(This site is best viewed at 1024x768 and is optimised for MS IE5 or greater)
Welcome to the Official Website of the Northern Roadsters Club
Website was last modified on 18/01/2012
Introduction
Formed initially from a group of like-minded people over a decade ago the informal club became official in October 2006.
Many members of the Club have a long history of competing in motor sport events, with members competing at a high level in Hillclimbs, Sprints, Autocross, Autotests, circuit racing, Rallies, and Navigational Runs. It aims to be encouraging to new members to start competing and then providing the stimulus for them to further develop their skills.
Many members of the club come to it with no competitive inclination, but simply a love of the hand-built car and the open road, and the cheerful friendship of like minded enthusiasts. The club runs many events to cater for these members too. Of course many competitve members like to join in with the social side too!
Our programme of events is formulated annually and constantly updated, and we welcome requests from all members. If people want to do it, in a roadster, and it's legal, we'll organise it! (Probably).
Our main object is to encourage interest in
enjoying wind-in-the-hair, seat-of-the-pants motoring in all its forms,
and our emphasis is on 4 wheeled hand-built or modified cars and
motorsport. Membership is open to adults of any age or sex with neither
age, nor type of car owned, precluding participation. It is not
necessary to own a vehicle to gain the benefit from our club as
armchair enthusiasts and spectators are just as welcome but members
active with their own transport gain the most.
As part of its communication process, the Club also publishes 'Torque
Tales', its own newsletter containing news and information for members.
There is a continuing need for willing helpers, both male and female at
our events and there is a vital and interesting role to be played by
anyone keen to act as a marshal or other representative of the Club.
Are you interested in finding out more? Then come down to one of the
events in our calendar, or our monthly 'first Friday' meet at The
Old Corn Mill, just off the M62 at Junction 25 (just
by Cooper Bridge scrapyard). You can then meet
the members of the friendliest motor club in the North, or apply for
membership by either downloading the membership form or by e-mailing membership@northernroadsters.co.uk
for details of how to join by snail mail.
Check our calendar page for details of our forthcoming activities.
Raw Striker North
==============================================
We are by no means exclusively a club for Strikers. Robert Sinclair cars (Raw Striker North) aren't either. They build, sell and work on Westfields, Tigers and indeed any kit, hillclimb, race or road car.
==============================================
NEW MEEETING VENUE
SEE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
Latest News
Stoneleigh
2012 On Wednesday before the show our man Mr.
Polish enquired of the organisers– “All OK?” “Same as last year” was their
reply. On Sunday, our happy convoy
rolled down the triple carriageway south & the Westieboys peeled off to
their allocated pitch. Our frozen bunch plus
the stealth camper arrived to find the Cattle Ring with gates all locked to
protect the ‘paddy field’ – well not quite all, there was one round the back,
and our frozen heroes provided a splendid 7 car display, not forgetting as
ever the ‘ Best Flags in the Park.. Sunday
saw a bright, dry but chilly day with a reasonable attendance considering
austerity times or a dread of the weather forecast with a good collection of
exhibits, but a not so large crowd show?
We liked the new Gardner Douglas GD T70-moda. Lots of bits were bought and compared but Mr
Polish is into wrap now to keep his cool.
Then just as he said his farewells the clutch cable snapped on the blue
bathtub. So off he trotted to The AA (we thought it was Alcoholics Anonymous)
whilst the rest set to and repaired it.
So by the time the fourth emergency service even had time to turn on the
amber light all was well for his journey home.
