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November 2009 Newsletter
 

BRISTOL & WEST SECTION

Please visit our section website www.arocbriswest.co.uk which has all the latest news and events.
Best regards,

Martin King

 

CENTRAL & EAST MIDLANDS SECTION

2009 has been another very active year for our Section. Including the National events we've attended, there have been over 30 different meetings, from meals, skittles matches and quizzes, to convoy drives, karting (three lots in 12 months), track days and 'park up and polish' events, including a highly successful MITCAR at Burghley House and our Fun Concours event in June, the latter strongly attended even though it rained! We've all enjoyed meeting many new members during the year too, and our core of 'regulars' has expanded accordingly.

Our monthly newsletter has grown in size, content and circulation, as has our section website. We've made even closer links with our local dealers; notably Sturgess in Leicester who opened in January, and Chris Variava at Nottingham, both of whom hosting events for us during the year.

It was against this positive backdrop that our local Committee was re-elected at our Section AGM in October at our new venue, the George & Dragon in Thringstone. The 21 members who attended had a very good discussion about the year's events and some potential new ones for 2010. After this we had our annual Alfa quiz, set by me as last year's winner, the scores for which being very good, with the victor Bryan Alexander just beating Neil Fairhurst by one point. Bryan was pleased to win a lovely black 8C model and Neil an Alfa Romeo cap and key ring, all courtesy of Chris Variava. Our prize draw for a £25 Autoglym 'Clay Kit', kindly donated by the local franchise was drawn by Bryan, and after he selected his own entry first, sportingly re-drew with the winner then being Haydn Wyatt. As per tradition, Bryan will have the pleasure of setting next year's quiz. All good fun!.

Looking Back

September was a particularly busy month. On Saturday the 5th a group of us went to the club track day at Silverstone, with new member Mark McCourt taking part in his 156 GTA. It was great to chat to all the participants in the pits and to marvel at the collected machinery on track and in the garages.

 

The next day saw a clash of events with the Leicester Aeroclub Open Day landing on the same day as the Auto Italia event at Gaydon. Though a few people chose to go to Gaydon, our primary organiser for the former, Dave Atkins, was delighted by the attendance of 27 Alfas at Leicester Airport, and as well as enjoying displays from a number of WW2 planes, several of our group enjoyed free pleasure flights in light planes, with Simon Addison even taking the controls of one over Rutland Water and Fiona Sangster looping the loop in a biplane!

Following our monthly meeting on 9 September attended by the local Autoglym Franchise (who sold over £500 worth of stock to us!), on Sunday 20 September we enjoyed a trip to the Peak Alfa Drive, organised so well by Steve Ball and Nadine Burgess and the team from the Derbyshire Section. Our dozen or so entrants had a thoroughly enjoyable time on a beautifully sunny day, getting lost around various parts of Derbyshire as usual, all followed by a very pleasant lunch at the Chesterfield Hotel. It's a great opportunity to drive our Alfas on some wonderful roads and one we look forward to again next year.

On Tuesday 29 September we had another karting challenge. This time our intrepid teams taking on the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club Leicestershire Region at the superb PF International circuit near Grantham in a twin-engined kart endurance special. We had a cracking time at the floodlit track, bouncing over the kerbs and trying to set the fastest possible speed on the straight which was indicated on an over-track gantry. 55mph was the fastest spotted - add another 5 for the peak speed before the braking zone. Now that is certainly exhilarating with your bottom two inches off the ground! Our three teams came second, third and fifth respectively, so using the F1 point scoring system we're claiming a score draw, so a rematch is definitely on the cards for 2010.

We enjoyed another convoy run to the AlfaJumble at the Alfa Workshop in Royston on Sunday 11 October. A few of our number had stands there, and many were delighted to pick up bargains. The old AlfaJumble was always very enjoyable end-of-season event, and Jamie Porter's smart workshops proved a perfect home for it this year.

Coming up soon...

By the time you read this we will have enjoyed a visit to the Breakfast Club car meeting at the RAF Cosford museum near Telford on 1 November. Our squad had a very good morning there last December despite freezing temperatures, making the required early start well worthwhile.

On 11 November, Peter Cambridge will have given us a talk at our regular meeting night at the George & Dragon about his time with Prodrive as a senior developer on the Brera S project. Peter was introduced to us by section member Peter Brailsford who works for Bilstein/Eibach at Barwell where Peter C now does consultancy work.

Many of our members will be manning the club stand at the NEC Classic Motor Show again from 13 to 15 November. Always a very enjoyable event, fingers-crossed we'll beat the target of 40 new members signed up there last year too.

For our meeting on 9 December, we're having a special Curry Night followed by an illustrated talk from our illustrious club chairman Ed McDonough. This will covering a host of things from his various experiences with Alfa Romeos and motor racing to the many characters he's met over the years, which should be really good. We're holding this in a private room at The Griffin Inn in Swithland (LE12 8TQ). The cost is just £10 a head, payable in advance, covering the meal and room hire. (General bar menu will be available). Please contact me by email if you'd like to attend, and to arrange payment. (N.B. Should Ed not be able to attend we will have some alternative entertainment along with the meal.)
Our New Year Meal will be on 8 January from 7.30pm at La Torre Italian restaurant on the High Street in Coalville. We had a great evening there last time, again, if you'd like to go please contact me in advance. One other regular event to be held again will be the Skittles Match against the Ferrari Owners' Club, now in its twelfth year, which will be held at The Griffin Inn on 26 February.

To get the very latest info on all of this and more, please see our local website www.aroc-uk.com/cem which will soon contain our full event calendar for 2010. Also, our free monthly eight-page printed newsletter, 'Alfisti', is posted to around 150 local members, and if you'd like to go on to the mailing list as an active member, please contact me by email at aroccemids@tiscali.co.uk

Cheers!

