293 October 2012 - Ferrari Owners` Club

essex ferrari
issue 293
october 2012
newsletter of the essex area of the ferrari owners club of great britain
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Record Breakers
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The Ferrari Racing Days event held at Silverstone over the weekend of 14th, 15th and 16th
September also saw Ferrari North Europe try to reclaim the Guinness World Record for the
largest parade of Ferrari cars.
Having broken the record in 2007 with 385 cars parading around the Silverstone circuit, the
challenge was on to reclaim it from Japan who broke the record themselves in 2008 by
managing to gather 490 Ferraris on the Suzuka circuit. The aim was 1000 cars and this was
very nearly achieved as 964 of Maranellos finest snaked their way round the track led by
Scuderia Ferrari F1 driver Felipe Massa in a 458 Spider.
The Essex contingent that met at Waltham Abbey for the convoy to the circuit consisted of 11
cars, again causing something of a stir as they gathered in the hotel car park. Unfortunately,
both Alio Young and Steve Target arrived in their ‘normal’ cars due to their Ferraris suffering
from frustrating little problems. Alio’s 355 had decided to spring a small fuel leak and Steve had
cross threaded the bleed screw on the thermostat housing of his 308GT4. Alio then followed the
convoy to Silverstone while Steve returned home in order to repair his car in the hope that he
could make it in time for the parade. Unfortunately, he never managed it.
Some of the Essex members waiting to join the parade and
take their place in the Guinness Book of World Records
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The convoy consisted of a nice variety of tipi including the 2
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328GTS’ of Jonathan Eckersley and Vernon Smith. It was
good to see Vernon finally able to take part in his first FOC
event because his car had been confined to the garage due to building work!
A brace of 308GTS’ belonging to Lindsay Walker and Garry Atkins completed the 70’s/80’s
V8’s with the other model from this era being the V12 400i of Jason Wootton, which you will
recall graced the front page of last month’s newsletter.
The 90’s were represented by Parma Verdi’s 348tb and Andy Hull’s F355 Berlinetta F1 with
the 00’s being represented by Stuart Shields 360 Spider, the 360 Challenge Stradale of Paul
Lynch and the F430’s of Michael Hockley and Antony Shine.
All were beautifully prepared for the day and must have been quite a sight as they made their
way to Silverstone.
Lewis Shine was lucky enough to be there and sent in the following excellent report of his day:
Ferrari Racing Days by Lewis Shine (Aged 10)
At 10:00am we met up at the Marriott Hotel at J26 of
the M25. In our Essex convoy we had eleven
Ferraris. Our arrival was delayed due to a traffic jam
between junctions 14 and 15a on the M1. Finally we
got there and parked with a Stradale and a 458; with
a 360 Spider next to us. Our first task was to look
around the cars. I noticed that most Ferraris had
private plates, I especially liked the amusing ones.
Then we watched some of the old F1 cars; it was too
loud for me so I had ear protectors. We saw the Wing
pit area and we wanted to have a look around. We
needed to get past security, Dad said “act like you own the place.” We got through. Out of
nowhere I caught a glimpse of Vicki Butler-Henderson so
we went over to her, she was my idle - when I was 4.
The Silverstone Wing was fantastic! We went into a room
and there was a 4-lane Scalextric set and I really wanted
to try it even though there was a big queue. I just knew I
would win so I decided to stay in the queue. When it was
finally my turn I was with three boys so I knew it would
be a tight race. I was in the lead for the whole race but on
the last straight car number 2 crashed into my lane and I
wacked into it. My car was ruined; I was ruined; and like
all good racing drivers I used the excuse that it was not
my fault.
Cont’d
newsletter of the essex area of the ferrari owners club of great britain
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Next we went to the model store and they had limited edition
10000 piece car kits with the most amazing detail, so I asked
Dad if I could get one for Christmas but I knew the obvious
answer when we found out the price.
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We carried on our trek to the cars in the Ferrari
show room. We saw the new Ferrari’s, the 458
Spider the FF and the F12. I was lucky to have a
little play around in them and it was really fun!