Jonny Redmist had a matching bathtub blue coat & chairs. A new event shelter and four sides was
purchased for the club at a ‘steal’ The non
camp convoy set off back with those remaining setting camp inside the sheds now
designated ‘Area 59’ although string a plenty had to be used to tie up tents
.to cars, beams pillars, etc.. At least
it would be warm with a dry pack up as the forecast was for more torrential
drought. Sec gave a guided tour of the campervan before
tripping off to the MNR party for an evening of food and frivolity. Monday dawned and after a leisurely luxury
breakfast aboard the Sec’s camper. A
second tour of the Exhibition Halls had our boys buying shiny bits and yellow
belts (guess who!), before an early run north starting as the forecasted rain
arrived just after 10.00am. We outran
the wet stuff north of
May
May May stop raining & get warmer soon !! Six cars braved the arctic night. Chris arrive looking like Huggy Bear in a
rather fetching hat, Bill announced Milly is 20 years old, Fencewrecker put on
the new windscreenless hood but where was OGL’s car? He wussed it as the Yellow Peril had only
been back on the road all but 1 day (MOT passed though) and had driven 10 miles
without using a horse trough full of water.
Sec arrived in the ‘stealth’ campervan which was filled with all things
needed for the show ‘cos his car has engine swap clutch woes. Andy showed off the new aero upgrades, Paul
the side vents Mr. Polish stood guard.
Sec mentioned a blow up mistress with real vibrating bits – or was it a
mattress? Jo regaled tales of mad cows
and some toreador tales whilst we all looked at Corben Button control tail end
skids on the pedal trike. Johnny Red
Mist wants the tuned ‘boat anchor’ when it is relisted back on the
Après
Avalanche April 8 bashed through the post drifts & rain to make the Easter
Friday meet, several off on holiday jaunts.
Stoneleigh plans were set and Sec is having the stealth support vehicle
this year. Winter refurbishment plans are
coming to fruition with garage activity having been done. Paul made a wish & the wishbone is back
on, OGL’s car heads off to more overheating so, off came the head, then on,
then off again and is now trying another head hoping this one won’t be hot
stuff like the other, Fencewrecker has a new diff, Mr. Tango is stopping the
tiger in his tank from smashing up to the bulkhead & Sec’s new yellowmobile
is immobilised but not for long. Absent
Mr. Polish has probably added another loving coat of Waxyweight to the Raw
bathtub.
Bills car celebrates 20 years of worldwide
potholes having covered over 60,000 miles. Jeremy Phillips builds ‘em well. Jonny Petrolhead told us fables of string
theory – not quantum physics, but physical teamwork between passenger and
driver used once to make windscreen wipers tied up with cord work after
failure. Babble topics this month:- “What is the future of automotive power” we
asked, - debates of electric motors vs. LPG vs. Hydrogen vs. diesel. Water gas came out on top but SEC thinks
diesel is approximately about 20% a ‘cracking’ fuel. We like the helmet cams on the F1 coverage,
Emerald vs. DTA ECU’s with the former winning cos we like backup over tech
which led to bike throttle bodies & potentiometer chatter and finished with
a side pod heat exchanger idea for a Fury – good until the exhaust blows !! We all departed pretending to be meeting in a
month but the secret 60th party looms on Easter Sunday.
March & AGM No OGL – but this time he had a good excuse, and he supplied an inspiration address along with the apology. Sec & the Treasurer held it all together and the Treasurer gave all present a great lesson in reading the Finance report to the end before asking questions! The team was re-appointed, things must be going OK, and the meeting closed quickly to allow the important business of planning for the shows – and buying a round – to get underway. Not many cars, but next month the Tax discs will had been bought and numbers will surely be on the up.
F F
F Freeeeeezing February saw 13 make it and Sec
brought the new yellow S1 and took a double take as he parked next to a yellow
S2 that was nothing to do with us.
Dressed all in yellow, ‘King Custard’ challenged everyone to a ‘hop in
& out’ competition with the hood up.
Bill came last but has a good excuse with ‘the leg’, ALG claimed a bad
back & OGL amused the crowd by extracting bum first whinging that his
shoulders were larger than the available exit hole. Double takes took another twist as Johnny Petrol
Head is the twin of Michael Rutter (autograph hunted to prove it). Jo brought
all her gloves firmly secured on a lead whilst Paul still only has three wheels
on his wagon. Talk of attaching paintball guns to ‘splot ‘annoying cars raised
a titter or two but nitro glycerine balls were
deemed a bit unfair. New member Clive will attend events driving all the way
from
New
Year, New Venue, & a new car for Sec – yes, yellow of
course and a new engine too. 11 of us agreed
Christmas was good to us all – we all got the ‘Senna’ movie & Sec got two
so, if anyone else wants a copy…….
