Here you go the news that will have mugs of tea spilling in Sheds up and down the land!
-Entry is now open for CLUB TRIUMPHS 25th Running of their world famous Round Britain Reliability Run (view the pages above for Entry Form ,Rules and Regulations)
ANNOUNCEMENT -
CLUB TRIUMPH
The 25th Round Britain Reliability Run 2016
The 25th running of one of the oldest events
in the Triumph enthusiasts calendar, the Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability
Run is now due on Friday 7th October to Sunday 8th October 2016 and we invite
entries from Club Triumph members using Triumph or Standard motor cars to
participate in what has to be an unique event in the motoring world. For 2016
we will support Guide Dogs and hope to raise over £50,000.00 to build upon the
sum of £500,000.00 raised by previous RBRRs for UK Charities.
The
event run as a Touring Assembly was first run in 1966 and is unchanged in its
objective to drive around Britain,
covering nearly 2000 miles visiting pre-arranged control stops staffed by Club
Triumph marshals in 48 hours with no overnight stops: Enfield to John O’Groats to Lands End to
Knebworth. The start will be at the now traditional venue of The Plough public
house at Crews Hill near Enfield, in Middlesex.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first RBRR in 1966, we will
finish the event at a Banqueting barn at Knebworth House, in Hertfordshire,
with a buffet meal being made available for all crews. The event is sanctioned
by the UK Motor Sports Association and fulfils all the criteria expected of a Touring
Assembly.
Since
the event's 1960s beginnings over 1050no. crews have successfully completed the
event using Triumph cars of all descriptions, Herald 948 to 2.5 Pi, Spitfire 4
to TR8.The RBRR is run every two years and each time proves to be very popular,
reflecting the enthusiasm for an event that provides great value and fun. It
attempts to prove that motoring in this country despite speed cameras, traffic
jams and legislation can still be pleasant. The event shows that old cars like
Standard Triumph cars are fun and reliable and encourages Club members to use
their cars. Surely the reason for owning an old car is to drive the thing!
Since 1990 the RBRR has been run on a
charitable basis and entrants have collected over £500,000 for various national
Charities, a fantastic sum. For the 25th RBRR we have chosen the Guide Dogs,
we hope to raise more than we did for in 2014 for Macmillan Cancer Support
that total being nearly £60,000.00. Charitable donations have been as follows:
1990 British
Heart Foundation £13,500.00
1992 Imperial
Cancer Research Fund £8,500.00
1994 Leukaemia
Research Fund £11,500.00
1996 Alzheimer
Research Trust £20,700.00
1998 Macmillan
Cancer Relief £37,500.00
2000 Children
with Leukaemia £40,500.00
2002 Multiple
Sclerosis Society £37,000.00
2004 Children
with Leukaemia £47,000.00
2006 BLISS £52,000.00
2008 RNLI £67,000.00
2010 MIND
Mental Health Charity £51,500.00
2012 Children
with Cancer UK £65,000.00
2014 Macmillan
Cancer Support £59,500.00
Total £510,700.00
For the 25th RBRR the minimum number of
entrants will be 15 and the maximum will be 130, a reserve list will be
operated, but it is important to note that we have never turned away a
prospective entrant. The entry fee is £100.00 per person, minimum of two people
per car, teams should budget on a cost of £400 - £450 for fuel, oil and the
like. Although the principal entrant must be a member of Club Triumph,
co-drivers do not need to be, therefore you can ask, blackmail or even press
gang family or friends to take part with you! The entry fee covers the cost of
admission into Gaydon for the Drivers Meeting that will preview the event, the
breakfasts at John O’Groats and Lands End, the evening buffet at the finish at
Knebworth House, and snacks at many of the stops. Also included are, the fully
detailed Road Book, the event car stickers, and an event souvenir. All crews are requested to attend the Club’s
Annual Dinner during March 2017 at a hotel in the Home Counties. At that dinner
we will present the Charity cheque to Guide Dogs, the Event Souvenirs to
successful crews and make some special awards, such as ‘Spirit of the Event’
and ‘Car of the RBRR’. Should you wish to take part, please do not hesitate,
places for the RBRR go quickly following announcement, so get that entry into
the post!
