Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability Run

Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability Run

New Breakfast halt for Cornwall

Club Triumph Membership and RBRR Entry

Crossing the "T"s and dotting the "I"s

Reservist call up - the email is sent

Reservists - it's call up time!

A little more RBRR Admin

Google Documents "sharing"

The Germans are coming

RBRR Preparation Advice Notes

All entrants have been emailed.....

We're up to 100 entries

A lot of History!

Blimey, in fact crikey, 316 days to go!

Slowing down now

Another bundle of entry forms

The entry list grows

2012 RBRR - and so it begins again.

What went wrong and what went right?

Where does the time go?

Dark magic

Tick, tick, tick - time and the RBRR wait for no man!

SMS system update

SMS system update

Driver's meeting done, not long now........

Blimey, not long now

New Breakfast halt for Cornwall

Well we had some fun and games this week.

The establishment that we had booked  months ago contacted Tim earlier in the week to say that they could not help us as they have had some serious problems. This was not what you want two weeks before 100 hungry crews are due to descend!

Some serious running around ensued and Tim has saved the day, the breakfast for Cornwall will be at the Lands End Hotel, the place we have used for many a year.

Yes we know that they were poor the last time we were there but two things have changed,
No 1, we are in a serious bind!
No 2, LEH are under new management and have been incredibly helpful to us in finding a new source of food at short notice, literally saved our bacon!

So when you arrive at Lands End as per the Road Book, stop and have your breakfast, then proceed straight to Bude, miss out Cape Cornwall Gold Club.

This information will be published within the Final Instructions that will be distributed to crews as they sign in.

Remember at the start, all crew members must sign in-immediately upon arrrival! That means ALL crew members, everyone, the whole lot - NOT just the driver (and it doesn't mean the driver can sign for all the crew), we need a signature off every occupant of every car.

J

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 29th September 2012 10:04am gmt

Club Triumph Membership and RBRR Entry

It's that "eye of the storm" time with RBRR organising where not a huge amount appears to be happening but all around us stuff is going on. Route tweaks, control stop arrangements, permits and red tape, entry amendments, etc.

A couple of things have come up that I would like you all to sit up and take notice of please. Firstly, membership - to run your car on the RBRR the main entrant MUST be a member of Club Triumph to take part. That means that if your membership expires and you don't renew it not only will you have to re-join to be a member but you also run the risk of losing your entry on the run.

Now realistically I am not going to kick people off the run if I can help it but how long should I leave it? A week, a fortnight, a month? How many reminders are enough? There's the obvious oversights we all make but if you've had your two or three reminders and an email from me then it's got to be time to sort your membership out and cough up. Remember, the officers of this club do their jobs for nothing, no pay, they give their time for free. So please make life simple and renew in good time.

Oh and to all those who respond when first approached with "sorry, I'll cough up now" - thank you :-)

Secondly, withdrawals. It happens, things come up, circumstances change and sometimes there's nothing you can do but bail. I will process withdrawals as fast as I can but remember that getting a cheque out of Club Triumph can be a slow process as we don't all live within a stones throw or each other and club cheques need two signatures. Also the treasurer, the guy who is prepared to do that job for no pay, doesn't do email. So it can be a slow process - sorry. I try and start it as soon as I can but I am not always in the right country!

Oh and marshals - sorry of we've been a bit tardy with the emails but please don't go cold on the idea. Tim will coordinate this so drop him an email if you want to get involved in manning a control.

That's all for now, I've got cheques to bank, refunds to request and memberships to chase :-)

Jason

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 03rd July 2012 6:49pm gmt

Crossing the "T"s and dotting the "I"s

A quick bit of RBRR admin has revealed a rather healthy state of affairs on the entry list. We've had a couple of withdrawals for various health, wealth or happiness reasons. This means we're currently looking at a field of 110 entries. I have one more in the pipeline that should be with me soon, other than it looks pretty stable.

As for entry fees, I am still waiting for a few with short arms and deep pockets - if you sent me a cheque with your entry form I have now cashed it, if you were on the reserve list and didn't send a cheque then you need to cough up now please.

I'm only waiting for 3 cheques which is quite good at this stage.

J

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 10th April 2012 6:09pm gmt

Reservist call up - the email is sent

I've done a little more RBRR admin this morning and sent out an email to all reservists to reconcile payment of entry fees.

Basically if you sent me a cheque I would like confirmation that I can cash it please.
If you didn't send me a cheque please send one.
If you're a foreign entry I have specific payment instructions for you.

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 12th March 2012 1:18pm gmt

Reservists - it's call up time!

I'll do the proper admin later but I wanted to let you all know that we have been able to accommodate the reserve list. That means if you have sent me a form and I have acknowledged it with an entry number, then you are accepted.

I'll email all former reservists and confirm that I can either cash any cheques held or, if you didn't send me a cheque or it's out of dated, I'll request a fresh one.

I won't cash any cheques until you tell me it's OK, don't want any rubber cheques in the club coffers, the treasurer will get all excited and break his other leg (sorry John, couldn't resist).

Any further entries after entry number 113 will go onto a new reserve list.

J

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 08th March 2012 11:21am gmt

A little more RBRR Admin

Over the Christmas and New Year period a few entries trickled in with a couple of extra crew member requests all arriving at Chinn Towers amongst the Christmas card, bills and restraining orders. As usual I stashed them to do "later" and tonight was that later so apologies if you've been waiting to see your names appear on the entry list.
Anyway, I'm up to date and have acknowledged all outstanding entries by email, I'll be banking those extra crewman cheques tomorrow.

Jason

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 12th January 2012 9:18pm gmt

Google Documents "sharing"

Happy New Year to you all!

It's been a bit quiet here over Christmas and I have a couple of reserve list entries to process and a few additions to crews to write up - I'll get round to those later.

In the meantime I thought I'd make a comment on the Google Documents requests I'm getting from people to "share2 the entry list.

At the moment, Google offers us the option to share documents, the process of sharing is for editing, so if we share the list it means the person we shred with can not only view but amend the document. Now that might sound like a good idea BUT the way I set this up was for the lists to be published for people to view only and for all amendments to come through me. This is so I can track anything that either contravenes the rules or spirit of the event and ensure anything that impacts financially gets accounted for properly.

The documents on-line don't contain any especially sensitive information but they do have all the data entrants sign up with so I don't want to share names, addresses and full car details (i.e. registration umbers). I especially don't want to share email addresses and phone numbers so I keep all that secured away from the internet at large. Sharing the document at Google intend would serve no useful purpose and mean a redesign of what's in place which frankly isn't worth the time.

Google don't allow me to explain this when I am presented with a request, I can grant the request or ignore it - so, if you've sent a request and had no response, don't send another please. If you think sharing is necessary or desirable then please tell me why because, as described above, I can't see the need.

I hope that explains things.

We're having a RBRR organiser's meeting next month, after I've been on my holidays to California to see some friends who are working out there for a couple years.

