not all bad.

So who spun the course car?

[White flag man]

Have to say, as a marshal (flagging Shell Out) at my first Gold Cup, I thouroughly enjoyed the three days and, like Dave, thought that somebody was about to have a lot of work to do after hearing the squeal of tyres from the rally stage. Leading U2TC battle was great, the formula juniors were as enjoyable as ever, Mike Lyons' efforts in the formula fords was fantastic, as was the FF race as a whole, but IMO Mr Stretton deserves the best drive prize for his efforts to get back into the F2 race (on Monday). Sure, the safety car helped, but nobody tried to get round Shell faster than he did. Hope everybody is OK after quite a few incidents.
See you at Donnington.
Many thanks.

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by White flag man

but IMO Mr Stretton deserves the best drive prize for his efforts to get back into the F2 race (on Monday). Sure, the safety car helped, but nobody tried to get round Shell faster than he did.

I'll second that! He did, however, prove me slightly wrong - I predicted he'd finish second. Another lap & I think he would have.

[Hepatic]

Originally Posted by brands

Sorry, last post honest

Part of the issue is that in previous years we have pitched up on Friday afternoon/evening and watched 2 and a half days of track action, Saturday, Sunday and Monday but a friend rang the circuit to confirm it was so this year and as informed no spectator would be allowed in until Sunday unless they were camping and then not until 18.00 on Saturday.

We duly turned up at 17.30 on Saturday and it was heaving with people, it was quite a search to find half decent camping pitch.
Some were marshals etc but most appeared not.

I don't understand why you felt the need to add the last comment

Funny that, Saturday at the Gold Cup has never been a spectating day so i wonder how people got in in the first place?! And if you feel aggrieved, how'd you think us marshals feel when our usual spot is completely fenced off and we end up camping with all the speccies?

Still enjoyed it, still on my calendar for next year. Yeah its not as big as the Classic was, but Oulton is s very different beast to Silverstone. Try cramming all those cars, drivers etc in to the paddock at Oulton, it just ain't going to happen. Plus its not intended to be the same, its a revival of the Gold Cup and tries to stay true to that history. Take it for what it is, a bloody good historic meeting up North

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by Hepatic

Take it for what it is, a bloody good historic meeting up North

[delta]

Hey Scoop who ever the guy was doing your rally stage comentating well give him a medal. We could here him all day and thought he did a great job.

[scoop]

Iain - thanks, that was Gary Gardner - not too experienced in historic rallying, to put it politely, but a real tryer and very enthusiastic!
Apparently, at one point he was reading the names from the back windows of the cars rather than the entry list supplied. Now, the star performer was Peter Slights in his stunning Group 4 Mk2 Escort and his regular co-driver is Joyce Champion. So, in the back window, it says - on two lines - Slights and Champion. Dear Gary duly announced the arrival on the start line of the Escort of Mr Slights Champion....

[zefarelly]

Originally Posted by Hepatic

Take it for what it is, a bloody good historic meeting up North

and a bloody good and very different driving challange that nothing daaan Saaaf can offer.

its all smooth flat block paving and landing lights round our way

[Alan Morgan]

Originally Posted by scoop

Iain - thanks, that was Gary Gardner - not too experienced in historic rallying, to put it politely, but a real tryer and very enthusiastic!
Apparently, at one point he was reading the names from the back windows of the cars rather than the entry list supplied. Now, the star performer was Peter Slights in his stunning Group 4 Mk2 Escort and his regular co-driver is Joyce Champion. So, in the back window, it says - on two lines - Slights and Champion. Dear Gary duly announced the arrival on the start line of the Escort of Mr Slights Champion....

Aah - Enthusiasm getting in the way of facts! Quite reminds me of a certain retired F1 commentator. We were well within earshot of Mr Gardner the whole time, and I can't pretend that there wasn't a degree of relief amongst us when he stopped. He did give us a laugh, though, by taking about ten minutes to say what amounted to "Goodbye - safe journey home".

Joking aside - that sort of enthusiasm is infectious, and I'm sure that many people came away from the meeting with renewed interest in Historic Rallying - especially those who paid for a ride in the co-drivers seat.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by zefarelly

and a bloody good and very different driving challange that nothing daaan Saaaf can offer.

its all smooth flat block paving and landing lights round our way

Just like Brands Hatch really.

[p261brm]

Helen & Vins chocolate cake scrumptious, best part of the weekend.

[Catchpole]

Originally Posted by scoop

Brands:

I was the person who organised the rally stage demo - with just three weeks notice - that was one of the many things that has clearly spoilt your weekend. I think your decision not to go to the Gold Cup again is an excellent one.

As the person who asked you to organise it, you are due a big thanks scoop, it added a great deal to the event and I think your invite for next year is in the post!

Cheers

[HRSTR5]

I loved the Gold Cup weekend. We pitched up Friday lunchtime, me in the TR, the wife and toddler in a rented motorhome. Tested on Saturday morning, bbq'd with the HRSers on Sunday night, raced Monday, and left Tuesday morning.

For us, lower-profile members of the Historic Racing community, it's the best weekend of the year, the third day taking some time pressure out of the event, the great circuit for both driving and spectating, and enough things to keep our over-active toddler amused for 3 whole days - and none of the poncey rules of Silverstone Classic (that's a great event, i enjoyed that too, but it's just hugely different).

I thought there was a good crowd both race-days, despite 'iffy' weather and damp ground - which must have affected the campers, and might have put off some spectators in classic cars who been expecting to park on the slippery slope overlooking Cascades. My only gripe would be the expectation that HRS/70s use a grass paddock, which is a bit unfair, even if the ground had been firmer - although in this instance I shouldn't really complain as my early arrival meant that I naughtily nudged the TR into a corner of the paddock, and left it there for the weekend - if the cluttered paddock was a issue for some people, then sorry, but I contributed to that - still I only used a space about 15' x 8' - no trailer, no support vehicle - which doesn't seem unfair for my entry fee from where I'm sitting!

I even got a (very small) round of applause and my photo taken whilst mountain biking through the chicane at Brittens on Sunday morning, with the toddler asleep on the back of the bike!

On the forum, we seem to have quite a lot of 'knockers' for some of these meetings ... We should make the most of them while we can, if the economic climate doesn't get us, then it's probably only a matter of time before noise or 'green' issues really have an impact. It may not be perfect, but it's pretty bloody good (with HSCC - I've no experience of other organisers), and I'm only getting one 20 minute races at most meetings, often outside the more sociable mid-schedule times.

All things being equal (they won't be - I've got to remortgage in 2 months ...), I'll be back for OPGC 2009, and hope to find it little changed (but dryer underfoot).

See you at Brands,

James

[fasted]

I walked round the paddock at Oulton Park. If all the empty trailers could be parked somewhere else and all the extraneous private cars were removed there would be room for all. A secure park for trailers even if it just consists of a patch of grass and a man controlling it can`t be that difficult to organise. If you are going to give one of your tickets to the father in law, brother, sponsor, best mate or anyone else. I would have thought it sufficient that they get their general admission and paddock entry free. Surely they then doesn`t have to park in the paddock as well.