On Saturday 24th September 2016, Club Triumph
will be holding a Drivers Meeting to preview the event. This will be held at
the Gaydon
Motor
Heritage
Museum,
in Warwickshire. It is felt essential for at least one representative of each
crew to attend the Drivers Meeting. Guide Dogs will send along a representative
to discuss the Charity with us, and how the collected money will be used. We
will also issue the car stickers and the road book. The advisory route within
the Road Book will be discussed at length. Advice will be given to assist crews
in their preparation and finally a question and answer session will be held.
This meeting is a good opportunity for crews to gain a feel for the event, meet
other entrants and pick up tips to assist with completion of the RBRR.
As previously mentioned the start is at ‘The
Plough’ Crews Hill, the atmosphere and anticipation in the Car Park is surely
reason enough to enter the RBRR, it really is a terrific place to be if you
like your Triumph cars. It is fair to
say that the whole event has a great feeling of camaraderie and all entrants
are made to feel welcome and part of the RBRR by both the organisers and
experienced crews and entrants.
The event has 3 stages, these
being London
to John O’Groats, John O’Groats to Lands End and Lands End to London.
The start is at 18.00 and heads north on the A1 up to the first stop at Blythe
Services, just south of Doncaster.
A cup of tea and then onto the next stop on the border at Carter
Bar
and into the Scottish Borders. We visit Edinburgh Airport
at about 3.00am on the Saturday morning and crews can take the opportunity to
use the facilities in the main terminal building. By now the initial euphoria
felt by the crews at the start will have worn off and weariness will start to
creep up. After the Airport stop it is onto John O’Groats via Inverness and
Wick for a well earned breakfast and a wash and brush up at this very Northern
tip of the UK
mainland.
Now come possibly the best
driving roads of the event as crews cross the top of Scotland via Thurso, and then take B873/A836 south down to Altanharra, this is a marvellous
single track road that offers challenges to the drivers and fantastic stunning
views. The next stop is near Inverness, by now
it will be early afternoon on the Saturday. From there on the route skirts Loch
Ness, crosses Telford’s Caledonian Canal and heads onto Fort
William.
The next part is a visual highlight as crews pass through the inspiring
mountain ranges of Glen Coe. The roads from Inverness
are wide fast ‘A’ roads that really offer crews the chance to stretch their
cars, in fact it could be said that the roads have been designed for use by
Triumph motor cars. These roads continue to Stirling for the next Control at
Morrison's Garage, a traditional RBRR stop that used to be an old Standard
Triumph dealership. Many cars are quickly fettled as the second half of the
event starts, cars needing oil top ups and the like. It is weird to think that
crews have to get to Lands End for breakfast and onto Knebworth for the finish
in 24 hours time, in fact, some crews look totally alarmed by this realisation!
The crews now drive back through
the fading light into England
taking the A74(M), A6 and the M6 as they head to the border, the next stop is
at Tebay for a stop at possibly the best motorway service area in the UK. A
bit more motorway action is suffered as we head to Oswestry through the
England/Welsh border for some single
carriageway fun! Another great nights driving is now enjoyed in Wales to get to the next control near
Llandovery, right in the middle of Wales. It is bound to be raining,
but by now crews will feel at one with their car and be able to exploit the
roads that are set out before them. The next stop is at Sugar Loaf it is so
dark that one will not be able to see one’s hands, shame as the scenery here is
stunning. Sugar Loaf was first used in 2010 and has the feel of an old RAC
Rally stop, very atmospheric! Next it is onto Bristol and the M5 via the Forest of
Dean and the Severn Bridge. Still the
Controls Stops keep coming, with maybe three more before Lands End. If the
crews thought the Saturday morning sections were tough, the Sunday
morning can be very fatiguing and it can be a struggle to get to Land’s End,
the A30 section through Bodmin Moor being particularly tiring.
