V8 Column for May 2005
published in Safety Fast!, the award winning monthly magazine of the MG Car Club
This month we have news of the next V8 Gathering at Hazeley Heath in north Hampshire, an early reminder of the annual International MG Meeting at Silverstone in July, and an early notice of the V8 AGM at Silverstone.

The next V8 Gathering at the Shoulder of Mutton on Hazeley Heath in North Hampshire is on Sunday 22nd May from noon. It's a popular event with V8 enthusiasts and other MG members too. Bryan Ditchman will be there to greet you and Steve Thorning (the landlord who used to have a V8) offers Sunday lunch or tasty bar snacks. The pub is easy to find as it is north of Hook and south of Reading. Full directions and maps are available on the V8 Website.

The International MG Meeting at Silverstone over the long weekend of Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th July will have the usual warm welcome at the V8 Marquee alongside the dedicated car parking area for V8 enthusiasts. The V8 Marquee is a popular gathering point for V8 enthusiasts where you can meet the V8 gurus Geoff Allen and Bryan Ditchman, visit the spares stall run by the V8 specialist Clive Wheatley, and obtain copies of the workshop notes CDs at the special Silverstone discount prices. New members will find a useful briefing note on the V8 Website with details of how to get to Silverstone, how to find the V8 Marquee, details of the programme of events over the three days, and useful web and telephone contacts for booking local accommodation for the weekend.

On Friday there is the popular visit to the independent brewery at Hook Norton followed by lunch at the Pear Tree Inn nearby. As the brewery is tucked away down the lanes in rural Oxfordshire, there is a location map with helpful directions on the V8 Website. During the afternoon the practice sessions for the two day programme of motor sport will be in full swing. In the early evening there is the annual informal supper at the Star Inn at Sulgrave. Again there is a location map and directions on the V8 Website.

On Saturday the V8 Marquee is open all day, there is a full programme of track events, one of the largest gatherings of MG traders' stalls with spares and books, and the Club Marquee will have an anniversary display of MGA cars. In the early

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Glacier White 0321 registered by Andy Goves from Wiltshire in December 2004 was restored by Swattons Sports Cars and is now a stunning example again. (Photo: Andy Goves)

evening there will be a V8 BBQ run by Walter Kallenberg and John Targett with a case of wine generously donated by Al Barnett, and later musical entertainment by Walter and Mike Maude-Roxby! The V8 BBQ should be well attended this year as the traditional annual Club Dinner is not being held at the Circuit this year.

On Sunday the V8 Marquee will be open, a full programme of track races, driving tests and a concours. Unfortunately the very popular mid morning track laps sessions will not be held in 2005 as they have been discontinued for safety and insurance reasons. The V8 Annual General Meeting is traditionally held at Silverstone at 12.30pm on Sunday 24th July to enable as many members to attend as possible. It is thoroughly democratic - the whole of the V8 Committee stands down and a temporary chairman of the meeting then conducts elections for a new V8 Committee. Do attend if you can.

New registrations continue to surge and are recorded on the "Welcoming new members" webpage of the V8 Website. The popularity of the V8 Register is stronger today than at any time - the enthusiasm is seen from the many useful technical tips on the V8 Bulletin Board and contributions to both workshop notes series are clear signs of how members can share their experiences and knowledge of the V8 powered models. The hit count on the V8 Website has grown strongly since Christmas and has broken through an extraordinary 6,000 hits per month, a clear sign the V8 Register continues to be the leading group for V8 enthusiasts!