Jo believes in love for all, well the
T-shirt said “Ja” anyway. Still she does have a soft spot for Guy Martin. Mr Tango was “sans sling”’ at last so, ought
to be in the one piece contraception suit & driving soon. Next
meeting there will be a run out to find another watering hole. OGL has one in
mind next to some water. The
Torque talk followed & Paul described
changing wishbones from inside the car upside down. Nobody likes the Top Gear Christmas show. Too
much of the same old same old so we’re switching to 5th Gear But a
debate of which is the best Stig, the middle Stig and the new Stig – who is it
this time?. There’s maybe a party (BBQ)
at Johnny’s in April, the traditional ‘summer’ before the rainy season. We don’t like train fairs but a cheaper route
was sorted by buying tickets in stages. . Mr Polish has been at it for a month now
and has finally got to the sides now. So
only another three panels left before the flies spoil it all again.
The anticipation of festive food and
feeling (only a fortnight away) boosted the expectation of our yuletide
bash. It didn't dissapoint. Christmas dinner was enjoyed by the
18 attending. SEC was adorned in yellow
from head to toe in support of the ‘Yellow Car Club’. Only one hiccup on the night – the “Yellow
Peril” had ticked two meal boxes wrong but The Mill came to the rescue with two
‘chosen’ meals rustled up in good time.
In fact we enjoyed it so much we are moving back to The Old Corn Mill (Wakefield Rd, Brighouse, HD6 4HA 01484 402161) for the January meeting onwards. A
mass barbeque was muted for April since the weather will be better than the
summer no doubt. Much jovial chitchat
and banter helped pass the evening all too quickly and as the midnight hour
approached we all set off for home in happy spirits. See you at the Old Mill on January 6th
folks !!
Dark,
Dreary Damp but Decent December & 11 chums are
looking forward to the Christmas party. Sec & Andy ‘the loners’ were
deciding who should wear a dress. Bracey can’t go - the babysitter is otherwise
employed but we will send him pics of the dinner so he can share! OGL’s
Head is OK it’s just the gasket maybe a tad too wide for the water
jacket/union. ALG has no bits yet but a
MX5 is the preferred route.
Mr. Polish now has a young contender to the
cleanest car on the grid so let competition begin. Round1; Mr. Polish opens with wheels off and
brakes & wishbones getting some shine, Andy raises him with a polished the
undertray. . Although Sec & OGL think that too much shine slows the car
down with talk turning to hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. The consensus is that the Ratt approach makes
for faster laminar flow with micro adhesion of air to a rougher body promoting
frictionless air flow over the panels (a.k.a. golf balls and America Cup yachts
!! Jonny Petrolhead has spotted a
K-Series bargain and may replace the boat anchor Pinto. Andy prefers the bulletproof C20XE.
Traction topic of tyres and track abrasion
– soft vs. hard ensued but Bill doesn’t care with the black stuff standing at just
£10 a corner. Stone chip plates made
from ‘helicopter rotor tape’ sound feasible.
Mr. Tango was still in the sling so couldn’t bring the car which meant
he didn’t have to put the space suit in half an hour before closing. Then an interesting discussion of what
constitutes ‘drunk in charge’ with references to campervans and key swapping
tales and entry only (non ignition) keys ??
Finally Stoneleigh is booked. Donnington
is back (with a track day) & hopefully a Westy Weekend at Blyton in July as
well.
