2010 March Ed-lines Welcome one & all to the latest Liverpool Motor Club Bulletin. I’m looking forward to the up-coming Tour of Cheshire (see Chairman’s Chat for details) as the previous events I have marshalled on have been spectacular to say the least. After that I will be going to Race Retro to have a day wallowing in Nostalgia before the season proper starts. As well as commentating at the three Aintree sprints I have been asked to help out at some of the Harewood Hillclimb meetings this year whilst my commentator’s duties at Loton Park have fallen foul of a series of date clashes with the British Sprint Championship. The British Sprint Championship has now got two week-ends in Scotland plus two week-ends in Wales & a week- end in Ulster. All this combined with the usual English events means that we are the only none rally championship to visit all the four home countries. Last year’s British Sprint Champion, Nick Algar, is planning a visit to one of our Aintree events so that he can have a go out the outright course record which is currently held by Roy Dawson in the Gould GR55 now owned by Nick. 2010 will see the return of the Caterham Academy to our April sprint and with the other invited championships it should be a spectacular and entertaining day of sprinting on the club circuit. The introduction of the Standard Car classes is one I am looking forward to. I have long thought that there should be a feeder class and what better way to get involved in sprinting than with your everyday road car? Steve Wilkinson In-Car Video Have you got some in-car video that you’d like to share? We are looking for some suitable footage of Aintree for the LMC website, so this is your chance to be famous! Please contact Ron Hunt if you think that you can help. Judging by the number of cars that we scrutineer with cameras these days, we should be able to find something! Chairman’s Chat I’m going to break from the norm this month and devote most of my notes to a request for your help. Several of you have suggested that the Club should widen its appeal by getting involved in other events as well as those that we organise at Aintree. In truth, we have actually been involved with events run by other motor clubs for some years now, but it seems that many of you are not aware of this. So here’s your chance to get involved! For some reason, I have ended up as main contact for all of the following at the moment, but if there’s someone who would like to act as co-ordinator for “external events” or would be willing to share some of the role, then please don’t by shy, please let me know. Sometimes I need a life too! You can email a message to me here: John Harden or phone me on 0161 969 7137 any day before 9pm. For those of you with internet access, there’s even more information about each of these events on the marshalling section of the LMC Club Forum Help needed 1 - Tour of Cheshire You will have noticed in last month’s Bulletin that LMC is running two tests on Knutsford & District Motor Club’s classic Tour of Cheshire rally and we were looking for people to help. Mild interest has been shown, but we still need another two or three volunteers to help man the tests. No previous experience is necessary, the duties being simply to observe the cars as they pass around the test, and ensure that any wrong slots, or clipping of cones is advised to the finish timekeepers. Can you help? The location is Chowley Oak Business Park, just off the A41, eight miles south of Chester on Saturday 6th March. Signing on is 2pm – 3pm, first car 4pm, last car by 6pm, or earlier if they’ve had a number of retirements. Please advise John Harden as soon as possible if you can help. The organisers of the event have suddenly found themselves in the position that many clubs fear. They have lost the services of their Chief Marshal, just 3 weeks before one of the biggest events in their calendar, and are now struggling to pull the staffing of the event together. They have asked if LMC can also help at one of the first tests of the day, at Beeston Cattle Market near Tarporley. Can you help? Signing on approx 8.00am, last car around 10.30am which will leave plenty of time for lunch & a drive over to Chowley Oak to help there. Again, if you can help, please let John Harden know. This rally is an ideal opportunity for our members to get together on an event, have a chat, see some lovely classic rally cars, and even enjoy a relaxing Saturday lunch too. A perfect day out (or part of a day) for some of our “older” members (me included) I reckon. Help needed 2 – SMC stages After a very successful showing by LMC members marshalling the finish area at Weeton on the NW Stages Rally, our services are now much in demand. Stockport 061 Motor Club has asked us to look after the Flying Finish and Stop lines on their next rally, the SMC Stages at Weeton on 28th March. Can you help? Other general marshalling positions are also available. It’s a fairly early start, with an 8am sign-on. A full day’s motorsport will follow at this single venue rally. Interested? Please contact John Harden for more details, or see the LMC Club Forum Help needed 3 – Three Castles Tour We have also been asked to help man two locations on the Three Castles Tour. Two tests at Denbigh Gliding Club on Thursday 3rd June, and two tests (one early morning, one mid-afternoon) on Friday 4th June at Glan y Gors kart circuit just off the A5 near Cerrigydrudion. Being weekdays, I don’t think that we will be able to find enough people to run either of the tests on our own, but if you’d like to help, or even if you think you could take over running & staffing either of the tests, please contact John Harden for more information. Help needed 4 – Cholmondeley Pageant of Power We have accepted an invitation to display 10 cars each day, 12th & 13th August at the Pageant of Power. Have you got a car with motorsport history, or maybe a modern supercar, that you’d be willing to display on the LMC stand for either or both days? The owner of each car on display will be entitled to a free admission ticket to the event. For more information, please contact John Harden. LMC members will also be able to purchase tickets to the show at reduced prices. Keep watching the LMC Club Forum, or the next Bulletin where a special code will be provided for you to obtain a discount when you buy your tickets on line. Help needed 5 – Aintree events Yes, you’ve guessed it! We need help at our sprints and trackdays at Aintree more than ever this year as the number of marshals who turn up to help regularly is dwindling. Over 50 of you indicated on your membership re- newal forms that you are interested in Marshalling. So, go on, do something about it and help your Club run its events. Whilst previous experience is useful, it is not essential and there are duties away from the trackside for those who’d rather not get too close to the action! Please contact your Chief Marshal Bill Gray, without obligation, to discuss how you might be able to help. Help needed 6 – Later in the year As your Chairman I also need to know if you can help with the following events that your Club is involved with later in the year. Previous experience isn’t required for any of these events and, because they are mid week, most will be ideal for our older members or those who want to keep their weekends free:- August 29/30th – We will have our usual stand at the Gold Cup historic race meeting at Oulton Park over the Au- gust Bank Holiday. Again, members are invited to bring a car along for display; the more motorsport orientated the better. We had a great display of cars on the Sunday last year but, to be honest, Monday’s display was a bit dis- appointing. Let’s see if we can do better this year. September 16th – Once again we are helping Greenpower run their Electric Car Races for Schools at Aintree. It’s a Thursday this time, and once again we need whatever help we can get. Are you available? September 22nd – We have been asked to run two tests in Knowsley Safari Park for the Grand Britannic Trial, a 12 day endurance rally which has sections in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. “Our” stages will be early on Wednes- day 22nd September. If you think you may be able to help with any of the above, click here to let me know, or give me a ring on 0161 969 7137. 2010 Membership & speed regs. Over 130 of you have already renewed your membership for 2010. If you haven’t renewed yours yet, please do so as soon as you can, as your Membership Secretary will soon be turning his attention to helping to run our Aintree events.