For all those quivering with excitement to find out just what it was I took on the Slow-Run of NMCR '08, it was in fact (fanfare) a 1991 Batricar Aire 3 mobility scooter!
Oh yes folks, this small, red, rather plasticky, rather Persex-laden vehicle (
I never actully said it was a Peel! I had on loan!) was the I.C.R's transport of choisce to reach the giddy heights of 8mph through the lanes of Wiltshire on the way to Calne Locks to watch the K & A canal being filled up by all that falling out of the sky....
So why a Batricar? Well, as most of you all know by now, all the MoT testers round my way are refusing point-blank to even concider testing the Mini-Comtesse, then shortly afterwards our very own Cuscus47 of this forum (Ian Hellings) had bought the aforementioned Batricar on eBay & asked me if I would store it for him prior to it being shipped out to the States. With it then safely tucked away in one of my sheds I suddenly pondered the facts that mobility scooters are exempt from Tax, MoT & insurance, so why not use it as a means of sticking two fingers up at the buerocrates that insist on such things, thus waylaying the Comtesse, & doing the Slow-Run after all. Approval was granted by Ian & the Run was done. Admittidly I didn't do the entire 20-mile course, but that was soely due to the fact that the batteries are rather past their prime & thus would never have lasted the whole distance anyway.
On to the rally itself and no doubt it will be remembered as the year the rain
ALMOST won. By early Saturday morning the camping field & show fieald were both well & truely waterlogged & totally unpassable, but not to be beaten, the rally was just moved onto the hardstanding around the muesum buildings themselves with the public cars, vans trailers etc. parked on the outside road, easly streching for a quarter mile in both directions at one point on Sunday afternoon. I'll let the photos do most of the talking, but in my opnion, National '08 was still a roaring succses & a damn good, enjoyable rally regardless of the weather. So stuff the moaners!
A typical scene from the middest of Show Day
My personal star of the show. And it was for sale too. - Ooh, if only it wasn't electric.....
John might recognise the car on the right, it took all day but I finally managed to get the pair together.
Mike Clarihew & Grant Kearney on one of the drier patches of ground in the original intended show field.