Naughtiness
Night November 12 made it for mischief night but the deluge at 7.15 meant
that all cars stayed tucked up in nice warm garages. Even John’s who was
itching to show off his new 20v pride & joy Striker (yes another yellow car
to swell the custard colour ranks). Mr Tango turned up with his arm in sling
this month now wanting to be outdone by Mr. Polish last month. Hope it recovers
quickly Steve). ALG turned up clasping ‘The Book’…….. - How to Build a
Sportscar Volume 2 !). Talk soon turned to Christmas and the entourage decamped
to the Corn Mill to reserve a festive soirée on the 10th (see forum
for details). Once happily booked, Johnny
Petrolhead wants a Zetec SE to swap for
the boat anchor, he talked about torque
and Scooby Bashing at Anglesey, Mike has some cheap track day offered, Bracey’s
hungry for a R1ot so, decided to scallop out some chicken sticks to cool the hunger
pangs helped by’ Twin Brother’ Fencewrecker.. Bill likes bonkers blowers but
prefers turbos to chargers ‘cos the ‘force’ is free and blowers bash yer fuel
budget to bits !! Oh and we may now be
the owner of a spare set of striker body panels sourced from the
Orthodox
October - 12 merry bandits and 3 cars were briefly
joined by OGL on yet another curfew enforced by friends imminent arrival. Johnny Red Mist regaled old tales of Pinto
Woes & Breakdowns, Sec showed us he was a ‘union man’ by wanting some ali
welding on the two parts of the oil cooler outlet We all agreed that Bill will bend it when he does
it. We discovered that Mr. Tango’s car has a VERY
long accelerator movement, so much so to become quicker the best route to take
is to drive in clogs. Mr. Polish with
arm in sling now plus needs to get his bearings as he has gone very wayward at
the rear of late. ALG is finally into
some serious heavy metal and eyeing up single donor vehicles like MX5’s but its
BMW that gets his juices flowing. OGL’s
car is in dry dock following a water works problems but it’s not the pump,
gasket or blockage, so he’s off to the Boggs for bike carbs on the spare.
Christmas dinner will be the 9th
or 10th December with the venue to be decided (and sorted).
Swan Song September 10 cars and 19 lucky lads ‘n lasses pilgrimaged to a warm and entertaining night at ‘The Nuns’, but Sec let the side down & didn’t bring his car – “time ran out was the excuse !! Ranks were swelled by a few from the RHOC who turned up for our meet. Thanks to Justin for organising it. When his Robin Hood arrived Mr. Polish was heard to say “LOOK HOW SHINY THAT CAR IS”. (Jealousy is mirrored stainless steel). OGL Newlywed ALG wants a GTM Spyder & may get it past ‘The Mrs’s scrutiny. Bill was checking camber angles & OGL was checking fresh arrivals tyre temps before announcing he is going to put a header tank on the Yellow Peril,. Lou is looking forward to all the legs on show at the rugby, Jo thought her clutch was “too ‘ard” especially after the fifth attempt at parking bay juggling & lost her ‘dongle’ in the process only to be found in the air intake!. John was astounded at the price of VW anti-glare mirrors with cries of “£83 for the glass - OW MUCH’. Bracey was into his Zombies on the phone, Jonny Redmist’s car twinkles more than a Christmas tree in a shopping mall with all the reflective stickers blathered all over it. Chatter turned to dream cars - Ferraris to Smart Roadsters, and then K-series engines before Mr. Tango made the first move to get ready to leave, applying the space suit before being the last to finally go !!!
August 10 cars – including Jo in her new sumptouus GTM Spyder, complete with Corburn’s
seat, pram & nappy rack! ALG was insanely jealous & may have found a
route to automotive harmony at last !! OGL turned up in a tin-top, accompanied
with Minder Rachel, to ensure he left early on yet more ‘Family Business’ only
he spelt it ‘Rugby @ Twickers’. After much chattery, and a thorough inspection of the
Spyder, our happy band melted into the night. Sec left in a cloud of rubber
smoke – 'Boy-Racers’ indeed, it’s the ‘Old-Man Racers’ you have to watch.
