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Have a good one everybody, and as usual thanks to the Orange Army.

Drivers - enjoy your race. Helpers - the drivers owe you a beer. Marshals - we couldn't do it without you, we all you beers!

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland

If you are heading for the Mallory celebrations - enjoy yourselves!  Serious medical problems are preventing me from travelling just now so I won't be able to join you, but when I started racing (Pembrey 1990, the first official championship race!) the friendship shown to newbies was tremendously helpful. 1990 was also the first year of 2cv racing in Scotland, when I managed to win our championship against Graham Harper on a countback to the number of 3rd places. We always enjoyed our trips "down south", it was the camaraderie that made those trips worth it, so thank you to everybody who has organised the club and races over the years, and tuck in to the pie and mash!

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

Has anybody got the entry list for that first race (or other races that year) - let's see who is still around!

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland

To everybody heading for Snetterton - Good Luck, and Enjoy Yourselves! I'm waiting to go into hospital again, so I will be following the race on the internet.

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

P.S. Remember to thank the Orange Army of marshals, we wouldn't have this fun if they didn't give up 24 hours of their time and a comfy nights sleep for us!!!

Hope you all have a good one, but remember it's the unexpected things that make it memorable!
I hope to get back to the 24hours one day, and of course big thanks to the Orange Army of marshals without whom we wouldn't be racing.

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

Just noticed that when drivers are fined by the MSA for their misdemeanours, the money is donated to good causes by the MSA and last year about one-third of that went to the various air ambulances around the country to the tune of £2000 each. So it looks like the cost of Sammie's flight can be covered by a bit of bad behaviour! :o

Neil McD.

I know we like to work on 602cc twin-pots, but if you also like bigger engines, here's a 4-pot that's worth seeing (and hearing!) - all 28.5 litres of it.
https://grrc.goodwood.com/festival-of-speed/latest/video-legendary-28-litre-fiat-s76-driven-for-the-first-time-in-100-years#bFxehEqe4lWR8L6s.97

Also worth looking at the video of it being fired up (hand-cranked) for the first time.

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

George Russell, the young driver who raced a 2cv at Oulton Park early in the season to gain licence signatures, has won the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award - prize is £100k towards next years racing and a test in a McLaren F1 car. Not bad for a kid who is still 16!

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

To give you all something to tax the grey matter in the off-season - what (if any) Blue Book offence is committed at about the 1-minute mark?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6iO3TQjXp4

Trevor - you're welcome to give us a "professional" opinion!


Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

...but might be an interesting way of fund-raising at Anglesey, I'm sure some of the people attending the 2cvgb gathering would like to try this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIy9fYjQ1oU


Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

Has anybody got a copy of the Pembrey 1990 race entry list?  It would be nice to see who is still on the 2cv racing seen to celebrate 25 years with the Club. It was my first ever race (best part of 1000 mile round trip from home - bad idea...) and I remember the first person to come up to me was a very young Pete Sparrow, followed by Ian Gammon-Hardaway and Annie.  Also at that race were Royce Grey, Steve Hill and Gail Agostini, Darryl Stokes?  My car from that race is still on the scene ("Wee Fiona" with the Hollis team now) but unfortunately my Doctor won't sign the medical form so my comeback will have to wait a bit longer!  Any other memories of names from that first race much appreciated.

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

Has anybody got any experience of applying for a racing licence after having a stroke?  After 15 years out of the drivers seat I had thought of making a comeback, but a stroke shortly after the 2010 24hours set me back a bit. Now I have the application form and have to answer "yes" to most of the "do you have a dicky ticker" questions, am I wasting my time? Also one of the tablets I have to take appears on the Olympic "banned substances" list - how often do race drivers get drug-tested...

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

One of the races can be found here:

http://fr.motorstv.com/videos?v=NjjVzcpbNvM


Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland

Grahams funeral will be held on Thursday at 11.30am at the Clydebank Crematorium, G81 4SL. All welcome.

Sad to report that Graham passed away last night.  Legendary for being the only driver to drive in every single 24hour 2cv race, he will be greatly missed. I have competed against Graham since the mid-1980's when we both did the Scottish Hillclimb and Sprint championships, then we both moved into 2cv racing right at the start. You could not have wished for more helpful or generous opposition.

http://neilmcdonald.fotopic.net/c1917195.html
(Graham at the Snetterton 24hour race in August, wearing the T-shirt he had printed for the first Mondello back in 1990, and leaning on the bonnet that was fitted to his car that year too).

A couple of videos I shot at the end of the race - all cars crossing the finish line is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd65T0pvorY and all cars coming up the pitlane through the crowds is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuhTlUqizc

Neil McDonald, Glenkinchie, Scotland.

Can I thank the team for providing internet coverage of the commentary and also the live pictures and timing screen - it was great to be able to follow the whole race since I couldn't be there.  Also thanks to Chris Yates for personally replying to an email to solve a problem.  The in-car pictures were superb, the timing screens were useful to see who was racing who further down the order.  I think the experiment should be repeated next year for what will be the 20th anniversary of the first 24hour 2cv race (I finished in the top 10 of that!) with more publicity beforehand about the coverage - I didn't see any preview of the race at all in mags like Autosport etc.