Jason

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 09th January 2012 08:38am gmt

The Germans are coming

It seems the RBRR's fame has spread to Germany, as well as our "usual" German contingent we've got a couple more TR drivers intending to join us from Deutschland, welcome to Winfried Neihoff and new member Gerhard Meinzer. I'm currently awaiting a form from Gerhard to formally add him in. 
Winfried and Gerhard join usual CT event suspects Gerhard Boese and Willi Mindak from Germany, all driving TRs and then there's Harald Hummel in a Dolomite making that 5 German cars - Willkommen im Irrenhaus :-)


Officially we're up to 108 entries, with Gerhard that'll be 109. List is here

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 16th December 2011 3:43pm gmt

RBRR Preparation Advice Notes

For many years of the RBRR we have offered the following notes to all crews as a guide for the preparation of the crews and cars.

Inevitably a few crews always arrive at the start looking absolutely tired out as they have just spent the last few days and nights preparing the car, this is without being to harsh just plain daft. Get that car prepared weeks in advance!

The following notes are offered as tips to help crews preparing for the RBRR.

This is a fairly arduous event covering approximately 2000 miles in 2 days and 2 nights. In order to finish comfortably it is a good idea to spend some time preparing both yourself and your Triumph and it is best to start the process EARLY.

To help you with this we have produced a list of pre-event checks and advice.

Personal Preparation
Attempt to get some good sleep prior to the event; take some time off work a day or so before the start. It really is important not to start the event tired; save that for the end!
Many crews can not sleep on the first night as adrenaline has kicked in, therefore a lack of sleep before the weekend results in the Saturday night / Sunday morning being very difficult especially around the Exeter and Bodmin section.
It is most important to realise the difference that two proper nights sleep makes, and why the challenge of the RBRR, when the only sleep available must be obtained in the car, most likely on the move, should not be underestimated. Despite the natural excitement of the first night's drive, particularly for first timers, it is important to try and get some sleep. This will stand you in good stead for the Sunday night when some of the driving is less demanding and therefore potentially more soporific.

The following should be considered:

· Do remember to have a break if you feel tired while driving. Club Triumph does not advocate driving whilst tired.
· Remember that the RBRR is not a race, whilst there is no need to rush to the stops or feel under pressure to hare around the route, it is important to keep up with the pace of the RBRR. Drive with consideration and care for all other road users.
· Attempt to get to the start with plenty of time to relax, chill out and possibly have a snooze, rushing about can be stressful!
· Do not eat curries or rich food the night before the start – you may be fine, however what about your co-driver(s)!
· Take a change of clothing and shoes with you.
· Wear flat shoes, as these give better pedal feel.
· Wear comfortable clothing.
· Take a waterproof jacket.
· Take a high visibility waistcoat, useful if you breakdown on a fast stretch of road.
· Your personal “first aid kit” should include headache tablets, indigestion tablets (e.g.Rennies), and Immodium or similar.
· Loo roll- enough said!
· Take a car blanket or sleeping bag, a pillow, sun-glasses and a hat.
· An eye shade is handy to eliminate glare from oncoming headlights and assist passengers to doze off.
· You may also find ear plugs helpful in this regard; it's amazing how they make the Spitfire or TR sound more like a Jaguar. These can be purchased from DIY or construction equipment stores.
· Take lots of drinking water. This is much more refreshing and better at quenching your thirst than a fizzy drink. Some crews take Pro-Plus or Red Bull with them, others just drink copious amounts of coffee, try and drink water instead.
· There’s no point taking too much food, but some fruit, and snacks are not a bad thing. Remember that food is freely available at some of the control stops.
· The start of the RBRR is at ‘The Plough’ public house. They do good food; however, do not go mad as this will bring on premature tiredness.

Administrative Equipment
Please have the following with you:
· Car logbook (V5C)
· Insurance certificate (not the policy)
· MOT Certificate
· Breakdown recovery details (Hopefully this will not be necessary)
Please note that the organisers will not wish to see these, but you will be asked to sign a declaration to confirm that they are in place and current at the time of the RBRR. However, if you have them with you and you are stopped by the Police it could save a journey to your local Police Station when back at home.

Also essential:
· Club Triumph RBRR Road Book. Absolutely essential!!!
· Mobile Phone (The one that uses the number that you issued on your entry form). Yep, essential!
· Clip board (should be cardboard, nothing stiffer, to reduce injury potential should the unthinkable happen).
· GB ring bound Atlas; Route highlighted, do make sure highlighting can be seen under torchlight! A very good road atlas is the Philips GB Road Atlas A4 sized (isbn no.978-1-84907-108-6) that is spiral bound as these have speed camera positions marked. Consider reducing the number of pages within the book, no need to for the gazzetter etc. Also mark onto the map the control stops and the times they are open. By highlighting the route before the event you will effectively learn some of the route, making the navigation easier. If using an open topped car, take a plastic cover for the map and road book. Good sources for these are outdoor activity shops such as Millets. Again essential!
· Pens/2B pencils and paper, an eraser is handy if you use pencils.
· Copy of the wiring diagram for your car, could be useful when attempting to trace a fault. Also a list of basic tuning info., sequence for adjusting valve clearances etc.

Packing the Car
Pack the car so that tools and emergency equipment can be easily reached when needed, be logical.
Here’s yet another check list:
· Make sure you can get to the fire extinguisher (if fitted) EASILY from the driver’s seat. Remember your reach may be restricted by your seat belt.
· Remember not to place too many items behind the passenger seat. You may well want to recline it when you are sleeping or resting.
· Arrange things so that the driver can get a drink and a snack even if all the other occupant(s) are asleep!
· Keep at least a small selection of commonly used tools easily accessible (Screwdrivers, pliers, 7/16, ½ and 9/16 AF spanners).
Car Preparation
If you want to find out whether or not your car is reliable, this is the event to do it! To start with the basics, if the vehicle is in regular use, is regularly serviced and maintained and you know of no unresolved gremlins in the works you should be fairly confident that all will be O.K. (in so far as you can ever be). If, however, the vehicle is not in regular use then it is prudent to service and check the car very thoroughly (or get someone else to) well before the event and apply higher standards than for normal daily use. It’s always better to fix it BEFORE it breaks.
Particular care should be given to components which may “run hot” such as bearings, brakes, engines and transmission components.
Checking the following things should help:
· Is a service due? It would be a good idea at least to change the engine oil and filter before you start; remember you’re going to do 2,000 miles. Check the gearbox and rear axle oil too.
· Check the tyres. Are they all still in good condition? Don’t forget the spare. There may be enough tread, but are they perhaps getting a bit old? Check for cracks in the sidewalls.
· Check the brake shoes and/or pads. Some parts of the route can be quite hard on the brakes. Make sure your linings are of good quality and that there’s enough pad material to last the event.
· Check the cooling system, paying particular attention to the hoses. Are they still flexible, or have they gone hard? If so, replace them.
· Check all brake, fuel and air hoses/pipes and all their unions. If in doubt, replace. Pay particular attention to their routing both in the engine compartment and under the car and make sure they do not chafe anywhere.
· Check out all the electrics, including the ignition system.
· For those earlier cars still with dynamos, remember that electrical demands will be higher than usual for long periods so it's worth checking that the charging system is in top order and the charging rate correctly adjusted. Check the dynamo brushes. Check the electrical connections to both dynamo terminals. On the 4 cylinder TR engine and possibly others they are very near to the exhaust manifold and over time the heat stress can cause fatigue and eventually breakage.
· Check carefully all round the fan belt looking for splits. It's much easier to replace in the relative comfort of your garage rather than in the early hours somewhere, possibly in the pouring rain. Remember that if you do fit a new belt just before the run you should check the tension at the first control halt since a new belt will certainly stretch and will need tightening to maintain the charging rate.
· Check the windscreen washers and wipers. Pay special attention to the condition of the wiper blades to ensure they have not perished.
· Check the suspension; examine the bushes, mounting points, and dampers. Parts of the route are quite twisty (and fun)!
· Check the condition of the exhaust system, pay particular attention to the clamps and hangers.
· Pay particular attention to rear hub bearings and UJs. They will put you out if they fail.
· Are there any repairs outstanding? Will they REALLY last?
· Clean and polish the car. We are serious – it will look better, you will feel better, and the stickers will come off more easily!
· Thoroughly clean the inside of the car, and take a rubbish bag with you to collect up food and drink cartons when the contents have been consumed. A tidy car must be more pleasant to live in for 48 hours.
· Make sure the windscreen is clean. Remember you'll be doing a lot of night driving, and a clean screen really does help. Think about taking the window cleaner with you, clean the windows when you have a spare moment. Meguairs make a very good one that smells of coconut, very good at shifting bugs etc. Nappy wipes (Buy non-fragrant, the other types can turn stomachs!) are also good at this function.