Balmy July 12
cars (¾ Sylvas) & 17 bods turfed up. Clive now
holds the award for furthest club commuter with a record 200 miles although we
all thought it was to collect the £5 Fencewrecker owed him! Jim drooled over Paul’s
carbs. ALG drooled generally as always. Jo re-evaluated Corben’s birth and is
considering a Dickie Seat but may make do with an adapted rucksack strapped to
the rollbar ! OGL showed off his new budget sticky tyres shine wheels and Jonny
Redmist wants some but couldn’t hear from where they were sourced because he
saw Metallica the night before. TT talk made Jo swoon every time Guy Martin’s
name was mentioned. A competition was held and the sparkly cars drew with the
‘rats’ - 6 all. We all had some extra camping snippets to tell. ML told tales
of the latest Cadwell adventure and how ducting out under-bonnet air has given
10mph more ! Bill is really perplexed by
computers but could ‘Pad’ his way to surf to the
Notable Newark 2011 Over the weekend 28 mad men & women used the stand with 11 cars but notably the ‘Westie Boys’ wussed out because of a possible shower ! Camp was set with the brave (or deaf) pitching next to our newest member (1year old). Ernie made his first outing and was immediately put to good use. Jeremy Philips made time to come & see us all & so we descended on his stand where we swapped consultancy ideas. Sec fancies having a Riotous time with ‘The Pure Essence of Driving’. Mr. Polish was caught caressing a full bag of new sponges, Treasureboy found his indicators. Fencewrecker split allegiance and took the MNR to sit with its friends on their stand for a while. The weather was fine apart from one very heavy downpour for 20 minutes late afternoon but it dried as fast as it soaked. A few sought out a curry nest the other half had a BBQ. A few tried the band in the pavilion and swiftly retuned. Bill suffered badly with hay fever. Jo was inventing new avatar names for all. New member Corben went for a drive and eventually fell into the land of nod and slept well for his first camping trip. A bit of drizzle in the night but no leaks then Sec called Reveille and set up Ernie. Sausages, more sausages and yet more sausages were scoffed, then bacon, then beans then some 5 a-day finally say daylight. A few left early to appease their Daddies Day obligations. 750 Dave dropped by and regaled tales of this years circuit antics - always good to hear. A few more shuffles around the stands then slowly we decamped and set off home with happy memories of our best show yet.
Jolly June 11
came in 7 beasts. We were missing the ‘Gruesome Twosome’, both on holiday. Mr
Polish was presumed sourcing new supplies from sunny
Sec related more tales
of Scammonden build, bridge theory and testing times. Even fence theory came up
with possibly the best job in world. Newark Show was
thrashed out with possibly 14-18 camping (weather dependant !). There was a lot
of food indecision with who takes what. After 5 tries it was still undecided
so, sausages all round again eh chaps? The convoy setting off from Woolley Edge on
Saturday morning (see Forum) with the Squires Westy Boys tagging along. Ebay
has provided a kettle - called ‘Urn’ in view of it being the size of a water
bowser! Tin top support was sorted, or is it?
- Bracey is looking to escape from Birthdaymania for the weekend but ALG
is trapped by Daddies Day. Corben will make his camping debut. Bracey showed
everyone his best screw yet (self drilling and self tapping in one go for
metal). Mr Treasurer’s car is nearly reintroduced onto the highway – hopefully
in time for the show weekend Stveie W’s
tyres are now pointing all the same way - at last so that should help the cars
driving somewhat.. Jo relived birthing moments & Paul still rues missing
the British GP start !
The midges moved in on
us so, we swiftly moved off. See all you folks in a few weeks.
Moonlit May 9
cars brought 11 people. Sec just came straight from the vets (cheaper than the
doctors these days so it seems). It was a warm night. Dave P got a fly on the
bonnet so out came the polish – pics on the gallery page. Those that went reminisced
about Stoneleigh for those that didn’t go. Then pleasure rides ensued for the
friends of Captain Lisa Head (Charlie, Dolly, Hannah, et.al.) up for her
funeral. It is a tribute to her character and the high regard her friends and
colleagues held for her as most had come from all over
Rear diffusers - those
that haven’t got one want one especially as they increase top mph by up to
5-10mph.. Compressed air cars! Diode talk on OGL’s new alternator
that may be malfunctioning.