John Griffiths

NORTH WEST SECTION

 

Our monthly meeting at the Whipping Stocks was well attended as usual with a lot of the conversations still taking place outside in the car park even on a chilly October evening. It was great to welcome Richard Murtha from the Lancashire section to our meeting who had brought along a draft copy of the Lancashire Sections 2010 calendar. This calendar features professionally taken photos of the Lancashire section member's cars. Not quite 'calendar girls', but nearly as erotic for us 'Alfisti'. It is an excellent and professional calendar and costs £9 + postage. The calendar has a limited run of 200 and is being sold at cost + £1. The extra £1 is being donated to the local Air Ambulance service. It was good to see Mike Hughes looking so well after his recent heart attack and it is clear he is now making a good recovery, Dave Armstrong brought along his new 159 2.4Ti having recently sold his BMW 530D M Sport. Dave was delighted with it especially after having it remapped by Gus at AlfaTune. He was particularly pleased as it had been delivered faultlessly by Chris Variava in Nottingham and after covering 2500 miles in its first two weeks it was running in nicely and was still fault free. John had also taken delivery of a new MiTo which he was very pleased with. The MiTo replaced his 159 which he had been very disappointed with.

It was also agreed that we would again hold our Xmas/New Year meal at the Leigh Arms in Prestbury on the 21st January 2010. The cost would be around £20 and Marinus would be collecting deposits at the next meeting.

Some of our members had intended to visit the Classic Car show at Palexpo in Geneva on the 26th September and had booked EasyJet flights from Liverpool to Geneva for around £35 inc taxes. EasyJet decided to cancel the outgoing flights a few weeks beforehand! Disappointing, but at least the money was refunded. After introducing the idea to members from the C & E Midlands section we had arranged to meet them at Palexpo on arrival. Their flights arrived from Luton at about the same time as the flight was due in from Liverpool. At least their flights were not cancelled and a great time was had by all! Some of the section members are looking to try again but this time for the Geneva Motor Show in March. Alfa Romeo is using the Geneva Motor Show to launch the Milano.

Darren Ward has agreed to organise the 'Scuderia Italia' stand at the Tatton Park Classic Car Show again. The event is scheduled for the 5th & 6th June 2010. Whilst this usually forms the basis of the North West's Sections summer event, it is open to all Italian Classic Cars. Last Year 97 cars were on display over the 2 days and again the stand won the award for the best display. 6 years ago 'Scuderia Italia' was the brainchild of Stan Hughes who was dismayed to find very few Italian cars at Tatton and so used it as a way of redressing the balance.
The event will give an opportunity to mark Alfa Romeo's 100 centenary.

Our next meeting will be held at the Whipping Stocks on the 19th November but no doubt many of our members will meet up at the NEC Classic Car Show which runs from the 13th-15th November.

Dave Armstrong.

WEST MIDLANDS SECTION

Having recently returned from a really great visit to the Republic of Ireland once again, it is time to advise you on what else has happened in the region recently and what will be happening in the near future. I'm sure there will be a full report on the Ireland visit elsewhere in the magazine, either now or at a slightly later date.

'Giro di Staffordshire' was a happy occasion again in spite of the odd glitch, causing a few folks to wander rather too long in the wrong place. Sunday the 7th September turned out to be a fine dry day in the middle of a very wet period, so we counted ourselves lucky on the weather front and the pub lunch venue turned up trumps too. All in all it was a satisfactory event, enjoyed by members from three different regions.

The worthy winners were Gweneth and Stuart Merton, who became the lucky recipients of a valuable prize kindly donated by Budgens, the Alfa dealers in Shrewsbury. In second place were David Macfarland and Joy, who had the added distinction of being the only ones to identify any of the pictures! They were closely followed by Nick Clancy and Heather in third place, with Ben Cotterell and Aggie taking a well-deserved fourth. Chris Owen has kindly offered to plan the route and the questions next year, in spite of not being the winner - well it would never do to run the Giro di Staffordshire in Yorkshire, would it! There, Chris! It's in writing now so there will be no getting out of it!

By the time you read this we will have enjoyed another Breakfast Club meet at RAF Cosford on Sunday 1st November. Some of you may remember that a number of members of this section joined with others from the Central and East Midlands section last year at a similar time to park up with lots of other car clubs and enjoy the sights of the aircraft museum, not to mention the bacon butties in the restaurant! Details of future meeting dates etc can be obtained from the following website : www.midlandsbreakfastclub.co.uk

Now for the vital information about our annual dinner get together. This has been booked for Saturday 30th January 2010 at the same venue as last year, The Granary at Shenstone near Kidderminster. We shall follow the same format as last year also, choosing from the regular Saturday night menu, this year priced at £18.50. We shall gather from about 7pm for sitting down to dinner at 8pm.There are some hotel rooms provisionally booked, so make sure you state you are part of the Alfa group when you make your reservation. Doubles will be £70 and singles £60. The Granary's telephone number is 01562 777535. Please let Audrey know by mid-January if you are coming - you can telephone 01785 812859 or send an e-mail to johnaudrey@talktalk.net if you prefer. About 30 people enjoyed this event last year and I expect rather more this time. A number of us also enjoyed a very pleasant walk in Stourport on the Sunday morning before returning home.

The usual monthly meetings at the Lyndon House hotel in Walsall, held on the third Monday of the month, continue to attract the faithful few plus some new faces recently. This is good news. If you are reading this and haven't yet called in to see what it is like there, please do not hesitate - come along and have a chat. You'll have missed the October "Competitions Evening", but the November meeting may include a "Talk" and the December one usually includes Christmas nibbles and even Tiramisu!!
Look forward to seeing you.

John Watt

 

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