One other note: At the start prior to leaving, find time to check fluids, tyre pressures, wheel-nuts and give the car a visual once over, just to ensure nothing is obviously wrong. It might be an idea to carry out some form of similar procedure at the control stops, remember the car may well be working harder than you!

Car Modifications
Are there any improvements which can be of advantage on this event? By making the event less like hard work you WILL enjoy it more. Don’t be tempted to do some modification that you’ve always wanted to do (but haven’t quite got round to) just before the event. You will want to test things thoroughly before embarking on a 2,000 mile run. But if you have time (start EARLY, remember?) then there are some really useful things that you can consider doing in order to make the drive more enjoyable. For example:

· Fit better lighting; many miles will be covered at night, most on unlit roads, some on twisting roads.
· Fit relays to your existing headlamp circuits to reduce the load on the switch and/or dipswitch. Remember: “Lucas, prince of darkness”, it’s nice to be able to see where you’re going!
· For those cars with H4 bulbs, consider replacing the standard ones with Osram Silver Star or similar, a longer reach on main beam and better spread on dip. If higher spec. bulbs do fit relays to ease the strain on the wiring circuit and switches.
· Fit stiffer springs and dampers; extra weight is likely to be carried and bumpy, twisting and undulating roads are being used. Don’t make it too hard though; you’ve got to sit in your car for 2,000 miles and comfort is a good thing!
· Fit better screen washers and wipers. Rain is very likely (especially on Friday night in Scotland and of course in Wales); think about applying Rain-ex (or similar rain repellent) at the start and during the event.
· Change the seats (especially the driver’s seat) for ones that are more comfortable and/or supportive, as you are going to be sat in them for 48 hours. If the car is not fitted with a passenger reclining seat, source one from another suitable later Triumph, e.g. early Spitfire/GT6 use late Spit. seats, Herald/Vitesse use Dolomite seats, etc.
· Add fused cigarette lighter socket(s) to power any auxiliary equipment such as sat. nav., mobile phone charger, cooler box etc. (These sockets are available at motor factors at reasonable prices).
· Consider fitting a map light that has a flexible stalk; ‘Demon Tweeks’, ‘Holden Vintage and Classic’ and ‘Don Barrow Rally Equipment’ are good suppliers. Fit it in a position that will illuminate the maps for the navigator, but will not distract the driver.

Tools and Spare Parts
You need to think very carefully about which spares would be useful, rather than just dead weight. Take such spares and tools as are appropriate to the event and to YOUR level of competence. More experienced mechanics may choose to take spares with them which would take longer and be more difficult to change, such as wheel bearings, water pumps, even drive shafts; but don’t take a spare clutch if you normally draw the line at changing the oil and filter. The roadside is not the place to learn the black art of motor repair; an AA membership card (or similar) can be a very valuable spare in itself - know when to quit!

Recent RBRRs have been blighted with problems caused by duff dynamos, alternators and fuel pumps. Think about taking replacements, however talk to entrants using similar cars and share the load.

Make sure you have adequate means of payment with you, just in case the unexpected happens – have your escape plan worked out BEFORE you need it

Pack loose items into small clear plastic storage boxes. Supermarkets sell cheap food storage boxes which are very good. Here’s a check-list of basic spares:

· Breakdown/recovery scheme card
· First Aid kit
· Fire Extinguisher
· Tow rope
· Gaffa Tape (Duct Tape)
· WD40 or similar
· Bungee cords (luggage elastics)
· Cable ties, split pins
· Steel and/or copper wire
· Electrical connectors and a length or two of wire
· A proper crimping tool, much more positive than ordinary pliers if you need to make low resistance electrical connections.
· Insulation tape
· Imperial size nuts and bolts, including wheel nut(s)
· Water hoses and hose clips
· Petrol hose / tubing
· Olives for water pipes
· Exhaust fittings
· Fan belt, power steering belt if appropriate
· Bulbs, including “sealed beam” units if appropriate
· Light switch(es) – especially the combined indicator / dip switch (Stag, 2000 range, and others) and the TR light switch.
· Fuses
· Ignition spares: plugs, points, condenser, dizzy cap, leads, coil. If you’ve fitted electronic ignition, consider taking a complete set of original bits with you, so you can retrofit them if the electronics fail
· Alternator or dynamo
· Fuel Pump
· Engine/Transmission/Steering Fluids
· Foot pump
· Water (for cooling the PI pump, of course). If you are taking water for the cooling system top up why not take water/antifreeze mix.
· A brake hose clamp could isolate a wheel cylinder and avoid excessive fluid loss or bleeding.

Right, that’s the spares list done – now for the tools!
Instead of packing your tools in a rusty metal toolbox, why not use a plastic one? These are lighter and absorb rattles better. Keep a small selection of frequent use tools such as pliers, screwdrivers, 7/16, 1/2, and 9/16 AF spanners near to hand.

· Overalls and rubber inspection gloves
· Hand wipes (Swarfega hand wipes are very good)
· A plastic sheet to lie upon if you have to go under the car
· AF Spanners
· Assorted pliers and cutters
· ½ inch and ¼ inch drive socket sets
· Assorted screwdrivers
· Engineers hammer
· Rubber mallet
· Junior hacksaw
· Cold chisels and drifts
· Feeler gauges
· Files
· Mole wrench
· Adjustable spanner
· Strong, stable screw jack – a trolley jack is a very good idea if space available-think about the weight though!
· Multi Meter or simple test lamp
· Collapsible axle stands
· Brake bleeding equipment
· Car battery powered inspection lamp
· Torch.
That’s about all, we cannot over emphasise how important it is to prepare for this event in plenty of time, think logically and sensibly!
All the above can help to make the event good fun, it would be sad to retire because of the failure of a small part.

If in trouble remember the RBRR maxim of having the bonnet up, if down other crews will presume that you are having a snooze! Do remember that the objective of the event is to complete the run, do not worry about asking for help, we are lucky in that the event attracts many Triumph experts and surely we all want as many crews as possible to finish.



We hope that the above is of use to make the event more successful. Remember that Club Triumph wants 100% completion of all the cars and crews that are entered!

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 04th December 2011 10:56am gmt

All entrants have been emailed.....