The third part, possibly the
easiest and definitely the busiest section starts after a superb breakfast at
Lands End as one watches the Atlantic beat England’s coastal point. Nice roads
are enjoyed as crews set off to Bude for a stop at the town's Museum (and maybe
more tea) and then into Dartmoor to get to Badgers Holt at Dartmeet. Then its
time to head into Dorset to enjoy an early afternoon break at Pimperne for yes,
more tea plus superb cakes! Yes, the RBRR is not good for the wasteline! Then
onto Knebworth for the finish, through Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire
and Hertfordshire. At Knebworth, we have arranged a buffet meal for all crews
to offer them well earned sustenance following the gruelling weekend’s
motoring. There is also the chance for crews to book into the local Novotel
Hotel to enable a good rest to be enjoyed before heading home on the Monday
morning.
All that driving means 2000 miles
in 48 hours, to be successful an average speed of 40mph must be maintained
throughout the weekend, a difficult task for modern cars let alone cars 40
years old! At present Nigel Abdullah, our route master
is looking over maps to ensure that the Road Book is accurate and as clear as
possible. The route is designed to
encompass all types of British roads and be completed by
the smaller engine Triumph cars such as the Herald and Toledo. We do not
encourage driving at illegal speeds or driving whilst tired. To make speeding
unnecessary the control stops are only opened at specific times to regulate the
speeds of the cars.
The RBRR is an addictive event and once completed
owners tend to start to think ahead to the next one and what should be done
over the next 2 years to improve the car! The delight
that shows on the faces of the successful crews at the finish really makes the
event special, it is apparent that a lot of the crews suddenly seem full of
beans even though they have not slept in a proper bed for possibly 60 hours. It
is thought that many would contemplate immediately getting back into the car
and having another go!
The RBRR is all about participation in a
unique event and the thrill of driving your Triumph car. The condition of the
car is not important, they range from immaculate cars to robust ‘daily
drivers’, all types are welcome. All types of Triumph made from the TR2 onwards
have now taken part in the event, some unusual types have completed the event,
last time a two ex-works Vitesse rally cars started and completed the event.
Blimey, we even had a Triumph Renown from the early 50s take part and
successfully complete the event. As with most things in life, the more one puts
into something, the better the outcome, so it is recommended that some
spannering is undertaken before the RBRR, make sure the car is in mechanically good
condition! The Club issues advice notes to help with preparation. The event has
such a good reputation that 75% of the entry have done the event before, many
of these being faces and names from the Triumph culture.
Following the 2010 RBRR, the Club won the
'Classic and Sportscar' 2010 Award for the 'Best Club Run/Rally', in fact many
a journalist from the UK old car press take part. Also, the event always
attracts entrants from Europe and the USA, some even bring cars from the USA to
take part!
You will meet lots of Triumph enthusiasts who
love to use their car, maybe forge some enduring friendships and hopefully you
will join a group of Triumph owners who have taken part and completed one of the
hardest old car events in the UK!
It really is a bit special to be
using a trusted Triumph car for a continual 48 hours and to be able to say at
the end that one completed the Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability Run!
Should you require more information please
contact the RBRR Organising Team by e-mail: rbrr@club.triumph.org.uk. They will be pleased to discuss the event and
answer any questions. Please visit the Club’s website, www.club.triumph.org.uk
where further information in the Blog as well as the list of entered cars and a
very active discussion forum can be viewed. The event also has a Facebook page,
as administrated by some entrants, have a look.
The
Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability Run, a great driving event, a great way
to see the United Kingdom, in fact IT IS
GREAT FUN!
Club Triumph…. The Club that does.
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