HARD TOP RELAY LIVE BLOG

[Steffi]

Congratulations Adrian,

fantastic pics, wonderful locations

So next weekend when the hard top is coming to us, we will do our best

Simply perfect

[MeetwithDamien]

Great pics, Adrian... I must say the colours you that you were able to catch on that mono colour TF are fantastic... Never seen such transformation in colour..... Well done.. ,

[John W]

Well done Adrian, Dave, Mike and AndyW, not sure how I can even get near to top such a fantastic day you had, will post Damien and my pictures and blog soon for the last leg from Bushy park to Brooklands..

[MeetwithDamien]

Well done Adrian, Dave, Mike and AndyW, not sure how I can even get near to top such a fantastic day you had, will post Damien and my pictures and blog soon for the last leg from Bushy park to Brooklands..

John, pics just finishing on Photobucket only took 123 today so.....lol, Don't worry won't be posting all... But some general shots of the day

[MeetwithDamien]

Ok Folks, So I do tend to take alot of pics but here is a selection that covers the day..... 123 taken but here is just a taster to get some up...

[GGypsy]

Although the relay has now come to an end in Lincolnshire, these pictures are from a selection taken on Thursday 6th Sept 2012. An early morning start at RAF College Cranwell, a Lightning stop at Thorpe Camp then on to share a drink with Guy Gibson at The Petwood Hotel before finishing at Halls Garage ready to pass the hard top on to the next MGF.

[adrianclifford]

Damien, I cannot understand the way the paint "works" on Dave's car. I've seen Steve's Bittersweet for a few thousand miles across Europe change colour so many times, Dave's is exactly the same, even a small change in position or light and certain parts of the car change colour.

Here's a random shot I took on his front drive the other morning :



Here on the M2 :



Just amazing really.

[adrianclifford]

Last night Andrew and Alex kindly bought the hardtop back to Dave and I so we can take it on it's journey to Holland and Germany next week. They fancied fish and chips (as they missed lunch earlier) so Dave took some pictures of Andrews car still with the hardtop in place on the Southend Sea-front :







If you didn't know Andrews car, you weren't expecting that.

[lizandkeith]

On Sunday, 9th September, Liz and I drove our LE500 to Runnymede pleasure park in Surrey where we collected the hardtop from Andy, who had driven down first thing from Essex. Paul and Cliff also joined us there. Together, we drove in convoy to Royal Holloway College, where we got a great shot with us parked on the lawns by this splendid building. We then drove to Windsor Great Park, where we transferred the hardtop to Paul. The others will pick up the story after that! I've included a few photos.

[TimM]

A big thank you to everyone for the Finish yesterday at Brooklands, even Andrew & Alex found it eventually after breaking down in Kingston - at one point we didn't think we were going to get the Hard Top back to Essex again for it s Lap of Honour to Germany this week, but Andrew's roadside repairs got the car going again and they turned up in the Paddock at the end of the day just in time to take it back aorund the M25.

I was sent a picture this morning, and I think its the only we've got ,of the Hard Top being spotted actually being driven on a leg of the journey. It happened yesterday morning on the M25 as Andrew and Alex were bringing the Top back to Surrey . Gemma Noakes, who is not a club member and who knew nothing about the Relay, took the photo from her van as she passed.

The Hard Top with Andrew & Alex spotted on the M25 on Sunday morning by Gemma and Danny passing in their van

[John W]

Sunday 9th September 2012

Meet Damien at Weybridge 10:30, for journey to Bushy Park, arrived approx 11.15, baking hot, and a very busy car park, while waiting for Cliff and his convoy to arrive Damien took a look at the local wildlife, good shots of the Deer.

Davek in the racing red arrived approx 11.30 after a gruelling 45-minute drive from Shepperton (less than 11 miles away), I think you all know what’s coming up next! At 11’40 I phoned Paul to see what their ETA would be and Paul’s reply was 20mins!, well at 13.15 still no sign of Cliff or Paul and Andy, phone’s now very hot trying to arrange alternative meeting point, as cars from the Bushy park car park were taking 30 mins plus to get out, then came along the Lone Ranger (well 2 park rangers really) so I asked if they would be prepared to show us a quick way out, so of we went across the grass fields in a cloud of dust and bemused onlookers, a red racing MGF and a Silver MGF with Union jack ribbons on front chasing a green pickup with orange lights flashing..and YES we then had a call from Paul to say they were in the park but where! So our Lone Rangers spoke to Paul and arranged they stay put until they take us to meet them, off we all go this time driving on wide footpaths, down authorized vehicles only roads to a secret gate. Again to bemused onlookers.

Our Lone Rangers found the lost tribe, and off we all went to find this secret gate at the end on the park, when we arrived the ‘WhizzKidz’ hardtop top was exchanged in double quick time, as it was now 13.45 and the Chief MGF’er Tim was expecting us at brookland between 13.00 and 14.00 as lunch had to be ordered before 14.00, our Lone Rangers also had to be back on duty, so a sign of MG friendship we took a picture of them, the Lone Rangers opened the secret gates and off we set to Brooklands.

Davek suggested that we take a diversion, as the Hampton court bridge was at a standstill, on our way we found Andy & Alex Watson nursing their MGF, so like good MG’ers we shouted ‘do you need help’ Andy’s reply was ‘go on lads the Hardtop must make it to brooklands’ so we all carried on, by now our convoy consisted of The Racing Red MGF as leader, me and Damien in my MGF with the hardtop, Cliff in his Red TF and Paul in his red MGF.

