A new venture for Region 5, and a great success as Barry Dolton reports PHOTOS COURTESY
he North West Region's new regional event, Porsches at Arley Hall, on September 26 exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic member of the organising team, and, in a year when many events were blighted by rain, having blue skies and sunshine for most of the day was the icing on the cake! To be more specific, as reported in the RS column of last month's Porsche Post, we exceeded each of our three key targets by about one hundred per cent. Hence, the organising team has every reason to be pleased with the outcome and deserve a pat on the back for the six months of hard work that went into achieving it. It would also seem - not least from the many complimentary remarks on the Forum - that members found the event's combination of traditional car festival features and family attractions to their liking. The venue proved ideal, with what Chairman Andrew Kenyon aptly called the '[acobethan-style Hall' itself providing both an ornate backdrop to the event and vantage point on its roof from which Phil Graham was able to get pictures of the entire event area. Its awardwinning gardens were awash with autumn
OF PHIL
GRAHAM
flowering plants, and members who found time to go into the Hall endorsed its reputation as one of the most appealing historic houses in NW Englarid. Come lunchtime, the Tudor Barn Restaurant became the focus of attention for those who had not brought a picnic, while others repaired to the picnic area or made use of the tables and chairs around the RS refreshment centre.
"HAVING BLUE SKIES AND SUNSHINE FOR "-MOSTOFTHEDAY WAS THE ICING ON THE CAKE!" Enthusiasm for the event on the part of PC Wilmslow, without whose early promise of support we could not have even contemplated going ahead, and among the North West's independent Porsche specialists was selfevident, both from the scale of the exhibitor stands for which they opted and the sophistication of their displays. Faced with tough competition from the independents,
PC Wilmslow pulled out all the stops in the run-up to the event and arranged for the official Porsche Mobile Exhibition Unit to be the centrepiece of its display on the Hall Forecourt, Quite a challenge given the limited time available for setting-up. Well done to all concerned and a big thank you to Steve Webb, PC Wilmslow Dealer Principal, first for having confidence in RS's plans and, second, for all the diverse support he gave us. It was likewise 'all go' from 0800 on the day for the event's other commercial supporters at the opposing ends of the event arena. Away from the Hall, the Porsche independents and other car-orientated exhibitors were pouring in with car transporters, their own exhibition units and even a Winnebago or two. At the other end, the trade stallholders were putting up their gazebos and setting out their wares. Perhaps because they had less to do individually than our over-stretched team, in what seemed a surprisingly short time all was calm among the Porsche independents and the traders, and they were ready for visitors and customers. Later, on the one occasion that I managed to have a walk around the event arena, it seemed the former were attracting a lot of attention, ~
whereas the trade stalls as a whole seemed less popular. All, however, warrant our appreciation; they are listed opposite. Of the various entertainment attractions we had planned, only the laser clay pigeon shooting came to fruition. By all accounts it proved very popular, with, on the one hand, some keenly fought competitions taking place, while on the other a few would-be sharpshooters found their aim wanting. Apologies all round for the missing attractions, not least to the boys, both young and not so young! We were let down, and regrettably that meant we let you down. Order prevailed at all times - I'm told - in the R5 refreshment centre housed in the marquee borrowed from Club HQ. From there, my wife Keri and Nette Graham, along with their team of stalwart helpers, kept us all refreshed throughout the day. Had the weather not been so kind to us, space inside the marquee would no doubt have been at a premium, but, as it was, it was the tables and chairs with their cheery red and white umbrellas (also borrowed from Club HQ) that were in demand. They, together with the marquee and R5 flag, became the rendezvous point for members and guests alike, and having the Club's cut-away 996 alongside provided an apparently welcome diversion for male members while their spouses surveyed the nearby trade stalls or simply dallied over their tea or coffee. More than 40 cars were 'booked' in advance for the '60 Years ofPorsches' display, including the Betty Haig pre-A 356 and a Panamera 48 that constituted years one and 60 respectively, and most of the key gaps were filled on the day. Regrettably, the 914 model series remained unrepresented and we didn't manage to get all the cars in the right order, but there were plenty of fabulous cars on view. Each had 4
