We set out from Kings Langley at 9:30(ish) to head to Ascot Racecourse, where the rally was due to start. Minor issue with starting, the battery was flat on the SC, this is becoming a regular problem and probably due to the regulator. We are now rather good at chucking the booster pack on the right terminals and starting it up, but it would be nice if this wasn’t necessary! Another job for the list…
Once started, we headed round the M25, full of roadworks still, at a leisurely 50mph due to speed restrictions and with lots of people looking at the two Jupiters as they passed. Soon we were coming off the M25 and heading to Ascot, sat nav as always had us in the right direction. Unfortunately sat nav didn’t have the postcode for carpark 10, so a quick U turn and we were in the right place – waved in by the marshalls we entered the field.
Amy pulled into line with the other Jowetts, after having neatly taken out a metal stake in the ground (no damage done) and we had a drink to recover from sweltering heat. It was baking – in T-shirt and shorts, with no hood, at 50mph, it was still cooking.
With just under 200 vintage cars to get out of the field, at number 171 I think we knew we had rather a long time to hang on before we’d be leaving. A good opportunity for some to wander around looking at the other cars, to have a chat with some of their owners, and Keith even managed to change a rotor arm and get somebody going again.
The battery problem reared its ugly head again, but a quick boost and we were off again – all other Jowetts started on the button, no major mechanical issues throughout the day so another success for the marque I think!
Only one wrong turn on the scenic run, turning left at the Chinese restaurant instead of right (last minute confusion so I made a 50/50 guess, wrong!) but only a 50 yard detour to get back on the route. I had been happily following everyone else, but when we lost them at the traffic lights wasn’t really focused on the task at hand! We wanted to lose the rest of them anyhow, the SC loves a bit of attention and the other cars were distracting the general public. Plus we wanted the undivided attention of the AA man following up from the rear! John B gracefully followed us up the garden path, obviously he knew we’d taken a wrong turn but didn’t want to leave us on our own, perhaps. Or he wanted to stick with the AA man as well…
