National MicroCar Rally 2011 update

[Grant Kearney]

37th National MicroCar Rally
September 1st – 4th 2011

The 2011 NMCR will be hosted by the Bug Club at The Atwell~Wilson Motor Museum, Calne, Wiltshire.  At this event we are going for the world record for the most microcars in one place.

World Record Attempt:  Preparations for this year's Attempt are progressing very well, with lots of positive feedback from clubs and individuals so we hope we will make that magical 200 cars on the 4th of September.
Back in 1986 at Burford, when the last recognised attempt for the ‘most microcars in one place’ happened, there were 185 vehicles recorded. Twenty five years ago Guinness Records recognised this event and we hoped that this would be the case again.   Despite our best efforts over a sustained period, we find that they now no longer monitor this type of record and can't be persuaded otherwise. However, this makes us all even more determined to make sure we do break the record last set in 1986!.  NMCR administrators will acknowledge the official numbers attending and will record details of every Microcar on a certificate of attendance which will be awarded to each owner.  Further details will be recorded on the NMCR website.

 
Rally Programme:

Thursday 1 September - campsite opens at midday.

Friday 2 September - short afternoon Road Run, to a local place of interest.  Evening bar in the on-site marquee.

Saturday 3 September - Road Run / Treasure Hunt of around 60 miles, visiting places of interest in the surrounding countryside.  Make sure both your microcar and your brain are in tip-top condition!

Evening bar - and quiz! - in the on-site marquee.

Sunday 4 September - the traditional show day at the rally site, where we hope to beat the record 186 cars which attended in 1986.

Food:  on-site catering will offer breakfasts and light evening snacks on Friday and Saturday - and throughout the day on Sunday.

Costs:

Rally entrance / Rally pack    £6.00
Autojumble / Club stand £10.00
    
Camping:    Motorhome / Caravan £12.00 per night
                     Tent  £10.00 per night

There are toilets and washbasins on site, but no showers.
There are no electric hookups.

And ... New drainage! New Gravel Roads!  

If you came to the National held at the Museum in 2008, you'll remember it got a tad (!) muddy.  Well, things have changed since then.  The site owners have had the field fitted with land drains and a gravel road laid right around it.  A new gravel roadway also runs through the gateway and up into the camping field, where the grass will be cut short prior to the rally, ready for camping.

If you need any further information on the 2011 Rally, please contact Jeff Ellis at jeffrey.e@ntlworld.com

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Rumsters
Those who are going to the National this year, do you think we should have our own Rumcar Stand. Which I presume is an area where all the Rumcar registered cars collect and we can have our own Gazebo.

I only ask as I expect all the other clubs and registers have their own stand and would you guys like one?

If we do then I need to organise it. It also has the advantage that we can promote the register of Unusual Microcars and also sign up more people to Rumcar News. The more subscribers we get the lower the printing cost per copy.

What do you think Ladies and Gents?

Chris Thomas

[Jonathan Poll]

Dear Rumsters
Those who are going to the National this year, do you think we should have our own Rumcar Stand. Which I presume is an area where all the Rumcar registered cars collect and we can have our own Gazebo.

I only ask as I expect all the other clubs and registers have their own stand and would you guys like one?

If we do then I need to organise it. It also has the advantage that we can promote the register of Unusual Microcars and also sign up more people to Rumcar News. The more subscribers we get the lower the printing cost per copy.

What do you think Ladies and Gents?

Chris Thomas

I find that is a great idea!

We will probably stay for one day though, propbably the last one.

JP

[Bob Purton]

Hi Chris. I think we should have a stand, Jean did this for many years so not a new idea but it would be good to revive it. Not sure about rum registered cars assembling at the stand though, would there be enough room? Or did you mean rumcars owners assembling there? Go for it Chris especially if you are making the tea!

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Bob

How is the National set out, is it in vehicle makes, or clubs or no order at all. If it is like Bromley the club has an area  on which you cram as amny cars as possible. Others they seem to line up in makes. Having a stand could mean with the cars if they were together or away from the cars near the entrance and organisers. What would you think would be acceptable?
Also to man the stand may require three people to allow time for each person to do their thing and see all the exhibits, so who would like to help?

I think I need to speak to Grant and Co.