On the way back we had to stop off at Weybridge to pick up Damien’s TF, and all onto Brooklands, where we were all met by Oli waving the finish flag which had the 2012 Olympics Logo on, Tim taking different angle photos of us all..

A quick park up and then all off to the Club House for lunch, after lunch it’s back to the dedicated MGF Register ‘WhizKidz’ Relay parking area, and how wonderful to see Ron & Heather Goddard turn up in their very special and rare ‘GOLD’ TF Stepspeed, I have to say it made my day. So that’s it folks, an eventful but wonderful day.

Damien's pics are in the posting above

[Bigfootmgf]

Here are a few pictures from an eventfull day as John has allready said..... every where we went on sunday it was very busy

[TimM]

It was a fitting finish at Brooklands, often thought of as the spritual home of MG due to MGs pre war racing heritage here. Bronze (ish) , Silver and Gold cars were our Medal winners in front of the Brooklands Garages and the red, White and Blue, cars were opposite beside the Jackson Shed to make a patriotic show . The Harely Davidson's were in force in the Paddock before we took the Hard Top around for some photos.

Plans to bring the event full circle by travelling the Olympic Cycle route back to Weybridge from Hampton Court were thwarted due to dragons - well heavy traffic caused by the Kingston Dragon Boat race anyway !

John Wheeler fittingly carried out the last leg from Bushey Park to Brooklands as he had come up with the intial idea in the first place ! (Thanks John)

Andrew & Alex eventually found their way to Brooklands after some technical difficulties and the Hard Top was put back on their car again for the return journey to Essex to get ready for its Lap of Honour this weekend to Germany and back .

Have a guess at how many miles the Hard Top covered in the UK and the Lap of Honour in the General forum......

If you would like to support all the people who put a lot of their own time and effort in to the Relay thenplease make a donation to Whizz-Kidz using our charity web page http://www.justgiving.com/mgfregister2012

It's been great fun and fasciniating to watch its travels over the last seven weeks - it's just like the Olympics - what do we do now its all over (bar the Lap of Honour) ?

Here's a few more pics from the Finish at Brooklands.......

[John W]

John Wheeler fittingly carried out the last leg from Bushey Park to Brooklands as he had come up with the intial idea in the first place ! (Thanks John) ?

Thanks Tim for the mention, however you must take recognition for the effort of the planning, and of course we must not forget ALL of the 'hardtop'ers' who spend so much time and fuel in making this wonderful event happen, I truly hope that other members will dig deep into their pockets and make more donations small or large to help the disabled children of 'WhizzKidz'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mOBg6Al ... r_embedded

http://www.justgiving.com/mgfregister2012

Looking forward to seeing the MGF Register 'Hard Top Relay Photobook' when they start to come off the press, price TBA however will include a donation to our 'WhizzKidz' charity.... shall we start a list?

List
Johnw

[andywatson]

We will have a copy John.

[Mykel]

Just a few pics from the first day of the European "Lap of Honour". Today we met in Thorn in the Netherlands to start our weekend tour around the Niederrhein area. More photos will be coming over the weekend and after, when everybody has returned home and emptied the cameras' memory chips.

Today we had six people taking the hardtop for a ride along some nice roads through three countries. I couldn't take a photo of myself and to my shame must admit that I forgot to take one of Herbie , who did the last stint to the hotel. But these will soon be added.

Tomorrow I will take it along all day, as the others go on a roadbook drive and me ("the staff" ) will be at the respective destinations early. Where I will get out the tin to attract some passers-by to dig into their pockets

'Nuff written, here's the photies:

The first cars having arrived on Thorn's "Wijngaard" (vineyard) square:


Dave (who brought the ht over) explaining its mounting to Steffi:


Steffi and Colin trying to fit it to Steffi's TF ("better do it the other way round"):


The most important moment -- filling the tin:


Our first stop -- lots of MGs completely illegally parked in the market square of Maaseik (Belgium):


Steffi putting on her sticker (Cologne MGF/TF natter):


Next please -- Adrian assisting Klaus ("British Steel") to put the hardtop on the Cool Blue:


Back in the Netherlands -- Dieter taking over in a very personal location:


Finally (well not really finally) we have arrived in Germany -- at the westernmost point of the country. The border runs between the rock and the signpost:


Into Germany and off with the hardtop from the German car ...


... which means out of Holland and on with it on the Dutch car, Ton's Sienna gold MGF:


That's it for today, stay tuned

[TimM]

Looks like a good start to the Lap of Honour - looking forward to some more pics soon.

Congratulations to everyone who has donated to Whizz Kidz - we have now reached our target but please keep those donations coming in.

[colintf]

well done Mykel for getting the idea of getting the Hardtop over into Euro, and danke for a great weekend.

Shame the diary that has done the rounds in the UK with the hardtop didn't come over to Europe as well though

The hardtop was last heading along a German autobahn on Adrian and DAwn's car with Dave and Rhona in hot persuit heading for Holland, in the dark

[Herbie]

I'd like to add my tuppence worth as well and would like to say thank you so much for being part of this great cause
What a brilliant initiative to get it over on the continent, what an honour !!! Well done Mykel, quite a memorable moment within a more than memorable weekend

Here are a few pics from me





On mine ... gosh I was proud !


My sticker (hope it'll stay on for a while)






Group pic with ladies






Back to Adrian

[colintf]

great pics Herbie. great to see you and share the laughs with you as usual