I know what you're thinking, two Blogs in one day, what is going on?

Well I've just sent a welcome email to the rest of the entrants, that means that all the 100 entrants shown on the Running List should by now have received an email from me. Please ensure you have received an email, if you have not check your spam folders first and if you still can't find it, let me know ASAP.

It's very important that your email address is correct as this is the only way we're going to be pushing information to you.

There are several sources of info but here is where you'll get the most up to date "official" word from Tim and I. There is an informal Facebook page for the RBRR, there's the Club Triumph Forum and of course there's the magazine.

For any casual visitor who stumbles across this and thinks "Round Britain in a Triumph, I'm up for that, where do I enter?" well you've missed the boat for 2012 BUT all is not lost.

Here's what you need to do.

First join the Club Triumph Forum for free, hang out there and pick up on the buzz for 2012, see what's happening and then tune into car preparation, what fails and what doesn't. That'll take you up to the end of 2012.

2013 is a Ten Countries year, thats' a whole other story!

If you're still interested by 2013 then join Club Triumph, you have to be a member to enter the RBRR.

Next, wait for the November 2013 edition of the magazine and enter as soon as you get the magazine.

Spend the rest of 2013 and most of 2014 preparing yourself and the car ;-)

Yes, it's a long game. Here in Club Triumph we do "commitment".

Of course there are lots (and lots) of other events to do to get yourself and your Triumph into shape in between RBRRs, the Forum is the place to learn about those. None are as big or oversubscribed as the RBRR but that's not to say they aren't as much fun.

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 30th November 2011 3:49pm gmt

We're up to 100 entries

Yes we made it to 100 yesterday, although I made a bit of a cock-up on the list and missed one entry, entered one twice and asked someone for money when they'd already paid. Sorry about that! I've been busy at work so have only had time to process entries onto the list (which is updated in real time).

I'll try and get those acknowledgement emails out today then off to the bank with the rest of the cheques. 

So, what does this mean to the entries we receive from here in? Well as in previous years, we will draw a line at 100 and call that the "Running List", entries from here will go onto a "Reserve List" recorded in the same place. As places become available when people drop out of the Running List so Reserve List entries move up and take those places. Your entry number stays the same no matter what list you're on.

In practical terms we have three basic bottle necks that limit our numbers, The Plough parking and the two food stops. It's here where the whole field comes together and needs to be accommodated. We know we can get about 120 in the Plough, just. That doesn't account for any rouge civilians who get there before us and park where we want to!

We will work with the food stops and see if we can accommodate more, remember that each car has a min of two crew and we are seeing a few more 3 and 4 man crews - it's a lot of people to feed. Previously we have been successful in being able to squeeze more cars in but we can't confirm that for a few months yet. We will set a final number about 3 months prior to the start and communicate this to the Reserve List. It's at this time when we commit and money changes hands so we also start to lock down the event. I don't cash Reserve List entry cheques until they make it onto the Running List.

"So should I enter now, am I too late?" is often asked at this point. Well, the answer is simple,Yes you are late but enter and sit on the Reserve List, it's highly likely that there will be one or two drop outs in that first 100 but I cannot offer any guarantees. Having said that, the object of this whole process is to get as many cars out on the RBRR as possible whilst retaining good sense and order not to mention safety. We've been able to get everyone who enters in the first couple of months out on the run and never had to turn those away - yes if you pitch up in September and ask for a place there's probably not going to be any way I can get you in.

Remember, to get the up to date entry list click here and you'll see it as I publish it.


J

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 30th November 2011 08:08am gmt

A lot of History!

I have been thinking about the RBRR Control Stops that we have used over the past 45 years and thought I would list as many of them as now known. I have copies of most of the Roadbooks that have been used over the years, the only ones missing being as follows:
1966: Not issued
1974: 1973 event cancelled owing to the national ‘Fuel Crisis’.
1976

1969
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Fortes Autogrill and Service Station, A1: ETA: Friday 22.03hrs
Edinburgh Town Centre: ETA: Saturday 03.06hrs
Bonar Bridge, A9: ETA: Saturday 08.14hrs
John O’Groats, A82: ETA: Saturday 10.37hrs: Breakfast
Fort William: ETA: Saturday 15.24hrs
Carlisle Jct A74/A6: Saturday ETA: 20.27hrs
West Bromwich Jct of M6/M5: ETA: Sunday 00.50hrs
Alveston, A38: ETA: Sunday 03.09hrs: Meet ‘Bristol’ guides.
Exeter Jct A35/A3085: ETA: Sunday 05.34hrs
Lands End: ETA: Sunday 08.30hrs: Breakfast
Exeter By-Pass: ETA: Sunday 11.48hrs
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Finish: Sunday 17.02hrs
8 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1878
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Les Mills

Many will have seen the black and white photograph that is often featured in Club Torque that shows the start of the 1966 event at Broadfields, what an exciting prospect the first one must have been, seems almost impossible to have done the event without some of the motorways that we now use.
Some points to note from the first two events;
Forth Road Bridge Toll was 2shillings and 6pence: 12.5p
Crews were instructed to rewind their watches near Lesmahagow on the A74 (Now the B7078)
The first event featured a ferry crossing, luckily only 6 cars took part!
Only small sections of motorway featured: M10, M1, M6, M50 and M5

1971
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Fortes Autogrill and Service Station, A1: ETA: Friday 22.03hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.44hrs
Dicksons Garage, Perth: ETA: Saturday 04.02hrs
Helmsdale, A9: ETA: Saturday 08.48hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.13hrs: Breakfast
Fort William: ETA: Saturday 14.59hrs
Macharg, Rennie and Lindsay Garage, Glasgow: ETA: Saturday 18.00hrs
Knutsford Service Station, M6: ETA: Saturday 22.46hrs: Supper
‘The Ship’ Public House, Alveston: ETA: Sunday 02.35hrs: Meet ‘Bristol’ Guides.
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 07.48hrs: Breakfast
Motor Macs, Paris Street, Exeter: ETA: Sunday 11.50hrs
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Finish 17.00hrs
11 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1850
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Les Mills

These first few events did not have Marshal controlled stops, crews were trusted to have visited and therefore gain completion.

1978
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Motor Chef Services, A1 Wentbridge By-Pass: ETA: Friday 22.26hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA Saturday 00.47hrs
McLennan Garage (Chrysler dealer), Dunkeld Road, Perth: ETA Saturday 04.19hrs
Helmsdale, A9: ETA: Saturday 09.05hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.26hrs: Breakfast
Fort Augustus, A82: ETA: Saturday 15.16hrs
Garage, Kirklee Road, Glasgow: ETA: Saturday 19.36hrs
Knutsford Service Station, M6: ETA: Saturday 22.46hrs:
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.13hrs
Lands End: ETA: Sunday 08.03hrs
Queens Hotel, Penzance: ETA: Sunday 08.30hrs Breakfast
Garage, Totnes: ETA: Sunday 11.48hrs
Fleet Service Station, M3: ETA: Sunday 16.23hrs
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Finish 18.09hrs
12 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1850
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Les Mills

Highlighted locations were official Control Stops. I have shown petrol stops that were open for use. As one can imagine the UK did not have such a 24hour culture back then and it could be awkward finding fuel in the middle of the night.

