Oily's MG Blog - Oily Hand's Life with MGs

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Croft Retro & Classic Weekend - Sunday

4/8/2019

Once again we took Numbum to join Middlesbrough & District Motor Club on their stand.

Most of the people there were welcoming as we were in a car, not on a bike, but a few were not. Comments like " What's that car doing there" and "Why don't you park it over there with the other cars". One man in particular was more obnoxious than the rest and the fact that we were members of the club, and there with the agreement of the organisers didn't seem to make any difference to him.

We had an early track parade which was good as it gave us the rest of the day free, but not so good as there were few spectators there so early.

The classic racing bikes track parade followed ours so I stopped to take some video before returning to the stand.

When we got back to the stand our previous spot was taken by bikes and discussion suggested that they weren't going to be moved any time soon so we were stuck with nowhere to go. The great guys from the Croft Classic & Sports Car Club came to our rescue and moved one of their cars to make some space for us. Thanks guys!

Once that was sorted it was time for refreshments before heading off for another wander. Thanks again to Pam for some of these pictures.

We spent some time on the banking watching the races but sadly the races we like had much smaller entries than previous years and were not very exciting.

Once again we met friends old & new and had some good craic.

The atmosphere was subtly different from previous years and it took us some time to figure out what it was. The "nostalgia" element wasn't there. Fewer military displays, 30s/40s re-encators were missing. The music was from much later years. Croft had grown better and better over the years and was deemed by many to be the Goodwood Revival of the north. All gone in a flash. We spoke to one stall holder who caters to the re- enactors and he said it was the worst year for trade in all the time he had been coming to Croft. "It was hardly worth the effort" he said.

The pre event publicity was pushing the 60s & 70s with no mention of the earlier years. This must have felt like a slap in the face to all those who had played a major part in the event in previous years and it's no wonder that they weren't there this year.

The usual best dressed competition was held again today and I wasn't dressed for it.

Despite that just after I'd sat down about half past two I was approached by a young lady inviting me to be judged again. Judging was at three so it was a quick gulp of coffee and off to the marquee. I didn't win this time. I came joint second with all the others who didn't win.

Soon it was time to head for home after an OK weekend. It cerainly wasn't as good as previous years.

Croft Retro & Classic Weekend - Saturday

3/8/2019

Yet another name change for what was Croft Nostalgia Weekend. I don't see the point, but Hey Ho, that's life.

Once again we took Numbum loaded up with chairs, provisions and camera gear and we joined Middlesbrough & District Motor Club on their stand.

It was a fairly relaxing day and we chatted to friends old & new and wandered around looking at everything that was going on. Thanks to Pam for some of these pictures.

One of the features of this event is the people in period dress and a competition for the best dressed man & woman. There are Croft staff wandering around selecting people to go for judging and I was asked if I would like to take part. I was pleasasntly surprised at this and presented myself for judging at the appointed time. To my amazement I was chosen as the best dressed man.

A bit of history about the suit. My daughter was married the weekend before and my now son in law chose the suits for the males in the wedding party. It seemed a shame to wear it once and just stuff it in the back of the wardrobe so I decided to give it another airing. It was a bit warm but worth the effort.

Croft Nostalgia Weekend - Sunday

9/8/2015

Today started out much cooler than yesterday with cloud cover and a chilly wind. We arrived at Croft early as the instructions said expecting a long queue. There wasn't one and at the noted closing time for entries the field was less than half full. Cars were still coming in at lunchtime which makes a mockery of the instructions.

We did the usual walking around interspersed with trips back to the car for refreshment. It was on one of theses visits that we had a surprise.

There was a young lad looking at the TA while his dad was looking at the car next to us. I asked the lad if he wanted to sit in, which he did, and I told his dad there was a photo op for him. After taking a couple of pictures the dad said he knew me from somewhere and asked where I lived. I told him and it turned out he was the guy who bought the white GT we saw yesterday. Thankfully he had no complaints and was really enjoying the car.

We watched some of the racing before out track parade time came round.

Then it was back to the embankment to watch the racing. Real wheel to wheel stuff. Seeing a Mustang spitting flame going in to Sunny In and the chasing Lotus Cortina locking up the left front was thrilling stuff.

There was a lull in the racing at 3 o clock for the Avro Vulcan display. The beautiful aircraft is in its final year of flying as the airframe is coming to the end of its flying life. It's such a shame but it can't be helped.

I only managed to get a short video clip. I was using full zoom on the camera and it was difficult to follow it.

We stayed till the end of the last race and quite a few had left before us so the queue to get out wasn't too long. It was, as usual, a great weekend and if you get the chance to go, don't miss it.

Croft Nostalgia Weekend - Saturday

8/8/2015

We loaded up old Numbum for an early start to help erect the MGCC Tyne Tees Centre display shelter but when we got there it was already up so we had a cuppa & chatted before wandering off to see the other exhibits.