When I sat in the F12 I could not help making
engine noises and the man behind me was getting
angry because I had spent 10 minutes in it. Once I
had been forced out of the car we went and had
some lunch. We went for the obvious choice; the
driver’s healthy snack … the pork baguette with
smothering of ketchup and stuffing.
I nagged enough to get an ice cream but Dad
wouldn’t let me near any of the cars while I was eating it! Once we’d finished we went back to
the cars and had plenty of time to take pictures. My personal favourite was the blue and silver
hooded 458 – it had three blue tipped exhaust pipes
and unique wheels; the perfect car for me.
When we got back to our car we heard that the
World Record Attempt was going to be delayed by 45
minutes, so we sat and sat until 6:45 when we finally
got onto the track. I couldn’t believe I was in a
Ferrari on the exact piece of tarmac that Michael
Schumacher had raced on and I was going to
experience going round the great Silverstone circuit.
We got to go fast around some of the corners (It was
not fast, it was your imagination – Dad) and we had
great fun. It was a magical moment for me.
We did 4-5 laps before they started to direct people off the track. Because we were on the inside
lane we got to stay on track the longest! It seemed like we went around for hours. When we got
out we did a quick toilet pit stop in a record time of 32 seconds. On the way to the motorway we
stopped at the BP garage and a big man jumped out of a white Ford Transit van and asked us
why are there were so many Ferraris. I proudly told him that “we had broken the record for
the most Ferraris on the racetrack”
Finally, I would like to thank everyone that organised one of the best days of my life.
newsletter of the essex area of the ferrari owners club of great britain
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And this from Jeff Simpson...
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I am sure there are quite a few people who are reporting on the
Guinness World Record Attempt, so I am sending you a short
note and some photos from my perspective.
On arrival at the circuit I was delegated to be one of the 3 course cars, with my 550 Maranello,
which meant I was to drive round the circuit immediately
behind the 3 Factory cars that were to follow behind Peter
Everingham in the Hublot 458 lead car.
Alongside me in their cars were Richard Allen and Richard
Prior, we were to control the pace and spacing of the cars to
try to avoid any surging of the pack of cars following.
Immediately behind us were many F40s and Enzos. Our
brief was to keep less than 2 car lengths apart and at a pace
of approx 15mph. This was essential in order to get all of
the cars on to the circuit at the same time, in such a way that
as the lead cars were almost completing a full lap of
the circuit, we would be just behind the last of the
cars that were coming on to the circuit.
This was a very tense time but the logistics worked
very well and between the tail and the head of the
train there was less than 200 yards of clear track
over the full 3.6 mile Grand Prix Circuit.
There were so many variables that could have
affected the outcome and spacing and pace of the
cars - for instance if we had 50 more cars on track
there would have been no space left between the
tail and the head of the train.
A masterpiece of logistics controlled beautifully by
Peter
Everingham, with Suzanne Everingham
updating Peter from the passenger seat.
964 cars recorded for the successful attempt.
The whole event was very quickly available on
You Tube including getting the successful count
of cars correct!
The photo of Felipe Massa alongside the 458
Spyder he was driving, shows 3 video cameras
mounted facing rearwards on the engine cover
and on the windshield header bar and on the A
pillar.
Regards,
newsletter of the essex area of the ferrari owners club of great britain
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This was a mammoth undertaking by both Ferrari
North Europe and the FOC which was obviously
a great success. Well done to everyone who
managed to take part and congratulations to Peter
Everingham and the team for their part in what
I’m sure, will be a very long standing record.
FORZA FERRARI
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Tricolor Sunday run
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My recent request to go for a Sunday drive in the country prompted Enzo Taglialavore and
James Udall to join me on 19th August. We agreed to meet in the BP station on the A414 at
Ongar and head for the 30 minute drive to a pub called The White Horse in the village of
Pleshey. I knew nothing about the pub or the route but was sure that this was going to be a nice
Sunday drive anyway.