1980
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.47hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.26hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA: Saturday 14.10hrs
Parkhall Service Station and Little Chef, Great Western Road, Glasgow: ETA: Saturday 19.26hrs
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.13hrs
Lands End: ETA: Sunday 08.03hrs (Note: Breakfast was taken at Queens Hotel, Penzance ETA 08.30hrs)
Fleet Service Station, M3: ETA: Sunday 16.23hrs
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Finish 18.09hrs
16 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1832
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Les Mills

One or two locations were used for food, however they were not official Control Stops.

1982
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.47hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.06hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA: Saturday 14.59hrs
Johnstone Stewart and Son. Northern Garage, Main Street, Bainsford, Falkirk: ETA: Saturday 19.56hrs.
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 04.46hrs
Lands End: ETA:Sunday 08.13hrs (Note: Breakfast was taken at Queens Hotel, Penzance ETA 08.45hrs)
Fleet Service Station, M3: ETA: Sunday 16.17hrs
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Finish 18.03hrs
22 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1887
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Les Mills

1984
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.57hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.11hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA: Saturday 15.07hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 19.59hrs.
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.46hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 08.14hrs
Fleet Service Station, M3: ETA: Sunday 15.56hrs
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Finish 18.00hrs
20 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1855
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Les Mills

1986
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.57hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.11hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA: Saturday 15.07hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 19.59hrs.
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.46hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 08.14hrs
Sparkford Motor Museum, Sparkford, A303: ETA: Sunday 13.40hrs
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Finish 18.00hrs
27 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1855
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Les Mills

As can be seen from 1984 the event started to take on stops that are still used today. Looking at 1986, it is hoped that 4 of them will be visited in 2012.

1988
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.51hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.06hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA: Saturday 15.01hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 19.56hrs.
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.37hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 08.06hrs
Trago Mills Shopping Centre, Exeter: ETA: Sunday 12.04hrs
Fleet Service Station, M3: ETA: Sunday 16.22hrs
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Finish 18.00hrs
31 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1885
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Les Mills

Interesting to note that 1988 was the first time the M25 was used, before then vehicles used to head into London either via the M4 or the M3 and then take the North Circular Road around to the A1, blimey!

1990
In aid of the British Heart Foundation
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 21.39hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.52hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.19hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA Saturday 15.05hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 19.58hrs.
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.44hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA Sunday 08.15hrs
Dartmoor Lodge Hotel, Ashburton: ETA Sunday 12.02hrs
Cloverleaf Garage, Basingstoke, A30: ETA: Sunday 16.19hrs
Broadfields Garage, Cockfosters, North London: Finish 18.00hrs
50 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1888
Organisers: Derek Pollock, Les Mills and David Shewry

Last time that Broadfields Garage was used. From here onwards we have used pubs for 10 times these having been managed by Mick Callighan, who is still the Landlord of The Plough.

1992
In aid of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund
Cock O’The North Public House, A1: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 21.26hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.39hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.17hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA: Saturday 15.03hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 19.58hrs.
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.44hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 08.16hrs
Dartmoor Lodge Hotel, Ashburton: ETA: Sunday 11.55hrs
Cloverleaf Garage, Basingstoke, A30: ETA: Sunday 16.32hrs
Cock O’The North Public House, A1: Finish 18.00hrs
34 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1884
Organisers: Derek Pollock, Nigel Abdullah and David Shewry

1994
In aid of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 21.47hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.44hrs
Edinburgh Airport: Terminal Building: ETA: Saturday 03.19hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.00hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA: Saturday 14.57hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 19.39hrs.
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.38hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 08.14hrs
Lake Garage, A386, Sourton, Devon: ETA Sunday 11.39hrs
Cloverleaf Garage, Basingstoke, A30: ETA: Sunday 16.14hrs
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Finish 18.00hrs
39 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1908
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Nigel Abdullah

1996
In aid of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 21.49hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.41hrs
Edinburgh Airport: Terminal Building: ETA: Saturday 03.12hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 10.02hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA: Saturday 14.59hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 19.41hrs.
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.30hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 08.12hrs
Dorchester Honda Garage, Maumbury Road, Dorchester: ETA Sunday 13.43hrs
Fleet Services (Lorry Park), M3: ETA: Sunday 16.55hrs
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Finish 18.30hrs
56 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1917
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Nigel Abdullah

1998
In aid of the MacMillan Cancer Relief
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 21.52hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.29hrs
Edinburgh Airport: Terminal Building: ETA: Saturday 02.48hrs
Perth Services, Inveralmond: ETA: Saturday 04.04hrs
Thrumster Garages Limited, Thrumster, A99: ETA: Saturday 08.42hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 09.21hrs: Breakfast
McRae and Dick (BL Dealer), Dingwall: ETA: Saturday 14.32hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 18.52hrs.
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 02.36hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 07.48hrs
Dorchester Honda Garage, Maumbury Road, Dorchester: ETA Sunday 13.49hrs
Fleet Services (Lorry Park), M3: ETA: Sunday 17.00hrs
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Finish 18.35hrs
60 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1920
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Nigel Abdullah

2000
In aid of the Children with Leukaemia
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 22.34hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 01.12hrs
Edinburgh Airport: Terminal Building: ETA: Saturday 03.30hrs
Perth Services, Inveralmond: ETA: Saturday 04.40hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 09.34hrs: Breakfast
Conon Hotel, Conon Bridge: ETA: Saturday 14.04hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 18.28hrs.
Oswestry Services, Oswestry, A5: ETA: Saturday 23.52hrs
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 02.49hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 07.53hrs
Dartmoor Lodge Hotel, Ashburton: ETA Sunday 11.45hrs
Fleet Services (Lorry Park), M3: ETA: Sunday 16.39hrs
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Finish 18.20hrs
63 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1909
Organisers: Derek Pollock and Nigel Abdullah

2002
In aid of the Multiple Sclerosis Society
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 22.34hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 01.12hrs
Edinburgh Airport: Terminal Building: ETA: Saturday 03.30hrs
Perth Services, Inveralmond: ETA: Saturday 04.40hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 09.35hrs: Breakfast
Conon Hotel, Conon Bridge: ETA: Saturday 14.05hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 18.29hrs.
Oswestry Services, Oswestry, A5: ETA: Saturday 00.11hrs
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 02.49hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 07.51hrs: Breakfast
Dartmoor Lodge Hotel, Ashburton: ETA Sunday 12.16hrs
Fleet Services (Lorry Park), M3: ETA: Sunday 17.04hrs
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Finish 18.45hrs
57 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1899
Organisers: Derek Pollock, Nigel Abdullah and Tim Bancroft

2004
In aid of the Children with Leukaemia
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Depart Friday 19.00hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 22.06hrs
Bishops Garage, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.44hrs
Edinburgh Airport: Terminal Building: ETA: Saturday 03.02hrs
Perth Services, Inveralmond: ETA: Saturday 04.12hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 09.07hrs: Breakfast
Conon Hotel, Conon Bridge: ETA: Saturday 13.37hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 18.01hrs.
Oswestry Services, Oswestry, A5: ETA: Saturday 23.43hrs
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 02.21hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 07.23hrs: Breakfast
Dartmoor Lodge Hotel, Ashburton: ETA Sunday 11.48hrs
Avon Heath Country Park, Ferndown: ETA: Sunday 15.07hrs
Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit: ETA: Sunday 16.30hrs
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Finish 18.58hrs
67 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1931
Organisers: Tim Bancroft, Nigel Abdullah and Derek Pollock

