NGMW Newsletter Spring 09 - The Northern Group of Motoring Writers

News from the Northern Group of Motoring Writers Autumn 2009
It’s just great up North
PRs love it so
much, they
raced up to
Wetherby in
their own cars
WITH 27 press offices giving
support and with more than 60 PR’s
and 57 cars in attendance, the lineup
at the inugural Test Day North
during the last week in August was
impressive with the only major
absentees being Audi and Mazda.
There wasn’t a car transporter in sight as
PR’s drove the models themselves from
their respective bases to save money and
that included two ‘rollers’ which many
journos can’t get their hands on for their
normal test rotas.
Volvo brought the Irish and Scots to stay
overnight at nearby Wood Hall so it was
all the more disappointing that altogether
only 35 of us hacks turned out, including
ten from our own Northern Group.
Nevertheless some were on holiday and
others just couldn’t be spared from their
other work at their respective
newspapers.
Overall it was considered a very useful
day – and the SMMT are to be
commended for deciding to repeat it
next year
- The Editor.
Fastest tracker
gets Syd’s trophy
THE commemorative trophy commissioned in
memory of Sydney Burton, the Group’s oldest
member when he died last year, was presented to its
first winner during the British Automobile Racing
Club’s final race meeting of the season in Yorkshire
in August.
The NGMW Memorial Trophy – a piston from a Ford
Cosworth fashioned by Sydney’s nephew, Victor Hawkins
- was presented by John Burton, Sydney’s son, to Richard
Spedding, who recorded the fastest time of the day.
Spedding was behind the wheel of a single seater
racing car at the famous hill climb track at Harewood,
near Leeds.
The conditions for racing on the day were testing – more
suited to ducks than high powered racing cars, reported
John Burton, pictured right, handing over the award to the
winner.
Meanwhile Paul and
VW beat cuts to
stage Skipton event
DESPITE the restrictions imposed by the
recession, Paul Buckett and his energetic
team at Volkswagen came North for the
annual driving day for Northern Group
members although the social event which
in previous years has followed became a
casualty of the financial cutbacks.
Nevertheless an excellent day’s driving
based at the Devonshire Arms Country
House Hotel at Bolton Abbey, near
Skipton, was greatly enjoyed by those
members who were able to attend. Non
group members also gave support to the
event.
PR staff get down to business at Test Day North
(top) and, above, Wetherby Racecourse, venue for
the SMMT’s Northern test day.
News
The News is produced quarterly
by the Northern Group of
Motoring Writers
Editor & Chief Writer:
Bernard Gent
Design and Layout:
David Whinyates
Principal Contributor:
Alan Domville
Photography:
Bernard Gent & Alan Domville
Please send contributions to The
Editor at b.gent@ntlworld.com
or by post to 24, Silverdale,
Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough.
TS7 0RF.
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