The ROAR 08 weekend took place on the weekend of 28th and 29th June 2008 and was a TVR Car Club organised event primarily aimed at getting together as many TVR Chimaera's as possible, although it was also open to those with other models as well. The venue for the festival was the Moorside Grange Hotel and Spa, which is set in an area of outstanding natural beauty at the edge of the Peak District. The hotel was superb, with panoramic views of the surrounding hills and a real nice feel to the place. It is hard to believe the hotel is only 30-minutes from Manchester city centre and 10 minutes from Macclesfield. Looking at the building it obviously started life as something completely different and seems to have evolved over time with a number of additions being built onto it at different periods in its life. That's what makes it an interesting place to be in, as there was almost hidden stairways that curled and twisted their way to the upper floors, corridors that were never on the same level for very long as you walked along them, and all sorts of little nooks and cranny's that often had a seat placed in them.

The ROAR 08 event spanned two days and was very well attended. This one had been organised by Angus MacDougall and his lovely wife, Carmen, and it was their first time of doing anything like this. The Chimaera event used to be called Chimfest, but this year, and under Angus's direction, it had a whole new image and a new name, as in ROAR.

The planned itinerary was that people who were staying at the venue would arrive on the Friday afternoon into early evening and then would have the option of joining in a Mexican theme dinner, where a delicious chile was served, with alternative dishes that were on offer for those who wanted something different. This of course was preceded by drinks at the bar, where me and my team met Jack, a Chimaaera owner, who was with his wife and who had come over from the Isle of Mann. We spoke to others, one of whom had come from Glasgow, another from Devon, so it was evident that some people had come a long way. This was his first ever TVR Car Club event that Jack had attended, and apart from having been on a motorway for the first time in ages to get there, said he found the whole experience, even this early on, to be very much to his taste.

After dinner everyone gathered in the bar area, and of course the talk was very much centred around TVR's and TVR ownership. For anyone who has no experience of these meetings needs to understand that this marque of car brings together all manner of people who themselves come from all walks of life. You can meet guy who is a white van delivery driver, a plumber or a car owner who is a senior figure within a blue-chip organisation, and yet when you get them all together as TVR owners at a function such as this, each will treat every other as an equal. This is regardless as to how much any of them have paid for their car, what model it is or what condition it is in, because whatever TVR you own, and no matter who you are, in TVR ownership circles you are on the same level as everyone else. That is just great in my book.

Now it would be remiss of me at this point not to mention a young lady called Kia, who is only 28-years old by all accounts. Here I am not referring to a car, but had Kia indeed been a car, probably the best condition that could be used to descibe her would be to say she was well oiled. Not with GTX, however, but something more like Shiraz. Anyway, I was seated at the next table in the lounge, along with two guys from my team, Glenn and Dave, as well as Carol (Dave's wife) and Lisa, who is Glenn's partner. In tne middle of our conversation, Kia, sitting bear-foot infront of the fire place, suddenly asked Glenn (nearest to her) what TVR he had. Glenn, a Porche GT3 owner, informed her that he had a Vauxhall Astra. Looking puzzled by this she looked at me and asked the same question. When I answered that I had a Ford Focus, and Dave stated that he had a Renault Megan Scenic, she then asked why we should be there. Having then explained that we were members of the Ride Drive team, and then gave a brief, yet simple explanation of what Ride Drive do, she asked if one of us would accompany her for a drive out in a TVR to get some tips. However, it was only after agreeing to be helpful, and to do as asked, did Kia, bless her, reveal that she did not have a licence as she had never learned to drive! She then revealed, and in response to Glenn's probing questions, that she was in textiles and claimed that she could tell what any item of clothing was made of, and determine the level of quality, just by feeling it with her hands.

So as to reinforce her point she gestured towards the guy who seemed part of their group of four, and who was wearing a suit jacket over his tee shirt, saying that although the jacket was purporting to be something of high-quality and expensive, by her expert touch she proclaimed it to be complete c**p. It later transpired that far from being the best of friends, as we thought the four of them were, they actually had never met each other before that night! It was great meeting you, Kia. You were a really good sport and we all had a good laugh together.

