The New Chairman's New Year message
A Happy New Year to you all, I hope this finds you in good health and well ahead in your car preparation (!) for the 2010 season.
As most people now know Simon and Jane Harratt have both retired, as such myself Doug Auld (Chair) and Paul Webster (Comp Sec) have now replaced them after their sterling years of service. Most people know Paul, who competes at Gurston, but I’m aware that some people might not know me.
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The new BARC (SW) chairman Doug Auld ©Copyright John Hayward 2009 |
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I have been involved at Gurston since the mid 90s from competing to working on the committee. I can normally be seen as one of the Clerks at Gurston, usually wearing a dubious T-shirt. Rest assured that Gurston is in good hands and we will strive to build on the incredible work that Simon and Jane have achieved. With the retirement of both Simon and Jane, its been a hectic winter for the committee, coming to terms with all the work that is involved in running Gurston. I think I may need to pay council tax, with the time spent at the hill.
There are a few changes for 2010 to the hill; the main one being the construction of a new Marshals Hut, hopefully pending planning this should be completed by the May National, if not before. Hollow marshal’s post will have the sleepers replaced by Armco and all the fencing above Hollow on the path to Ashes will be replaced.
Regulations for 2010 will be issued next month. We have had to make a small increase in fees inline with the increase in our fixed costs, prices were held for 2009 season. Event dates are shown further down this page.
Entries can of course be made online www.gurstondownentries.co.uk This has now become the most common method and allows us to keep costs down. You can still download entries from the Information for Drivers link
The Work Party
As normal we will be holding the work party to set the hill up for the forthcoming season on 7th March at 10.00am. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible and appreciate the enormous help that it gives us.
Test Day
This will be held on Sunday 28th March. This will be as usual be drawn by ballot on 15th February. Unfortunate there is no opportunity to attend. If you wish to be considered for a place, please inform Paul Webster by e-mail gurstonhill@btinternet.com or by phone 01489 571359 by 12th February. Regular double drivers will be entered in the ballot together. A reserve list, in order of balloting, will also be produced and spaces filled as they become available. As usual places have been reserved for Class Supporters, Committee members, and those who assist in specific ways. Places are available to those who are paid up South Western members on 13th February 2010 and the fee will be £ 80 per car with one driver and £110 with two drivers.
Entry forms will be sent to those who are successful in the ballot to be returned by 13th March. Places not taken up by then will be offered to those on the reserve list and final instructions will be sent out before the event. You will not be restricted in the number of runs you take and there will be timing.
A.G.M
The agenda for the South Western Centre AGM is shown below. This will be held on Monday 10th May 2010 at Gurston in the Restaurant at 7.30pm. After the formal business there will be the usual opportunity for general discussion.
Present
1.Apologies for absence
2.Minutes of the previous meeting
3.Matters arising
4.Chaimans report
5.Hon.Secretarys report
6.Hon.Treasurer’s report
7.Election of Officers and Committee
Under rule 12;- Doug Auld, Duncan Barnes, Mike Reed, Hugh Kemp & Ben Stapley retire from the Committee and being eligible offers themselves for election
Under rule 10:- Bryan Chant offers himself for election onto the committee
Election of Hon. Secretary
Election of Hon. Treasurer
8.Any other business
9.Close
Doug Auld
Chairman
The 2009 Dinner and Awards Evening
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Sarah
Bosworth was presented with the Gates
of Brockenhurst Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship Trophies by outgoing compsec Jane Harratt ©Copyright John Hayward 2009 |
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The BARC South West Centre's annual Dinner and Awards evening on November 14th was a very well attended affair, and of course it was also the swansong event for Simon and Jane Harratt, very recently retired as centre chairman and competition secretary respectively. The couple having organised the evening, it was only fitting that Simon should round off his official duties doing his usual excellent job on the microphone during the awards ceremony, with Jane presenting most of the trophies.
We are indebted to John Hayward for the photos of the occasion, reproduced here with his permission, and John himself was honoured with the club's Endeavour Award for his services to the centre over a very long period, and well deserved too. If anyone would like to see more of John's dinner pics then drop him a line on johnhayward@waitrose.com (to protect John from spam this is not a 'live' link, so you'll need to cut and paste or manually type his address into your email 'To' box).
