MGF20 - 1st & 2nd August 2015

[colintf]

I’m off now to catch the boat from Dunkirk an 3pm UK time. See y'all very soon!

gutes fahrt Mykel

[c13amb]

The long range weather forecast is for a fantastic weekend. Hope the weather keeps up its side of the bargain!

Hmmmm!! Anyone local who can give us an update on the weather? Looks like its now saying cloudy with showers!!! Where o where has our summer gone??
Sunday looks better..but i can only do Saturday!!!

[TimM]

The show is on Saturday only with a road run from Gaydon to Longbridge on the Sunday. Forecast doesn't look too bad - having just organised a show last Sunday in a torrential downpour the weather is looking brilliant for this one !

[Keith Williams]

With less than 24 hours to go before the show opens, the weather has turned sunny. Well it is today in Coventry anyway and tomorrow is showing as dry but cloudy with a possible shower in the evening. This could all change though as it is the UK

MGF20 show opening time 10:00

Advanced ticket holders can start to arrive at Gaydon from 09:00.

On the gate sales will open at 09:30 so if you do not have an advanced ticket please leave your arrival time until then..

Please follow the parking marshals directions when you arrive and start to park up. As previously mentioned, we are parking as per the first couple of birthday bashes in car colour blocks. Please be patient when parking. We have 400+ cars pre-booked in, so our parking marshals will have their work cut out to park everyone. Overflow parking is already arranged and will be in action as we open.

Gaydon have opened their cafe early for us so you can get a tea, coffee or breakfast.

Look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

[floozy]

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to all for an excellent weekend.... brilliant to catch up with friends we've not seen for ages, those we saw just last week and our overseas friends for whom it has been far too long since we saw them last (we will try harder next year to take a trip over the water ).

There were so many different things going on from talks, to things to buy you didn't realise you "needed", to activities; it really was a fun day yesterday - even if I was a little scared about driving Steve's bittersweet with a bucket on my head - good work Kasper, car was returned dent free - I will be practising ready for the next one!

I know we often say for the birthday bashes "not Gaydon again" but it really does have everything we need (especially if the weather had not been so kind) but after that BBQ last night - I think they may have excelled themselves this time

Next one 2020?.... or are we having a "Coming of Age" party in 2016? [runs and hides before Keith sees this post]

Big thanks from us again.

Steve and Ali

[adrianclifford]

Ha Ha, well said Ali.

I have to say a very big thank you to our regional group here in Essex, they managed to do so much in one day, without that help, so much would not have been accomplished. Greatest respect to Mike, Michael, Peter, Nigel & Lynda, Malcolm, Ken, Tony, Bill & Angie, Andy & Emma, Steve & Angela and Ash.

The extra help given by Ali & Steve, Chris from the South Coast region, Ian from Thames Valley, Paul & Oli from the south east region, Kasper, Marina ( who stood in at the last minute to help park the overseas cars), Neil, and David from the Herts region was priceless

The committee organisation, although testing and frustrating at times was flawless, well done Keith, Tim & Liz, Nigel & Jo, Pete Rob and Ron & Joan.

Rob & Elaine from the south east along with David and Andrea's (Church Square Autos) and Martin Smith's generous sponsorship along with Peter Best made MGF20 one excellent event. Of course thanks goes to the MG CAR CLUB, MGOT, the MGOC and the many traders and who attended.

If I've missed anybody I'm sorry

Congratulations to the prize winners, the PoO standard is very high, I don't know how you keep those cars so clean, unfortunately Tim has the list of winners so I won't embarrass myself by forgetting anybody. Mykel finally managed to win the driving challenge, sorry Steffi and the loudest exhaust competition winner was a lady with a standard MGF Trophy, so all of us that have bought tasty sports exhausts, why ???, buy a Trophy instead

Our great friend formerly with MG/SAIC Ian Pogson was given a lovely award. I didn't get to hear any of the talks/lectures but from what I have been told, they were all good and worthwhile. Rob Bell, Steven Harper, Ian Pogson and Roger Parker from memory.

The BBQ and evening music was also very good quality, well done Graham and Gaydon

You saw some great cars, met some great people, I've met so many new people who write to me, it's lovely to meet new people and catch up with those we don't see that often.

