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Click on a pic to enlarge it!
This year was my fifth L2B, but it
was very different for me this year as it’s my first year on the LSMOC
Committee. After all the planning in the months running up to the show, it was a
great relief when the day actually arrived.
It started for us on the Saturday afternoon, when we all met up
at Crystal Palace for a briefing meeting before the gates opened. I’d already
put my run plaque on my car (oops) and it quickly became the centre of
attraction with everyone looking to see what it was like. I was amazed to see
how many Minis were already arriving in the lower car park, well before the
gates opened. Once the cars started going in, we parked our cars up in a line in
front of the arches and watched all the lovely Minis arriving, choosing their
pitches and putting their tents up. In no time at all the smell of barbeques
drifted across the park, making us all feel very hungry. We felt pretty thirsty
as well, seeing the beer cans coming out all around us, we were all driving that
night, so we couldn’t join in! The atmosphere there was great, and lots of
people came up to talk to us. Later on we left the park and met up with some of
the people from Red Bull in Croydon, where we spent a very pleasant evening –
the only trouble we were all clock watching as we knew we had a very early start
the next morning! After about four hours sleep I crawled out of bed and met up
with some of the others for our own mini Mini L2B run. Unlike the rest of you it
took us about 45 minutes to get there, with a convoy of six cars and hardly any
other traffic around! We arrived at Brighton at 6.00 a.m. and started to help
putting the show together. I had certainly never considered how much there is to do
behind the scenes at Brighton before everyone arrives. The road was closed
either end and people assigned to check everyone coming in and out, and
directing the traders and club stands to their pitches. We then started shifting
the metal barriers to mark out the Gymkhana and concourse areas and put up the
club stand for regalia. One fun part was getting rid of the cars parked on
Madeira Drive overnight – although there were big signs by the parking ticket
machines saying the Drive would be closed, lots had just parked there
regardless. It was great fun seeing all the non-Minis being towed away by
Brighton Council. Time just flew by, before we knew it the front runners
started arriving and I was given some concourses classes to look after. Then the
flow of cars just seemed to stop! Apparently there had been an overturned
caravan on the A23 which had happened just as the front runners got there, but
everyone else got stuck behind in an enormous Mini traffic jam. I think most
entrants arrived eventually, but heard a few stories about overheating and
breakdowns, which was a real shame. However everyone seemed to cheer up once
they got there! I really didn’t have much time to look round the traders
and club stands, or the gymkhana, but from what I did see it looked a really
good event. Certainly we’ve had loads of emails and messages on our website
from satisfied customers! Our new regalia lines certainly seemed to go down well
with everyone, the stand was continually busy all day which was good. The
concourse had some really nice cars, Mike Cooper presented the prizes for us,
and there was a new award this year for Club Stands – the John Cooper Cup,
which went for the first time to the Christian Mini Owners Club. It was good to
see that the Car of the Show award went to an LSMOC member, Paul Welfare, and it
wasn’t a fix – it was chosen by MiniWorld not us! The only criticisms we’ve had about the day were problems
with the toilets at Crystal Palace (provided by Bromley Council, needless to say
we’ve complained!), and the traffic – both of which were out of our hands.
The weather was really good to us this year as well, which is always an added
bonus. All in all it was a really enjoyable day, even though we were all
exhausted at the end of it. Thanks to everyone who helped out, and to all of you who came
– we’re already looking forward to next year!
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