Always something of a lottery, weather wise, organising an event in the UK on a bank holiday, and this was no exception. From an exceedingly hot 27C on Thursday when mowing and track cleaning was the order of the day, down to around 10C and a biting north easterly wind by Sunday that did the flyers no favours at all. Thursday was also a commercial booking with the regional finals of the schools rocketry contest. Someone said that 'they would not come to Buckminster because there are too many rules', but our rules are as nothing compared to the rocketeers that one teacher enthusiastically explained to us. The results sheet at the end of the day had as many DQs as it did scores?

Fridays are now becoming the most popular running days, although Lyndon Bedford had not arrived, nor had Charlie Murphy from the US, but more of them later. Gerry Best had his latest acquisition ready to go, a OS powered, Stelling Wilma Monza car one of the very last produced. Gerry also had a variety of wheels and tyres via Oliver and Hugh to try out. John Goodall and Ian Harper brought a unique piece of Oliver history, the one off, narrow track, twinshaft built by John Oliver from bar stock, the last engine he ever built, installed in a Swedish Slabang car. Ian is running this at Orebro along with John and his 100mph, more standard version. They were using the opportunity to get settings established before the job of rigorous cleaning to get the diesel powered cars on to the aeroplane. John Oliver fell foul of this and had to leave his cars at the airport on a previous trip.

The 3.5cc FEMA cable had plenty of use, David Giles checking out his NSC Class 3 car before Kapfenhardt, which was showing 150mph before being shut off. Hugh had his Class 3 car, now retired from international competition with a timed run at 141mph and Gerry getting to grips with tyre sizes, eventually needing something in between what he had as the motor peaked out on the smaller ones, but would not pull the larger versions? Lynn fell foul of a design flaw that has plagued users of older Denneler gearboxes as the countersunk screw holding the outer wheel on is just not up to the job. The wheel does not go anywhere but just locks up the whole drive train. Later boxes changed this so that some re-engineering is required. Mike Francies did not have the best of days as his cars that had run so well last month just would not play, ending up with a score of brought three, broke three.

David Giles	Mike Francies' bench	DeWinton steam loco

Andy Soars had his two immaculate twinshaft cars and the beautiful Moore #11 The 2.5cc cars running as well as ever, but the 5cc bevel drive Dooling seemed to find a bump each lap that eventually put it on its back, much to the detriment of the GRP and paintwork. What Andy also had was a casting from the superb patterns seen in the SAM report, but now with a gearbox and Dooling 61 installed, all with his usual level of impeccable engineering. It is going to look amazing when finished.
 

Andy Soars' twinshafts and Moore #11	Moore #12 well on its way

Chris Maggs had a new hand built motor in his original Roadrunner, which with judicious twiddling of compression and needle added 10mph to its speed during the weekend. Ian Wingfield's two Oliver Redfins performed faultlessly after the winter lay off, but it was what was on his table that caused more interest. Over the last year he has built a beautiful De Winton steam loco, which now has a boiler certificate and was destined for a run the following day. Inevitably there is always a goodly selection of items of interest. Roger Gedge had brought along a gorgeous ETA powered B team racer that garnered much attention as David Giles was a noted B pilot before converting to tethered cars. It was also a model that still looked like an aeroplane, so got my vote.  Add to that an ETA 29 speed motor and the two original McCoy motors from Charlie Taylor's famous Razzamachas and an exceedingly rare AMRO, plenty to pique interest. A long day on the track with action into the early evening, but food and a pint beckoned.
 

Class B ETA team race plane	ETA 29 speed motor	Two ex Charlie Taylor McCoy 29s

Saturday and more arrivals, Jan Huning who is still young enough to have to work, Peter Hill on a first visit to Buckminster, Lyndon Bedford a day late after having done himself a mischief and needing to be straightened out through medical intervention and then Charlie. We had expected him the day before, but being Charlie he had bid on some cars in the auction at Bury St Edmunds, driven down to collect them and then driven back up to Melton Mowbray. It was a cue for enthusiastic gawpers to gather round his car to see what he had bought, including Lyndon in high dudgeon as Charlie had outbid him for an ETA car. If that was not enough, Charlie had also brought along a 1/8^th scale, electrically operated car hoist to service his cars. In his cargo case was a 1066 Conquest that should have a traceable history as it has initials stamped into the shell and a serial number, as well as numerous, carefully cut louvres. What was unusual was the Rowell MkI lurking inside.
 

Charlie Murphy's electric car hoist	ETA 29 bought on Friday run on Saturday	The elusive AMRO

By contrast, the OTW junior car thunders round at just over 100mph but then refused to start for a third run. Another duff glow plug, the second in three seasons, but nothing by comparison with poor Gerry when he was told to expect to do a plug a run in his 3b. Roger Gedge had his ex OTW Redfin that hovers around the 87-88mph level, as long as the cut off doesn't, but all too often it did. His electric cars perform faultlessly, apart from the new one, which did a series of gyrations after launch, turning the body into a convertible. A bit of super glue and the tracking adjusted and that was away. Still a bit behind Walt Wilson in the US, but at a fraction of the cost, and with reliability and no regular bonfires.

What we had not appreciated was that it was also Charlie's birthday, until midway through the afternoon MiJee arrived laden with a monster chocolate cake and a selection of sugar laden tray bakes for us all to celebrate with Charlie. The cake was just sumptuous with the topping inches thick pure chocolate, several takers for seconds on that, so thanks Charlie and MiJee. Thoroughly sated that was about it for the day as several people had other commitments on Sunday so were heading home.
 

Serious chocolate cake and tray bakes	Some of the 'happy scoffers'

Sunday was cold, with a wind that just whipped though you, weren't we grateful for the hangar, thanks Manny. Jan had decided to give his venerable 'schools' car one (or two) more runs, but it definitely signalled that it was due its honourable retirement, although still well into the 80s. Lyndon has been hard at work building a modern replica of the ETA 'Terry Special' with a very rare ETA 19 motor in it. When photos were posted on Facebook, Charlie commented that 'you will have problems with that tank' and so it proved. Uniflow tanks work in hydros and planes, but not very well in cars, so a quick hacksaw job to allow the tank to vent normally and it was away, assuming that any fuel had been put in said tank. A similar situation with another car that refused the best efforts of a starter until the stark realisation by the owner that it too had not been refuelled?
 

Lyndon's modern version of the 'Terry Special' with rare ETA 19		Charlie and Lyndon

Charlie was up to his tricks again, this time with a Hungarian car from the auction with a factory built twinshaft Moki that had never even been started. Again, a tether arm was manufactured, the engine freed off and away it went on its first run ever. No shelf queens for Charlie, although his Conquest never did turn a wheel in anger, until next time that is. That was about it as the first spots of rain required a hurried packing away and retreat to mull over the activities of the weekend and pack it all back in to car, did we really take all that?

Video action of Charlie's birthday bash  www.youtube.com
 

Trying to fire up the Rowell motor	Moki twinshaft	Two Conquests and a Borden

Thanks to everyone who helped set up and then put everything away, it does make it all less onerous. Next event is the three day SAM Retrofest 0n the 13th-15^th of June followed by a BTCG meeting the following weekend, busy busy busy.

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