Julia Marshall, who bought the first ever MGF and started the MGF Register as the first chairperson was a delight, she had so much to show us and tell us. She came third in the driving challenge although she hadn't driven an MGF for some fifteen years (I loaned her my TF) that's class

Back in 2005 I asked Dieter to become the MGF Register's rep in Germany, he was already the ace and the person to go to for data and advice, it was an easy choice. During the afternoon he "retired" from the role and handed over the magnetic roundel to Mykel in the Arena, thank you for those great years Dieter, I know Mykel will look after it very well indeed. mgfcar.de will continue and can only get better.

But most of all, thank you all for attending, there really is no event without the people who are our critics and judges.

MGF25, yeah, of course bring it on

[Neil Rushton]

Yes another excellent weekend except my feet were killing me after standing around parking cars, (although Adrian forgot me )
Nice to see everyone again especially the people we met in Luxembourg on the TdL.
Still trying to work out why the security guy wouldn't let me back into the BBQ room Sat night though, I don't think he liked my northern accent
p.s thanks to the Essex ladies who took Barbara off my hands for Saturday, I'll give you the £20 I promised you next time we meet!!!

[colintf]

Congratulations to all involved in MGF20, and especially the Essex Region who did a sterling job indeed. What a great day yesterday. That's set the ZR/ZS/ZT Register a hard act to follow with their Zed15 next year!!

It was great to catch up with everyone yesterday especially our overseas friends.

A big danke to Dieter for his sterling service and congratulations to Mykel for carrying on the great work that Dieter has done for us. No need for so many detours now though

[nigelandjo]

Thanks to everyone for turning up ~ without you there wouldn't have been an event.

The show was great. The evening BBQ was fantastic. The evening entertainment was 90's-tastic The run today was great (even if we did get lost) and always good to be at Longbridge.

Proud to be an MG owner

[talkingcars]

Yes, thanks guys for arranging and running the day. Unfortunatly I don't know any of the faces that belong to the people I talk to but was still a good day.

[Pete & Lin]

Excellent event and good to meet up with so many friends.

Well done to everyone who worked hard to ensure things ran smoothly.

Well worth the hours that I spent creating & maintaining the MGF20 website (although Adrian also forgot me as well Neil )

[Kasper]

Thank you all who made MGF20 possible and made it happen!

It was a very well organised event with above all a very warm atmosphere and it showed in every way. I was happy to meet all the kind people who were there in the old days and still are supporting the F Register nowadays. Lots of things have changed, the solidity, solidarity and friendship of the MG community remains the same.

Unfortunately the day was too short for me to meet all friends or join all the lectures I wanted to attend, what I saw was top class, new information and inspiring for future projects.

A special word of thanks to Fran and Erik, Rosi and Dieter and the Essex team, who made me feel part of their team.

Still a bit confused about the A46........
(Need a re-run of The excellent Sunday tour)

[colintf]

Excellent event and good to meet up with so many friends.

Well done to everyone who worked hard to ensure things ran smoothly.

Well worth the hours that I spent creating & maintaining the MGF20 website (although Adrian also forgot me as well Neil )

You did a great job with the website Pete
Many thanks indeed

[colintf]

Thank you all who made MGF20 possible and made it happen!

It was a very well organised event with above all a very warm atmosphere and it showed in every way. I was happy to meet all the kind people who were there in the old days and still are supporting the F Register nowadays. Lots of things have changed, the solidity, solidarity and friendship of the MG community remains the same.

Unfortunately the day was too short for me to meet all friends or join all the lectures I wanted to attend, what I saw was top class, new information and inspiring for future projects.

A special word of thanks to Fran and Erik, Rosi and Dieter and the Essex team, who made me feel part of their team.

Still a bit confused about the A46........
(Need a re-run of The excellent Sunday tour)

It was so great that you joined us for mgf20 Kasper.
Really looking forward to The Day Before

[adrianclifford]

Sorry Neil and Pete, I have corrected my missing thanks, apologies from me again.

Web based stuff is done out of sight in one's home but none the less it's very valuable and is usually the foreground of the pre-event that rises to prominence on the day when people see the programme for the first time.

Parking cars as well as you all did on Saturday is definitely foreground and big thanks to Neil for stepping in last minute to cover for an absentee. I think Barbara enjoyed her shopping day with the girls too.

Great team effort all round I'm proud to be part of it

[TimM]

I can only reiterate what Adrian has already said with a big thank you to all those involved in the pre-organisation and to all the extras who helped out on the day itself from the various regions.