Chris Thomas

[Bob Purton]

Hi Chris. The lay out varies but usually in lines of makes. Club stands usually are just for promotion/spares and not for displaying the cars themselves but of coarse we could break the mould! It would depend on the space availible. Last time the National was at Calne it was a swamp and we displayed our cars on hard standing all around the site, it was chaos. Now with a drained field and hopefully better weather it will be a good venue. I would love to help Chris but it clashes with our Holiday, I may make it for thursday/friday if er indoors lets me.

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Bob

Thanks for that brief description.

Work has gone mad so I could only manage the Saturday afternoon and the Sunday myself.

I will speak to Grant

Chris Thomas

[Big Al]

Hi Chris. The lay out varies but usually in lines of makes. Club stands usually are just for promotion/spares and not for displaying the cars themselves but of coarse we could break the mould! It would depend on the space availible. Last time the National was at Calne it was a swamp and we displayed our cars on hard standing all around the site, it was chaos. Now with a drained field and hopefully better weather it will be a good venue. I would love to help Chris but it clashes with our Holiday, I may make it for thursday/friday if er indoors lets me.

Given that there was a rescue mission going on I thought Calne was quite good as it mixed folks up. I am not totally in favour with separating cars all the time. Some folk will then not mix. It is the mixing that creates the interest and the vibe. A balance to be struck. Actually pulling all the oddball cars into a RUM area might provide the very thing to initiate interesting discussion. I would be less favourable for an IOC stand doing the same as that would create fort BMW and not be helpful overall, but would be fine for Isetta owners. A tricky thing to get right and a very good reason for differing venues and organisers. The events that stick in the mind were the ones that offered something different or managed to create a vibe greater than the pool of people present by the mix of organisation. Strangely another good event was the Berkeley one by the now departed John Lee in the small field that everyone complained about. Again it mixed it up. A second would not have been as good. Weston Park on the other hand worked due to the huge space, that did not suit everybody either.

[Bob Purton]

I cant remember which year it was but Tony Marshal organised a National up MIlton Keynes way at a country park with all the makes of car mixed up in the field at random as they arrived, it made a change and we all enjoyed it just the same. I wasnt complaining about the last Calne rally, it was a natural disaster of too much rain leading up to the rally and during. The Bug Club turned a disaster into a relative success under the circumstances.

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Bob

I have emailed Jeff Ellis and he has replied as follows: -

The cars are normally lined up by makes (But I'm not normal) so if you what a club stand that would be fine by me and I'm in change?
 
so I would need to know how many cars you think will be there, you can put your club gazebo on the stand but please don't make it too big?
 
as for location that depends on how much room you would need but I will find you room some were on the field.
 
if you got a ruff idea of stand size then let me know.
 
Or you can have room for a 3x3m gazebo along with the other and the auto jumble stands and line the cars up with all the rest in some sort of make order?
 
we only show the cars on Sunday but if you have a club stand there is no reason why you cant have it on Saturday as well.
 
hope this helps   JE

So it looks like we can have a designated Rumcar area with a Gazebo and a place where we can promote Rumcar.

The next question is how many cars do we think will want to be on the Rumcar stand. People like Malcolm Thomas may have a few cars there and have them in different camps, same with Grant K and a few others.

For me to go back to Jeff I need to know if this idea has legs and how many cars we could expect in the Rumcar area?

Answers not on a post card but on this web page.

Chris Thomas
 

[Stuart Cyphus]

 But don't forget nor deplete the tradition of the Plastic and Metal car lines...

[Bob Purton]

So you need a Gazebo and a minimum of about six cars, enough to make people stop and look. Best target people who will already be going with there unusual cars and ones that have a regular slot in RCN, maybe starting with a Nobel, Frisky, then a few things more exotic. I guess you could even requisition a few cars from the main line up on the day with the owners consent of course.  A few stakes and some high vis tape to define the area and your in business. Just my take anyway. Sorry I cant help as I wont be there.

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Stuart

Can you expand on this statement "But don't forget nor deplete the tradition of the Plastic and Metal car lines..." as I do not understand not having been to a national before. also I am a bit thick.

Chris Thomas

[Bob Purton]

What Stu means is after the one make lines of cars i.e. Messeschmitt Heinkel etc there comes the catagories, "other metal cars" and other "plastic cars" . It wouldnt be good if all these cars were on the RUMcars stand and none in the appropriate line.

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Bob and Stuart

Can you explain why they feel they need to seperate the metal from the plastic body vehicles. That sound illogical to me. Why seperate them?

Surly a Powerdrive next to a Coronet would be perfect.

Is it me!!!

Chris Thomas