2006
In aid of the BLISS
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Depart Friday 18.30hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 22.01hrs
The Angel Inn, Corbridge: ETA: Saturday 00.39hrs
Edinburgh Airport: Terminal Building: ETA: Saturday 02.48hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 08.42hrs: Breakfast
Conon Hotel, Conon Bridge: ETA: Saturday 13.11hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 17.36hrs.
Lancaster Services, M6: ETA: Saturday 21.26hrs
Gledrid Services, Oswestry, A5 A5: ETA: Saturday 23.16hrs
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 02.45hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 07.22hrs: Breakfast
Dartmoor Lodge Hotel, Ashburton: ETA: Sunday 11.38hrs
Pimperne Village Hall, Pimperne, Blandford Forum: ETA: Sunday 14.45hrs
Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit: ETA: Sunday 16.49hrs
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Finish 19.00hrs
88 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1965
Organisers: Tim Bancroft, Nigel Abdullah, James Carruthers and Derek Pollock

2008
In aid of the RNLI
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Depart Friday 18.30hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 21.17hrs
Edinburgh Airport: Terminal Building: ETA: Saturday 01.55hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 08.04hrs: Breakfast
Conon Hotel, Conon Bridge: ETA: Saturday 12.33hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 16.57hrs.
Lancaster Services, M6: ETA: Saturday 20.48hrs
Gledrid Services, Oswestry, A5 A5: ETA: Saturday 23.38hrs
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 02.26hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 07.30hrs: Breakfast
Sennen Lifeboat Station, Sennen: ETA: Sunday 09.04hrs
Badgers Holt, Dartmoor: ETA: Sunday 12.04hrs
Pimperne Village Hall, Pimperne, Blandford Forum: ETA: Sunday 14.33hrs
TR Register Offices, Didcot: ETA: Sunday 17.28hrs
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Finish 19.00hrs
93 Finishers
Total Mileage: 1961
Organisers: Tim Bancroft, Jason Chinn, Nigel Abdullah, and James Carruthers

2010
In aid of the MIND
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Depart Friday 18.30hrs
Blyth Granada Services, A1: ETA: Friday 21.15hrs
Edinburgh Airport: Terminal Building: ETA: Saturday 01.53hrs
Skiach Services, Allness: ETA: Sunday 05.50hrs
Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats: ETA: Saturday 08.20hrs: Breakfast
Conon Hotel, Conon Bridge: ETA: Saturday 12.49hrs
Morrison’s Garage, Stirling: ETA: Saturday 17.14hrs.
Lancaster Services, M6: ETA: Saturday 21.04hrs
Gledrid Services, Oswestry, A5 A5: ETA: Saturday 22.55hrs
Sugar Loaf Picnic Area, Llandovery: ETA: 01.07hrs
Gordano Service Station, M5: ETA: Sunday 03.20hrs
Lands End Hotel, Lands End: ETA: Sunday 07.57hrs
Crossroads Travel Inn, Scorrier: ETA: Sunday: 08.43hrs: Breakfast
Bude Museum, Bude: ETA: Sunday 10.54hrs
Badgers Holt, Dartmoor: ETA: Sunday 12.26hrs
Pimperne Village Hall, Pimperne, Blandford Forum: ETA: Sunday: 14.32hrs
TR Register Offices, Didcot: ETA: Sunday 17.26hrs
The Plough Public House, Crews Hill, Enfield: Finish 19.02hrs
90 Finishers
Total Mileage: 2014
Organisers: Tim Bancroft, Jason Chinn, Nigel Abdullah, James Carruthers, Keith Bennett and Ellis Stokes

Not surprising to note that the two Control Stops that have been used the most are Seaview Hotel, John O’Groats and Lands End Hotel, Lands End. After that it is Blyth Services and Gordano Services.

It is worth noting that one or two people have been long time helpers of the RBRR, namely Charlie Sneddon and Malcolm Warren.
Charlie has arranged many of our Scottish stops, he was the Land Rover Scottish representative and knew lots of the principals of many a Scottish garage therefore able to get the use of the garages. Unfortunately, only Morrison’s Garage is still used for the RBRR, Logan Morrison being a well known Scottish rally driver and navigator from the 50s and 60s, Logan also helped with work on the World Cup Rally of 1970. Today Logan’s garage is a Seat dealer, but was one of the last BL/Austin Rover/MG franchises to keep the faith. Charlie Sneddon will hopefully be manning the Controls at both Edinburgh and Stirling for the forthcoming RBRR, guaranteed to have a big smile on his face and a wicked story to tell!
Malcolm has taken part on many RBRRs and now is a massive help arranging the West Country Controls. Malcolm worked for Standard Triumph and still owns a Triumph, that being a Herald Coupe, which I hope he is restoring at present! Malcolm will be at Bude running the Control in October.
Charlie and Malcolm are Triumph men and we are fortunate to have them as our Vice Presidents.

Three other men very involved with the RBRR are David Shewry, John Millidge and Tim Hunt. Dave is the Club’s Chairman and has been active in the Club since the 60s, Dave is principally known for compering the Club Triumph Dinner and telling one or two of the worst jokes one will ever hear! John Millidge is the Club’s longstanding Treasurer and is very enthusiastic in his support of the RBRR, John is a massive help and will always step up to help when needed, expect to see John at John O’Groats in October. Tim Hunt has done and completed more RBRRs than any other CT member, always seen on the event in his faithful TR4A, usually disappearing into the distance! Tim has signed up to take part in 2012.

CT Members who have successfully completed more than 10no events are:
Derek Pollock
Malcolm Warren
Chris Allen
Andy Roberts
Keith Bennett
David Langrick
David Kent
Dale Barker
Lester French
Dave Pearson
Nigel Gair
Francis Moll
We are pleased to be able to say that nearly all the above have entered for 2012.

I think I am correct when I state that the Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability Run is the oldest running Triumph event in the world. As many know, the initial idea of running the event was formed at Le Mans in 1966, Derek and Les were sitting watching the 24 hour race and started to have a conversation about some form of UK based mammoth drive. I wonder if they could have realised that 45 years later Triumph owners would still be up for such an event and that it would spawn an event like the 10 Countries Run, a European event that is justifiably getting more popular each time it is run.

The RBRR event has been a major source of new members to Club Triumph, many have joined to take part and have found that they like the club so have stayed around.

We would love to hear from people who have taken part in this event, so should anyone reading this have old pictures and anecdotes, please contact me via rbrr@club.triumph.org.uk.

If anyone reading this has a copy of the 1974 or 1976 Roadbook issues , we’d love to borrow it to copy, otherwise a good photocopy would suffice.


All crews who have entered the RBRR this time, please send me pictures of the entered car and crew and some nice words so that we can feature them within this Blog.

Tim
rbrr@club.triumph.org.uk.

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 27th November 2011 6:59pm gmt

Blimey, in fact crikey, 316 days to go!

Right, RBRR 2012, here we go!

Thought I’d better write something, so here goes.

At present all that really has been done is that we have opened the Event to entry by CT members. As ever Jason has done a masterful job of sifting through the Entry forms that he has received and getting them into order and acknowledging the entries.