I don't think Rob Bell saw much daylight as he was tucked up with the talks all day but I did prise him out to run the Shed around the Arena on one occasion. Thanks to the other half in our double act on the commentary, Adrian, - I hope we didn't annoy too many of you! Thanks to all our speakers - I managed to pop my head around the door a couple of times and they seemed to be going well. Thanks too to the entrants in the four competitions we ran during the day who added an extra dimension to the show by getting involved. The colour coded parking was a main feature and the Essex Team and others did a great job in getting that to work well led by Adrian who had planned it all in meticulous detail. Ron looked after the traders and even helped one out by filling his boot with bags. Nigel & Jo were on the stand just about all day meeting the members and selling the MGF20 souvenirs - Dave & Rhona were in the control point issuing certificates from our Register and also meeting and greeting. Thanks to my South East team who helped out with the POO and Loudest Exhaust competitions and for being the bulk of the entries in the Glo Cars! Thanks to Graham for organising the MGF20 party and to Keith for co-ordinating the whole she-bang and the Sunday Road Run which ended up in a 90 car convoy to Longbridge where I believe they saw the three Pocket Rocket taking us right back to the beginning. Thanks too to all those with featured cars, birthday cars, monograms and timeline cars for displaying their vehicles. Finally before I overdo the word Thanks - thanks to our main partners David Koskela from Church Square Autos and Martin Smith Used MGF/TF Parts who both had great days at the show (even if David had to take the bolt croppers to his trailer lock on Sunday!), sponsor Peter Best Insurance and all the other traders who supported the show on the day.

Thanks mainly to all those who came - we had nearly 600 F/TFs on site and a sprinkling of other MGs. From the feedback I've seen so far it seems everyone had a brilliant day , I know that I did!

[goody33]

Myself and Naomi had a fantastic weekend. Thanks to all those involved in organising such a wonderful event.

[fatbaldingoldgit]

I'd just like to single out the talks for a special thanks...I've never been to one of these events with talks before and although I missed the first 2 sessions that I intended to get to, sorry Rob and Mike...(was having Z&F remap my engine ecu)...I/we did attend the last 3..and I have to say that Ian and Steve were brilliant...what talented guys..thoroughly enjoyed their presentations...Knowledgable, engaging and funny...can't get better than that...As far as Roger's talk was concerned I misunderstood the subject and thought he was going to talk about a car he had built...I think you need to be a special kind of person to fully appreciate the detailed intricacies of the Longbridge assembly line...I clearly am not one of them...and his sweeping reference, no doubt meant in a jocular fashion, to the inability of women to acquire the skills to work on the line didn't go down at all well with my wife...so I hurried her away at the end before any damage could be done..

Nice one chaps...more talks please...or just a repeat of the first 2.

Great event...loved it!

[Steffi]

A great thank you from me as well. Everything is said, superb event

Is there a list of the cars that attended the exhaust contest with their official noise?
Would like to know my db

[Geoff.F]

We must congratulate our Chairman KW and his most willing Team of Helpers for an exceptional Show with an excellent turnout of MGF Enthusiasts showing that the "F" is not dead.
We met many old friends however especially Rosie and Dieter looking so well after his small hiccup. They well deserve their retirement.
We also met a Couple (Sandra and Trevor Hardy) who should have won a Longest Distance Medal. they were on the last stages of a 4 week European tour to finish with a visit to MGF 20. He wore a Jacket Embroidered "MG Manawatu" They came to speak whilst we were sitting in the car having lunch. He had a Southern Hemisphere accent and when we asked where they came from he gave the names of a few towns. Ah we said, from Central North Island, New Zealand. For our Sins, I had a 4 year job from 93 to 97 as a Manufacturers Tech. Rep at RNZAF, Engine Repair Squadron, RNZAF Woodbourne at Blenheim at the top end of South Island. Not bad as the Base was surrouned by vinyards and Wineries and there is some of the best sailing in the world just north in the Marlborough Sounds. I visited and got to know Manawatu well as the Flight Squadron was at Ohakea. The strange fact was that he knows Ohakea better than I do as he spent 27 years in the RNZAF. They have now returned to their Blue TF 160
MG Club NZ have a Number of MGF20 Functions this year so we may have to go and see the BankManager.
Geoff F.