As is usual when several Ferraris park together, they drew plenty of admiring glances, possibly
due to the (almost) patriotic colours, from the garage customers but as soon as greetings were
exchanged and the destination agreed, we made our way onto the B184 heading North toward
Fyfield. I find it difficult not to stare in my rear view mirror when being followed by any
Ferrari, let alone when they happen to be a Daytona and a 550 Maranello! This was a pleasant,
rather than spirited drive which was further held back by getting stuck behind a tractor, a
common problem when using small country lanes.
On arrival at the White Horse we found it to be closed but the owners saw us arrive and
promptly opened up. Once settled inside the conversation turned to our club and the Essex
section in particular, the unfortunate demise of the traditional English village pub and finally of
course, our cars. Unfortunately, there was no food available at the pub so we decided to make
our way home and were greeted with a crack of thunder as soon as we walked into the car park!
The sky had turned a nasty, dirty grey and was threatening to pour its contents on us so we said
our goodbyes and headed for home.
We all agreed the run out was a very worthwhile and enjoyable exercise and is something we
should do more often, although in future, have a bit more forward planning i.e. maps, route,
food available etc. and also to ensure the pub is at least open when we arrive!
If anyone is interested in joining a couple of fellow members for a pleasant Sunday run, please
let me know and I will put you in contact with each other. A maximum of four cars would
appear to be ideal as it would be difficult to stay together with higher numbers.
newsletter of the essex area of the ferrari owners club of great britain
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ESSEX FERRARI WAY OUT WEST
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On 5th September Jan and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and Jan decided that
even though neither of us are Elvis fans it would be fun to have ‘The King’ renew our vows for
us in Las Vegas!
I decided to go along with the idea and suggested we also take in San Francisco and Los Angeles
seeing as we would be ‘in the area’, so I contacted our old Essex Ferrari friends Gareth and
Becky Hughes who now live in LA for some tips as this would be our first visit to the West coast
of the USA.
Whilst making our plans Becky and Gareth invited us to stay with them at their house for a
couple of days so that they could show us the sights of Becky’s home town and the surrounding
area, which was an offer we couldn’t really refuse.
After a long but fantastic drive South on the California Pacific Highway from San Francisco,
where we had enjoyed four brilliant days, we arrived at Casa Hughes and were greeted by the
Union Flag flying proudly on the front of the house, apparently to signify that the British are in
residence!
Spot the tourists at ‘Casa Hughes’
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Becky and Gareth were brilliant hosts and both Jan and I had a
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fabulous time as we were ferried around to all the usual tourist
spots and several of those that are not so well known. Among
the highlights of these was a visit to a place called Vasques Rocks where many films and TV
series have been filmed including Star Trek, Blazing Saddles, Planet of the Apes and Little Miss
Sunshine to name a few and a lovely drive into the mountains where we visited LA Fire Station
Air Attack 9 (what a brilliant name!) which, due to its position high above both the Santa
Clarita and San Fernando Valleys offered spectacular views of both.
Vasques Rocks
Air Attack 9!
Another highlight was a concert given by actor Steve
Martin with his bluegrass band at the Pantages Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, which
although it sounds a bit ‘yeehaaw’ was in fact extremely entertaining. One evening was spent at
the wonderful Griffith Observatory where the views of downtown LA at night were quite
spectacular and another saw us attend an LA
Dodgers baseball game where Gareth took full
advantage of the ‘Dollar Dodger Dogs’ (hot dogs
costing only a dollar to you and me!)
Unfortunately, we didn’t get time to take
Gareth’s lovely 328GTS for a spin as planned
because we were so busy (the weather is
never an excuse in LA!), but maybe that’s
newsletter of the essex area of the ferrari owners club of great britain
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CHRISTMAS MENU
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We have received the menu for our Christmas Lunch and prize giving from The Lawn
which you will see below. The date is set for Sunday 2nd December, arrive 12:00pm for
12:30pm.