Sundrenched Stoneleigh Two ‘teams’ set off in glorious sunshine from separate
meeting points to effect a pincer attack on the show from two sides. One the
direct motorway route the other the scenic drive over the Peak District. Sec
stated ‘I know the way’ but still nearly going wrong – twice, OGL had half pint
bladder syndrome and two ‘pit stops’ were required en route. One was a duel
fuel stop and we witnessed a fine crash in the garage – probably as the driver
was rubbernecking our cars rather stupidly using the car in front as a brake!.
The drive down was a tad windy but warm. Camp was set with ‘pitched and gone’
tents such was the gale blowing across the park and the gazebo made an
effective ‘sail’, The show was well attended with clubs especially Caterhams(now
Lotus again) as usual, with plenty lovely Cobras and Ferrari replicas to drool
over. Few new things but the two stars
were a ‘fold down’ trailer in aluminium that was really a very clever piece of
design, and chrome coloured powder coating on the Gardner Douglas stand. Once
again those that camped palled up with the kind hospitality of MNR (many thanks
again lads). We partied the night away with them until time to say bye bye, and
our night cap this year wasn’t in arctic sub-freezing conditions.
Breakfast next day was
‘sausaged’ out with enough brought for lunch too! Copious gallons of tea was
drunk (urn needed to keep up!). Better co-ordination needed next time chaps else
the chant ‘all for sausage and sausage for all' will become a new motto! A few
more looks around before packing up to head home in convoy with only one
traffic jam en-route. Roll on
APRIL. Andrew T in his immaculate Locost one the star of the 4 cars who made it, along with 9 members. Steve W. was aboard his tin-top, with a boot full of 2 smashed Alloys courtesy of the potholes we all love. Sec arrived with tales of midnight taxation - but NO car - "I'm going on elsewhere, Honest!" Notable absentees were OGL & JR, but an enjoyable natter non the less. Thoughts now to turn to tents at Stoneleigh over the Bank Holiday - Be There.
March
Forth to hopes of summer sun. 14 merry members, 3
hardy souls in cars (Steve in the snazzy rubber luge suit) made the meeting.
OGL rattled through the AGM (maybe in record time?) with committee re-elected
& requests for a ‘TalkTales’ Scriber. The idea of a club ‘Tools Resource
Guide’ was considered and Jon will compile the list. This years calendar has
more events already posted with Track Days, inter club karting and camping also
yet to be confirmed.
Chat turned to oil (getting too complex for
old engines), aerodynamics, ‘end plates’, under trays, ‘Gurney flaps’, windscreen
theory (or to be more precise laminar flow over scuttles to permit no
windscreen. This meant that Steve at least is safe from contracting washer
bottle Legionnaires. Bracey thinks that an Arial Atom beats both
Botox and face lifts for keeping that yoof-ful thin look. Andrew thought the
future was orange when he painted his nose cone so everyone can now see him
coming. Jon has polished his car (so he says), Dave is getting nervous his shine
title may be slipping and Bill has washed his car – it’s yellow !!
We all tutted at numpties that purchase
houses next to known noisy locations that have been there aeons (churches and
race circuits), subsequently complaining and the law siding with the post
traumatic stress activists spoiling everyone’s fun. Whatever happened to Caveat
Emptor?
January - 11 made the New Year meeting but OGL was laid up on the sick bed with Man Flu (or was it Swine Flu as he had Rashes all over his body).
The Northern Roadsters
Club,
simply first for Roadsters.
Wakefield Road Brighouse HD6 4HA
Tel. 01484 402161
This document was designed by
Nik Aveyard & is maintained on
behalf of Northern Roadsters Club by the Chairman
Material Copyright © 2006 Northern Roadsters Club.