With it still being early there weren't many cars about but still plenty to see & photograph.

While we were wandering through the classic car lines, we spotted an MGB GT which looked very familiar. We had a good look around it and were almost convinced that we were right but it took a photo comparison at home to comfirm it.

Yes, it was the GT I sold a couple of years ago, converted to chrome bumpers and a much improved interior. The owner wasn't around to chat to so we left and carried on with our day.

Period dress is encouraged and I'd been considering it for some time and this weekend I bit the bullet. I already had the cap & goggles and I found the white overalls for the princely sum of a fiver and I was set.

Most of the afternoon was spent on the banking watching the racing. Our favoutite spot is on the straight between Sunny Out and the Complex which gives us a good view of the action.

All too soon it was time to set off for home and it was on the way that I had an oh dear moment. The road home has a few roundabouts with good sight lines and if the road is clear I like to have a go. Drop into third, a touch of the brakes to steady things and power through. Today the application of power produced a good sized puff of blue smoke. I guess it's eaten some valve guide seals. I can't complain as apart from a broken crankshaft a while ago, this engine has stood up well to the abuse I give it.

Croft Nostalgia Weekend - Sunday

3/8/2014

The BGT was already loaded with tools so it was just a case of loading the food & drink before setting off again to Croft. We arrived early so I could hopefully get the TA fixed before too much of the day was lost. We were so early, they hadn't opened the gates when we arrived.

Once we got in and parked up, I set to on the TA. With it jacked up and supported, off came the wheel and the drum securing nuts. The drum wouldn't move at all so it was out with the hammer. There is little space between the inner wheel arch and the drum so I couldn't get a good swing at it apart from at the bottom. The drum finally came off after over an hour of bashing, sweating and some choice words.

Getting the stuck handbrake linkage to work properly again took more time than expected but finally the shoes were sitting where they should and it was time to put the drum back on. It went fine until the last quarter of an inch and it wouldn't go any further. Much messing about and checking later a friend spotted that some areas of the drum weren't clearing the lip on the backplate. Doh!!! While bashing the drum off I had also bent the lip on the drum. This required readjusting which took an age. Finally some four hours after I started, it was back together again.

While this was going on we heard that the parade laps were cancelled because they didn't want to risk mud on the track. Just before I finished the TA, they were back on again but too late for us with the TA. The BGT was booked for a later one so all was not lost.

Now it was time for a rest before setting off to see what else had arrived for Sunday. The field was considerably fuller today.

Because of an accident in one of the mornings races, the timetable was way out of whack for a while and it was later than expected when we did our parade lap in the BGT.

A big surprise was when a couple came up to us and said that they used to own Numbum. They sold it to the friend I bought it from back in 1970. We'd met them once before in 1982 when they saw us on the Beamish Reliability Trial and had lost touch since. It was gratifying to know that they watch our videos to see what we do with the car. It was great to meet them and we had an enjoyable time.

We hadn't seen much racing at all so it was good to get sat down on the banking and chill out. One of the races was another round of the HSCC Bybox Historic Touring Car Championship with the Minis, Cortinas, Anglias etc. The track was dry today and as the Cortina driver said yesterday, the Cortinas were in front this time.

Finally, it was time to pack up & head for home. We helped to pack up the MG Car Club stand, threw he rest of our gear into the BGT and hit the road.

One of the things missing this year that we enjoyed last year were the bus trips round the circuit, but I suppose it's difficult to fit everything in. We had a great weekend despite the troubles with Numbum and our grateful thanks go to all who organised, marshalled both on the field and the track, and the drivers who gave us some great racing. Thank you all!!

Croft Nostalgia Weekend - Saturday

2/8/2014

We had both the TA and the BGT booked in for this great weekend. The weather forecast wasn't good for Saturday but better for Sunday and true enough it was raining a little when we set off.

The rain eased off as we arrived and we parked up where instructed and set up our shelter for the forecast rain. The Tyne Tees Centre of the MG Car Club were setting up the club stand so we wandered across to help out. While doing this we were asked to move our cars as the initial position wasn't what they wanted after all.

We finished setting up and were invited to join the stand so away we went to move the cars and shelter. The TA has had a slightly binding rear brake for a couple of days but it wasn't too serious until today. With damp grass providing little traction the sticking brake meant the old girl wouldn't move under her own steam so it meant a bit of pushing to get it away. Eventually we got both cars moved and the shelter set up again.

The plan had been to leave the B overnight and travel home & back in the TA but as I didn't have the any gear to fix the TA, that plan was revised and the TA was left overnight so I could fix it on the Sunday.

After a cuppa & bite to eat, we set off to see what there was. All of the military stuff was there but most of the cars turn up on Sunday. With the wet today, it seemed like some had decided to stay home. Thanks to Pam for some of these pictures.

The paddock areas had some great cars.