So far it does look like the 2000/2500 range dominates the car listing. It is nice to see a number of TRs taking part this time. However, where are all the Spitties and GT6s???

So far the following Triumph types have entered:
2000/2500 range: 24no.
TR Chassis: 11no.
Stag: 9no.
Herald: 8no.
1300/Dolomite: 8no.
Spitfire: 7no.
GT6: 4no.
Vitesse: 3no.
Acclaim: 2no.
TR7/8: 2no.

Many of what would be called regular Entrants have not thrown their cards into the ring so we expect to see few of these sending through their entries this weekend.

We must take this opportunity to thank all the Entrants as so many have filled in their Entry forms and given full details, this is an enormous help. We do of course, realise that we are dealing with old cars here and that inevitably cars will be changed (It seems many CT members own more than one Triumph car, some seem to have at least 10!) and that the event is 10 months away so ‘life’ will get in the way and changes will happen. It is very helpful for us to get these changes as they happen, not in a rush on the eve of the RBRR!

We have done nothing about the Control Stops as yet, we hope that we will use the following:
1. Blythe Services
2. Scottish Border: We are looking for somewhere suitable, should anyone have an idea about a location, please contact me. CT Member Jim McGuinness is on the case and looking around at present. Ideally the stop needs to be near the A68 in the Cheviot Hills.
3. Edinburgh Airport
4. Skiach Services, A9 near Alness
5. Seaview Hotel, JOG
6. Conon Hotel, Conon Bridge
7. Morrisons Garage, Stirling
8. Tebay Services, M6. Replacing Lancaster. Tebay is a Farmers co-operative MSA (the only one in the UK) and therefore more in fitting with the ethos of the RBRR, namely British!
9. Gledrid Services, Oswestry
10. Sugar Loaf, Llandovery
11. Gordano Services, M5
12. Okehampton
13. Lands End
14. Bude Museum, Bude
15. Badgers Holt, Dartmoor
16. Glastonbury or Compton Abbas
17. TR Reg, Didcot

By looking at the above Control list one will see that the route should be very similar to that used in the 2010 event. Many taking part stated that they felt the route used in 2010 offered a good selection of the UK types of roads and therefore we do not feel the need to change too many sections.

As in recent times we will attempt to gain 'Touring Assembly Permit' from the Motorsport Association, this is some undertaking and possibly the hardest aspect of organising the RBRR.

We are looking for Marshals to man these stops. Should you be willing to help, please contact me. Please remember that one or two will be open during the middle of the night!

As ever the start and finish will be at The Plough in Crews Hill, near Jcts. 24 and 25 of the M25. It has always been a major worry about getting all the cars into the car park, but we feel that we have this licked so we are confident about the Start parking. I must make the usual plea to all crews to please remember that the M25 on a Friday afternoon is Bedlam, please give yourself plenty of time to arrive and therefore relax/chill out before the start.Last time a number of crews arrived late, increasing the stress levels of Marshals and surely themselves?

We have been in contact with Children with Cancer and they are about to open a 'Virgin Giving Homepage' that Entrants can bolt on their own Virgin Giving page onto to enable all RBRR sponsorship is easy to locate. CWC are keen for Entrants to use this method as the administration is very easy and less of a drain on CWC’s resources, obviously the cheaper the costs of for the Charity the more money will go to right places. However we must state that conventional CWC pledge forms will be available. As we seem to be in the doldrums at present we think we may struggle to reach the heady £60K and £50k of previous years, but please all Entrants give it a go. Anyone reading this, think about sponsoring someone, all money will help the little 'uns suffering from such a terrible illness as the many types of Cancer that afflicts them.

All Entrants reading this, please e-mail information about the car you intend to use as we would like to feature them on this Blog. A few words and a nice picture that shows the car off will be appreciated. rbrr@club.triumph.org.uk

As in previous years we will keep in contact with all crews about RBRR news and information, however should anyone taking part have any questions, please call or e-mail me.

We think it is important to note that the RBRR is all about celebrating the Triumph range of motor cars and destroying the bogus BS that British cars are unreliable. If in doubt, please park up on the side of the A1, A68, A9, A82, A85, A84, M74, M6, A5, A483, A40, M5, A30, A39, A35, A338, M25 (blimey!) and watch a sight that should stir the emotions of anyone interested in UK machinery/engineeering!

Organising Team:
Entry Administration: Jason Chinn
Route Organiser and Road Book: Nigel Abdullah
Designer: James Carruthers
Sage: David Langrick
West Country Advisor: Malcolm Warren
Scottish Advisor: Jim McGuinness
Everything else (bar some stops and other such gubbins): Tim Bancroft

Tim
CT Secretary
rbrr@club.triumph.org.uk

PS 316 days to go, these will fly past, get into the garage!

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 24th November 2011 9:30pm gmt

Slowing down now

Only 7 new entries in the post today, that brings us up to entry number 72. I think I'll acknowledge all these now with an email and also bank all these cheques.

Look out for an email from welcoming you to the Run and confirming your entry details. I'll send these out in batches otherwise the spam filters think I'm selling Viagra or trying to contact Nigerian Lottery winners.

There's a healthy number of newbies in the entry as usual, good to see some fresh faces and fresh cars - do they know what they've let themselves in for? Probably not but we'll look out for them :-)

J

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 23rd November 2011 1:05pm gmt

Another bundle of entry forms

22 more to be exact so assuming they only have 1 entry each that will take us up to entry 64. I'll process these today and update the entry list (which should automatically update the list in previous Blog posts).

By the way, thanks for all the little notes in amongst the entry forms, makes this job a little more interesting ;-)

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 22nd November 2011 1:54pm gmt

The entry list grows

I've just finished processing this morning's batch of entries, we are now up to entry 44.

The Google Documents link seems to be OK embedded in the Blog but when viewed from the Club Triumph Blog pages it falls over and gives an error.

So, to get the up to date entry list click here and you'll see it as I publish it.

PLEASE - if you see any detail that's wrong, typos, spelling, etc let me know ASAP and I will amend it. This list is what we will work off for the duration of the event and it will be what get's printed on finishers awards - so if it's not right now, you will get a finishers award with the same error on it!

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 21st November 2011 2:25pm gmt

2012 RBRR - and so it begins again.

It's that time again and the well oiled machine that is the RBRR chatters into life once more, OK so it's a bit like a PI in the morning and will take some getting going, it might miss a beat every now and again but it will start and it will run!!

So, I roll up my sleeves and reach for the manual to see how the hell I did this 2 years ago. I think I remember so here it is. As in previous years, we're using the Google Documents service to help maintain and publish the running list. It'll be in the same place every time it's renewed.

Here's the current view




I'll send welcome emails out later in the week when the rush dies down, in the meantime, check here for your entry numbers/


It's really good to see some keen newbies getting in on the action, 4 new crews in the first 25. Really pleased to see 6 PIs in that first 25 - worried about the price of fuel, pah!

Right, now I need to scan all these entry forms and share with team on-line.

