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| Sun | Wash | Hang | Why doesn't it... |
Friday 20th
There weren't any set plans for Friday, just an option to go to
an event called 'Issy's lost files' at the Longbridge plant near
Birmingham, organized by Mini Magazine.
Since we didn't know what would happen during the M.I.N.I. Curry
dinner and planned on going to Silverstone on Friday too, we had
left that one a bit open.
I got up around 9-ish I think, did my zombie-routine again and
had some breakfast....I think :)
As we would be leaving for Silverstone that day (with or without
Jan-Willem's Mini), we started breaking up camp.
Carl got all of his stuff out of my tent and Van and would be
riding with the others from there on.
I got a call from Boris telling me he and his friend Avi were at
Heathrow and I told him I'd pick him up in about an hour.
I then called Andy at Scott's place to tell him they had arrived,
since he would be bringing Avi down. He said he would find place
to put as well Boris and Avi and there stuff in his Mini and
bring them down, which would safe me a round trip to London. So I
called Boris again and told him Andy was on his way.
Turned out later that Andy took a bit longer than planned because
he had a flat that needed attention.
With the logistics again settled I then proceeded to break up
camp and help the other doing so.
We paid the people at the pub for the extra days we had stayed
and then left for John's workshop.
There John, JW and Carl were well on the way and we hung out in
the sun again waiting for them to finish.
Andy, Boris and Avi arrived and Andy and I set off looking for a
tire-shop to get his flat fixed.
Although John's directions were immaculate and Andy and I are
rather good navigators, it took us some time (and asking around)
to find one.
The good news was that the tire could be fixed, but it would take
about an hour to do so, so we returned to John's workshop again.
There some sandwiches had arrived again (I never did find out
where those kept coming from, probably from Eng75Pow HQ :) and
the Mini was about ready to be started....which it didn't.
Fault-analysis was started but didn't resolve the problem. So
John suggested that instead of all of us hanging out there all
day, he and JW stay behind to work on the engine and the rest of
us set off for Silverstone. That way we wouldn't arrive there
late in the evening and would have ample time to set up camp etc.
And so it was decided. John and JW stayed behind, leaving one
Mini in case they wouldn't get JW's Mini to start and after Andy
had collected (and fitted) his tire we drove up to Silverstone.
Yvonne being the slowest in their 850 drove up front and at one
point rather suddenly decided to give Carl, her passenger a go at
driving it.
A decision she might have regretted later, since Carl drove it
like he had done Andy's British Open on the way back from John
Cooper Garages, not realizing the vintage car he was driving now
still had the original (drum) brakes :) During the swap Andy and
the MTB 'pursuit van' got separated from the rest of the bunch,
not to be reunited till the turn-off for Silverstone. Traffic
towards Silverstone was directed onto the backroads which were
clear, something that couldn't be said of the main road leading
there. Just before arriving there JW called me to tell me that
they had gotten his Mini to run and that after washing up and
grabbing something to eat he and John would be driving up too.
At arrival MTB decided to stick with the rest of the bunch and
set up camp on Henwood farm too, instead of the other camping
they had been planning to go to.
Arnoud had informed me that contrary to earlier information there
was ample space on the Silverstone campsite on Friday and since I
already had booked for Saturday and Sunday, I went across the
street to get my booking sorted.
Getting a site for Friday wasn't a problem at all, but since the
admin office had just closed they couldn't help me sort out the
booking for Saturday and Sunday. (I was on their list for those
days though, which was a good sign) Driving up I spotted Henko
who told me where Arnoud's caravan was and I set up the tent next
to his lot. Arnoud got back just after we had finished and he,
Boris (who was sleeping with me in his/my tent) and I crossed the
street to where the others had set up camp.
Some more IL-ers had arrived and we went over to say hi to
them (and look at Spag replacing yet another headgasket :) before
heading back for a BBQ at the MTB HQ. This sort of had become a
ritual that week, so we enjoyed another evening of eating,
drinking and yelling together (Rock'n'Roll comes to mind
:).
Later in the evening John and JW arrived, with the two Mini's and
JW celebrated the fact by spraying his best champagne all over us
and the car.
The rest of the evening was spend looking at other Mini's,
talking to other Miniacs and keeping ourselves (and others :)
warm. And again the later it got, the more profound the
conversations became. When it was time to go to bed, I had a bit
trouble 'focusing', but Carmen took care of me and made sure I
made it to my tent all right. This (again :) had been one of the
best days and evenings that week.