Chatting to the driver of one of the Lotus Cortinas, I asked how he felt about his chances. He said that if it rained, the Minis would be out in front, but if it stayed dry he was likely to be ahead of them. Sadly, it rained just before their race and as he predicted, the Minis did walk away with it. We were on the straight between Sunny Out and Complex and the Cortinas were opposite locking it round Sunny and struggling for grip on the straight.

We stayed to the end and had a great day. I was a passenger on the ride home in the BGT, something I haven't done for a long while. I was pleasantly surprised to be reminded how smooth it was in that seat and it didn't feel as fast as we were actually travelling.

Once home I loaded up the gear I would need for the TA tomorrow and settled down for a relaxing evening.

Croft Nostalgia Weekend 2013

4/8/2013

Saturday & Sunday were great days. The weather was kind and really warm down by the cars, but windy on the embankment and chilly when the sun vanished behind the clouds.

We took the 71 BGT and joined up with friends at the MG Car Club Tyne Tees Centre stand. This was early Sunday morning before the place filled up.

Saturday was spent wandering around the trade stalls, watching the racing and chatting to folks. There were quite a few cars there but far more on the Sunday.

Sunday was the busy day. We had to be there before 8.30 to register for the parade laps so had plenty of time to wander about. We had a stroll down the pit lane. You can tell it was early as some cars still had their PJs on.

This year the parade laps were spread out though the day and we had an early slot. It was an enjoyable couple of laps. The marshalls joined in the fun too.

Here's a couple of the later ones exiting Sunny Out.

During the lunch break we took a bus ride round the circuit.We were only supposed to have one lap but we got one & a half. Typical, you wait all morning for a bus, then you get this.

A Jet Provost gave us a great display but I'm rubbish at videoing flying aircraft so you'll just have to believe me when I say it was superb.

It wasn't all vehicles. There were fashion shows and entertainment thoughout the day.

As we were wandering about I was snapping anything I thought looked interesting.

Turn your volume up for this one! I've seen the Griffon run at previous shows but this was the first time I've seen the Alvis Leonides

Many people spent many hours to provide us with such a super weekend. The drivers, the exhibitors and the organisers did us all proud. Thank you all. I'll be looking for next year's date.

Croft Nostalgia Weekend 2012

5/8/2012

Saturday and Sunday were two days of automotive bliss at the Croft Nostalgia Weekend.

Classic motor racing, displays of cars, buses, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, military vehicles and some flying displays were all there to satisfy every petrol heads dreams. For the ladies and those not interested in things motoring, there were fashion shows, stalls selling 1940s fashion and a George Formby impersonator.

This year the weather couldn't have been better with bright warm sunshine until late afternoon on both days when there was some rain. The event must have been blessed because areas not far away had torrential rain and flash floods.

We travelled the massive distance of 10 miles in the MG TA and parked up close to the Tyne Tees Centre of the MG Car Club and the Tees Valley MG Owners Club. As we are members of both clubs we had plenty of people to chat to.

One of the features of this event is the number of people in period dress.

With so many people to chat to and a the full race calendar running on both days, I didn't get many pictures taken, but here they are.

The racing was superb.

The parade lap on Sunday morning was great. We had a blast and they must have been feeling generous becuase we got two laps. Sadly the video cam took this moment to go mamaries skywards, so no video of that.

We did take a couple of bus trips round the circuit.

There were a couple of flying displays.

While wandering around I came across an Austin Healey 3000 which looked a little different from the other highly polished examples, as it looked well travelled. Talking to the owner I found it was indeed well travelled as he was on his way home from Le Mans and called into Croft on the way. Seeing a beautiful car being used as it should be was just superb.

All in all this was a stunning weekend and I fully appreciate all the work that goes into making it a success.

I Love the Smell of Castrol R. Croft Nostalgia Weekend.

7/8/2011

I love the smell of Castrol R, otherwise known as Croft Nostalgia Weekend. Pam & I owe a great thank you to Don Dalton for the introduction and Alan Donowho of the Northern Midas Group, for the invitation to this super weekend. Despite the heavy rain on Saturday afternoon, which stopped the racing we had a great time with a friendly group of enthusiasts who also had some pretty cool cars.

The tent was a great idea, and I made full use of it after most had left on Saturday, by parking the TA in it to put the hood up. It was the first time since 1982 that I had driven with the hood up.

Sunday was a better day for the weather. It was cloudy and windy but at least the rain held off.

We had a chance to drive round the circuit, which was great fun. When I had the space, I gave the old girl some welly and thought I was flying, but it doesn't look like it on the video.

Alan snapped us on the way round and agreed to me using the picture here. Thanks Alan.

The afternoon's racing was phenominal, and it took me back to the 60s when I used to marshall at Croft. Cortinas, Anglias, Minis, E Types, Mustangs, and many more. Oh the memories!

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