The price will be £38 per adult and £19 for children.
Please let me know as soon as possible if you will be joining us and email me your choices
and send payment - cheques made payable Essex Ferrari - to
195 Great Cullings, Rush Green, Romford, Essex RM7 0YR
STARTER
Roast tomato soup with parsley pesto and brioche croutons
Trio of melon with blueberries & passion fruit
Warm goats cheese, red onion and cranberry tart
Classic king prawn cocktail
MAIN COURSE
Traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings
Rump of Lamb, mushroom, rosemary & tomato sauce
Fillet of sea bass with herb beurre blanc
Mixed bean, feta cheese & spinach charlotte
DESSERT
Christmas plum pudding with brandy & vanilla sauce
Exotic fruit salad topped with sorbet
Chocolate profiteroles with baileys cream
Cheese and biscuit selection
Coffee & chocolate mints
newsletter of the essex area of the ferrari owners club of great britain
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Essex Ferrari monthly meeting for September was once again
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held at The Red Lion, Margaretting on Wednesday 26th.
Unfortunately, there was a low turnout again with only a
handful of the regulars joined by Paul Lynch who informed us of even more improvements he is
planning for his 360 CS. Paul’s is a quite heavily modified car which now has 458 Carbon
brakes and the plan is to convert the gearbox to fully manual! Jeff Simpson arrived alone
owing to Barbara still suffering from poor health from which, I’m sure you’ll all join me in
wishing her a speedy recovery. Bunty and Malcolm MacGregor made a welcome appearance,
Bunty in a rather fetching flat cap borrowed from her husband. More ‘Fordies’ included Andy
Hull, Geoff Dark and yours truly. Simon and Malcolm Walker were the only ones to turn up
in a Ferrari and finally, sporting leathers, goatee and riding a Harley, Jonathan Eckersley.
Please remember, you can still come along even if you are ‘between Ferrari’s’ or if the weather
is too bad to take the car out as it’s at these meetings you can get to know the other members
and enjoy a nice social evening with fellow Ferrari enthusiasts.
It is also a good place to find out more about your car, servicing and maintenance tips and
possibly make some new friends into the bargain. So, please come along, you will be made most
welcome.
Brands Hatch hosted the FOC Track Day on Monday 1st October and as it’s our most local
track day in the calendar, there is usually a good turnout of Essex Ferrari members in attendance.
We don’t all take our cars on the track however, but simply go along for the day out. There is
however, the opportunity to go out on track as a passenger, the Club Regalia stall will be selling
all manner of Club merchandise, several local Ferrari specialists will be on hand for technical
assistance and advise and refreshments are available from the circuit vendors so there is plenty to
keep you occupied throughout the day.
Full report in the November issue.
newsletter of the essex area of the ferrari owners club of great britain
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CALENDAR
SEPTEMBER
26
Monthly meet, The Red Lion, Margaretting
29
Sunday run out (venue TBC)
OCTOBER
1
Brands Hatch Track Day
6
Breakfast Club, The Hare, Roxwell
8
Brian Groves F40 on 5th Gear
31
Monthly meet, The Red Lion, Margaretting
NOVEMBER
Front page top: Cars waiting to
go on track at Silverstone for the
World Record
Front page bottom: Enzo, James
and Steve’s cars at the White
Horse on the Sunday run
16/18
Classic Car Show NEC
28
Monthly meet, (venue TBC)
We always look forward to meeting new members and
would love to see you at our monthly meetings. We
would also be delighted to hear from anyone with any
suggestions for events or for our newsletter. Any
photos or articles are also always very welcome.
Steve Target
Antony Shine
Simon Walker
07944 690723
[email protected]
07973 377456
[email protected]
07767 822258
[email protected]
The views contained in letters & articles in this newsletter
are not necessarily those of the editors or of the Ferrari
Owners Club. Any reviews of products or services detailed
within are strictly for your information and again, are not
recommendations of the Ferrari Owners Club
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newsletter of the essex area of the ferrari owners club of great britain