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Simon Marsh took a very popular win in the 2009 Top Ten Challenge ©Copyright John Hayward 2009 |
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The new Marsh & Masters Trophy for the highest placed driver of pensionable age in the Gurston Championship went to ...Graham Masters! Graham devised the award concept with the late Tony Marsh, and is seen here with Tony's sons, Peter (left) and Simon ©Copyright John Hayward 2009 |
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The Marsh & Masters Award ©Copyright John Hayward 2009 |
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John Hayward, long serving photographer at Gurston ©Copyright Simon McBeath / everleyphotography.co.uk 2009 |
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Simon Harratt's swansong performance, the lyrics to which might have been: |
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Incoming SW Centre chairman Doug Auld ©Copyright John Hayward 2009 |
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Other News
Simon & Jane Harratt step down
After two decades of dedicated, hard-working service to the BARC (SW Centre), the club that runs Gurston Down Hillclimb, as centre chairman and competition secretary respectively, Simon and Jane Harratt formally stepped down at the August event at Gurston amid various presentations and high jinks rather furtively organised by the BARC (SW) committee. After the unnoffical renaming of the paddock office to 'The Harratt Suite' in the couple's adopted colours and font, they were then hijacked into fellow committee member John Forsyth's Mercedes SLK for a parade up and down the hill prior to the timed runs to greet and bid farewell to all the marshals, who had turned out in large numbers on the day. Their return to the paddock was greeted by all the drivers and mechanics lining the pre-start area to applaud the Harratts.
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The
procession on the hill ended with this 'guard of honour' made up of drivers,
mechanics and marshals ©Copyright Tracey Inglis / everleyphotography.co.uk 2009 |
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The
newly renamed paddock office... ©Copyright Simon McBeath / everleyphotography.co.uk 2009 |
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The
committee had special T shirts made for the occasion (paid for by themselves!) ©Copyright Simon McBeath / everleyphotography.co.uk 2009 |
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Deputy centre chairman Andrew Hext then took over the formal prize giving at the end of the meeting in order that Simon & Jane could present the awards themselves, prior to receiving their own awards in the form of a very special crystal decanter set and engraved tray, and a framed photo of each of them driving the hill in their March 71B and Brabham BT21B racing cars. Senior centre members Geoff Hunt and Stan Hunt (the latter a former centre chairman himself) helped test the new decanter set by toasting the happy couple and Andrew Hext gave an excellent speech and wished them a relaxed retirement amid warm applause from the assembled throng. Stan Hunt then made a presentation on behalf of the Gurston marshals - a chequered flag signed by them all. A buffet followed in the Gurston restaurant.
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Geoff
Hunt and Stan Hunt toast the retiring couple ©Copyright Tracey Inglis / everleyphotography.co.uk 2009 |
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The
Harratts did occasionally run their cars at Gurston, though action shots
are quite rare! ©Copyright Tracey Inglis / everleyphotography.co.uk 2009 |
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It
didn't take long to find the rude messages on the signed chequered flag
presented by Stan Hunt on behalf of the marshals! ©Copyright Tracey Inglis / everleyphotography.co.uk 2009 |
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The following day the Harratts sent this message to Gurston
News & Views:
'Simon & Jane would like to thank everyone directly and indirectly
involved in their fantastic farewell at Gurston on Sunday August 30th. Every
time we thought it was over something else happened without us having a clue
about what had been surreptitiously planned by our devious and now possibly
(though we doubt it) democratic committee. It was a complete sensory overload
and very typical of Gurston. We shall miss all of you. The last 20 years have
been fantastic and it has been a real privilege to be involved.'
Gavin Wort also retires
Even regular Gurston visitors may have been unaware of the contribution of Gavin Wort, son of former centre secretary Don Wort, in his 'backroom role' in the paddock office at Gurston, but after some 25 years of constant attendance collating and inputting results Gavin has now decided to step down. The reality is that further computerisation of the systems at Gurston have made Gavin's role essentially redundant, but he also felt that it was time for a change after such a long spell. The club honoured him too with a presentation at the August event.
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Gavin
Wort stepped down too at the August meeting after 25 years behind the
scenes at Gurston ©Copyright Tracey Inglis / everleyphotography.co.uk 2009 |
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The Tony Marsh Motor Racing Marshals Fund
Just prior to the prizegiving at the July 19th event Simon Marsh passed to BARC (SW) centre chairman Simon Harrat a cheque for £1000, which was the amount that had been donated to The Tony Marsh Motor Racing Marshals Fund since it was set up in late May! It seems the marshals' wishes are that the fund will go towards some form of building for them at Gurston if that's possible.
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