1 The Porsche Centre Wilmslow stand was a focus for the event 2 The refreshment centre was busy all day 3 The '60 years of Porsches' display taking shape 4 '60 years of Porsches' early arrivals 5 A Langley Car Club 'rogue' appeared in the Concours area 6 The Porsche independents' displays were popular 7 Arley Hall's renowned herbaceous border
ARLEY HALL
"THE ORGANISING TEAM HAS EVERY
REASON TO BE PLEASED WITH THE OUTCOME" its own display label indicating model and year of first registration, plus engine size, top speed and 0 to 60 time. The display thus demonstrated both the changes over time in the physical appearance of the cars we so love and the development of their performance. I am grateful to each and everyone who agreed to put their car in the display, and if you were one of those who did not receive your commemorative plaque, please contact me so that I can send it to you. The Regional Concours attracted 20-plus cars, spread over four classes defined by date of first registration, plus a Visitors Class, and, as you may have read in November's Porsche Post, Register Director Barry Smith considered a number of them worthy of entry in the Club's National Concours. The judging was very kindly undertaken jointly by Marc Clowes of well-known Porsche independent Ninemeister and Andrew Kenyon, and my thanks go to both of them for their contribution. My thanks also go to Chris Sanderson of equally well-known 928 specialists Loe Bank Motors, who, although unable to be at the event, very generously ,. sponsored all the Concours awards.
The planned Guest Club displays fell short of our original expectations. Nevertheless, some interesting cars owned by mem bers of the Langley Car Club were on display and earlier in the day a couple of Aston Martins put in an appearance. TIPEC was well represented, as was the PCGB 928 Register. In recognition of the latter group's planned presence, Chris Sanderson also sponsored an award for the Most Original 928, won by Register Secretary David Hemmings' S4. I could not conclude this account of the event without thanking the many volunteers who helped with the setting up and dismantling, and throughout the day. I will not try to name them here and in all honesty I could not, since quite a few just stepped forward when it was apparent we needed help and I do not know all their names. You know who you are, however, so many thanks for your help. I must, though, single out for additional thanks those of you who manned the two entry gates for long periods without respite. Other people should have taken over from you after an hour, but ' something went wrong with the system, And I must also thank Keri for her extraordinary patience over the six months prior to the event, when I know it seemed I had no interest in anything else! •
Porsches at Arlty Hall 2011 will take place on September 11, with a main display entitled 'Porsches in Competition '. Wt> will thus be seeking a wide range of circuit and rally cars to be exhibited.
Thanks are due to the following event supporters: Auto Smart, Black Code, Bobby Wheelan, CES (UK) Ltd, Happy Beef, Heather Evans, Jasmine Motorsports Ltd, Loe Bank Motors, Ninemeister, Porsche Centre Wilmslow, Riverford Veg, Snow Blossom, Sports & Classic, Tech 9, Unit 11, and Virtual Eventz.
Concours Results Class 1
(up
to 31.12.73)
Winner Lindsay Gray 356A Cabriolet (There were too few entrants in this Class to warrant a Runner-up award) Class 2 Winner
(1.1.74 - 31.12.89)
Runner-up
Simon Clough
Class 3 Winner Runner-up
(1.1.90 - 31.12.99)
Class 4
(1.1.2000 & later)
Winner Runner-up
Cecil Henry
Class 5 Winner
Steve Platt
Runner-up
Steve Taylor
Martin Renshaw
Steve Kings Rob Sharp
Jim Robinson
~911 SC Carrera 3.2
993 RS 968 Sport
996 Turbo Cayman S
(Visitors) 944 Turbo SE 944 Lux
Lindsay Gray's car also achieved the highest points score, so was the Overall Winner. Lindsay will be presented with the Vincent Mansueto Memorial Trophy at the R5 December Club Night. which she will retain for 12 months.
Porschepost january 2011 www.porscheclubgb.com
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