(I'm aware that there may be some issues with the Google Docs, I've reported the issue. In the meantime here's a rather clumsy copy and paste

Entry Number Entrant Name Crew 2 Crew 3 Crew 4 Car
1 Peter Jordan Stephen Bates none none 2.5 PI Estate MkII
2 Jonathan Pryce Colin Boobyer none none Spitfire 1500
3 Mark Bland Andy Cook none none 2500 S Saloon
4 Jayne Spicer-Adams Susan Swingewood Trish Flynn none Herald 13/60 Saloon
5 Malcolm Swingewood Graham Swingewood Gavin Barry none Herald 13/60 Estate
6 Anthony Pulis Zac Zanetti none none Stag
7 Howard Hayes Mary Hayes John Gallagher none Acclaim
8 Lester French Paul Warden none none 2000 Saloon
9 Chris Rabbets Valerie Moores none none 2.5 PI Saloon
10 Floyd Pattie Graham Copping none none GT6
11 Craig Bennett Alex Bennett none none 2.5 PI Saloon
12 Dave Marshall Jemma Dedicoat none none 2000
13 Jason Chinn Nigel Gair none none 2.5 PI Saloon
14 Andrew Johnson Sarah Johnson none none Stag
15 James Cooper Andy Tonmore none none 2.5 PI Saloon
16 Stuart Wilson TBC none none TR7
17 Paul Beeson Ashley Page none none Spitfire 1500
18 Yossarian Gay Tim Barrington none none 1300 TC
19 Dale Barker Matthew Barker none none Herald 1200ish CV
20 Reg Barton Martin Neason none none 2.5 PI Saloon
21 Chris Andrews Anne Andrews none none 2000 TC
22 Roy Lacey Bruce Sellars none none GT6 Mk1
23 Tom Hartley Tim Smith none none Herald 1200 CV
24 Carl Shakespeare Karl Sinclair-Hall none none Dolomite Sprint
25 Daniel Baker Steven Strelitz none none Spitfire 1500


Jason

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 20th November 2011 10:25am gmt

What went wrong and what went right?

Firstly, well done to all who got round, commiserations to all who didn't. In an annoyingly upbeat manner, let's learn something - after all, team 13 failed last time out but went round like clockwork this time (I personally take no credit for our success, it was all down to Dave's preparation, I knwo that may be hard to accept but it's true!)

Anyway, always eager to learn from the my own mistakes and those of others, I have started a thread on the forum for people to give some details of what went wrong and put you out or indeed what went wrong and you were able to fix.

The object of the RBRR is to get car and crew round the route, on time, safely and reliably. Anything we as organisers can do to help achieve that, whilst in no way dumbing down or otherwise reducing the challenge, is to of interest to us.

Don't get me wrong, it's not supposed to be too hard but it's not supposed to be a walk in the park either, it's a motoring challenge after all.

If you'd rather not "go public" with tales of personal brain fade or embarrassment and would rather recount your tale in the safety of the confessional then drop Tim or I an email. If you say you'd rather the details remained anonymous then just say so and we'll respect that.

I'd like to add this info to the growing database of passed failures so that we can offer better more focussed advice to entrants next time. As we understand more about actual failures we can be more pointed in our advice - so rather than suggest entrants should "service the car" we can say "service the car with special attention to cleaning, inspecting and re-greasing wheel bearings as there have been 5 failures of wheel bearings in the passed".

We're not going to get super accurate data but we will get a much better idea of what goes wrong. Add to that the ways in which people fix these issues from the simple "I or someone with me had a spare" to the "I needed to weld it and called at a farm building with lots of machinery outside as I thought they would have a welder and they did!" If it keeps a couple of crews on the road or gives someone the inspiration for a fix at 3am on a wet border road then it will be worthwhile.

To read the topic, "What went wrong and what went right?" visit the following link:
http://club.triumph.org.uk/cgi-bin/forum10/Blah.pl?m-1286176618/

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 04th October 2010 08:37am gmt

Where does the time go?

RBRR Chertsey Office calling.

Blimey, just over two days to go.

We are just running through all the last minute aspects of the event and we are pleased to report that everything is in place for what we do hope is a top RBRR.

Jason has done a marvellous job administrating the Entry List for this the 22nd RBRR. This time the event has not had as many entry changes, in fact I think it is true to say that we have not heard of as many late night car building sessions as in 2008. The most surprising aspect of this RBRR so far has been that we have not suffered many withdrawals, amazing considering the age of the cars and indeed of most of the entrants! At 24.00hrs tonight the Entry List will be finalised and he will hand it all over to me. At this point we will not be able to accept any Entry revisions as we need to print the Final Instructions and Signing in forms.

Just to re-cap on the Signing in procedure, when arriving at The Plough, please proceed with all your crew to the RBRR office and sign in. We will not need to see any documentation or Club membership cards, by signing in you will be accepting the rules and regulations of the event and that your car is fully road legal. The MSA Blue Book will be present and you will be given a chance to read the relevant pages that relate to this event, the event being a Touring Assembly.

When you sign in you will be handed a copy of the 'Final Instructions'. In the past we are not sure many have bothered to read these, please do so as they will contain information that is obviously of importance to the event and will make the event more enjoyable.

After signing in, the next time you will be required to do anything is to attend the Drivers Briefing at 18.00hrs, this will take part near the playground in the pub's grounds. The car park before the start is always full of activity, but please try to relax. Unfortunately it looks lke the start will be marred by rain, bring a brolly!!

Thats it then, see you Friday!

Tim

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 29th September 2010 09:17am gmt

Dark magic

There seems to be a lot of interest in Sat Nav POI and Itinerary files this year so I've uploaded the files Ellis Stokes created and hosted them here https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwsIWNBB_3c1MmNjZjQ5ZDktYmVkNS00ZDRmLWI4ZTQtODA5ZDQ5NmY1Mjhk&hl=en_GB

I hope you can download them. There's a zip file package and the individual files, download one or the other.

These files are provided without any support from me or Tim, we don't really have the capability to support them so if you don't know how they work or don't know what to do with them, well just don't ask me OK :-)

If you need support then I suggest you get onto the CT Forum.

Remember, you really don't need a Sat Nav to enjoy the RBRR, it's not a navigational rally and the organisers don't expect you to be equipped with Sat Navs. In fact we much prefer you use the excellent road book and a map!

If you want to convert these files to another format, check out a couple of free programs - TYRE and POIedit

Again, no support from Club Triumph on these things, the club has no interest, financial or otherwise and the information is provided for you to use as you like.

Jason

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 26th September 2010 7:46pm gmt

Tick, tick, tick - time and the RBRR wait for no man!

Yes it's close, damn close, for some it will be too close!

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 26th September 2010 10:45am gmt

SMS system update

Guys, you need to use the number in the road book, do not hit reply to the message I sent you on Saturday evening. Although it came through the system as a broadcast it appears in your phone as if it came direct from me so if you just reply to that, I get your reply and no one else!

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 20th September 2010 3:39pm gmt

SMS system update

Apologies for the confusion at the driver's meeting yesterday over the SMS Message Diary, I hope I didn't confuse too many of you.

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 20th September 2010 08:01am gmt

Driver's meeting done, not long now........

Thanks to all who turned up at Gaydon, hope you all got something out of the meeting. It was really good to see a full room and see so many of you, sorry I didn't get to talk to enough of you individually, I was a bit busy.

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 19th September 2010 10:27pm gmt

Blimey, not long now

Just a quick report.

posted by RBRR Organisershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09397207489675374470noreply@blogger.com 05th September 2010 1:17pm gmt

viewed 22098 times