Next morning, after a humongous breakfast, Nigel, our fourth team member joined us, and we set about getting our stand organised. This was the first car meeting I had been to whilst representing Ride Drive where the stands were provided, these having been errected for us traders the day before. This made things so much easier, and on behalf of Ride Drive I will say a big thank you to Angus for his organising that one. It took away so much hassle, which was great.

Before we attended the weekend it was known that we were going to be providing what you might call free samples of our services. The idea was that anyone attending the event could pre-book, through Carmen and Angus, a 30-minute session with Ride Drive in their TVR and these Drive Out's would be running all through the time of the event. This meant that someone had to find a route around which to direct these people that would be interesting enough to keep them entertained, but close enough to the hotel to be useful. With this in mind I had planned my Friday before the event to get there nice and early, check into the Mooreside Grange, and then go off on a recognisance mission to see what could be found. Not being familiar with the area I instantly went the wrong way from the end of the drive, because very quickly, and after making a left at the T-juntion I reached very quickly afterwards, I was in a village where the main street was heavily equipped with speed humps. Not good for TVR's thought I. Turning around I headed back, passed the junction I had emerged from, and the road began to look a little better. However, I was soon entering the town of Whaley Bridge where all down the hill were more of them - speed humps that is. Of course I then had to make another poor choice in that I made a right turn, thinking I best revolve around the site of the hotel by keeping its location roughly to my right at all times. It was then I landed straight into all the parents fighting for position outside what seemed like 20 schools along a road that was far too narrow for cars to park on both sides, which they were.
After battling ny way through there I made my way along the A5004 to Buxton, but quickly realised that for the purpose of a 25-minute run in a TVR this road was not only taking me too far out from the hotel, but it was also wearing a blanket 50mph speed limit. From there I got completely lost, visiting all number of towns and villages, but never seeming to find the road I wanted. When eventually I found myself on the B5470, and heading in the right direction, but not having found my route, I took the next left almost in frustration, and certainly through not wanting to yet return to the hotel. This took me along a very interesting lane that varied in width at various points from two-way width to single-track. There were some really tricky bends, hill crests and other features that I began to realise would really test any driver.

Left at the end, down into the next village, left just before the mini roundabout, and after a while I was back up onto the B5470. With a squirt along there, and up the lane that led back to the hotel from the other side; the way I had first arrived prior to checking in, I found I had discovered my 25-minute route. I need not have covered the 70+ miles lookiong for it!

Anyway, to come back to the point, our booking sheet for the Drive Out's had some blank slots in it for both the Saturday and the Sunday. However, indeterred we were quite happy to take on the spot bookings and actually had quite a few people fit into the schedule in that way. What was interesting to observe was the demeanour with which people first approached, as compared to how they were after their drive. Before there was what we at Ride Drive are so used to, and that is people will be stiff, awkward, unsure even slightly afraid, presumably of being made in some way to feel foolish. If I were one of them I would say the feeling they experience is not unlike that of perhaps going to the doctor with some embarassing affliction, knowing there was an intermate examination involved. Howver, after their 25-minutes or so, the difference then was amazing. Lots of hand shaking, outbursts of appreciation and gratitude, beaming smiles from ear to ear and several promises of bookings to follow. In short, they loved it and not long after the irst few runs our booking sheet began to fill up and soon we were cramming people into spaces that were not there, but between those that had booked in earlier, and this was all provided by us free of charge.

We did have time to meet and greet Simon and John, who had travelled up from Hertfordshire in Simon's Chimaera. Both these guys are part of the Ride Drive team and cover parts of Herts and Essex between them. They remained with us for the rest of the event, albeit they were there for social reasons, whereas we were working during the day.

That evening, Saturday, Angus presided over an auction, the purpose of which was to raise money for a local charity, called Francis House Children's Hospice, who are based at East Didsbury near Manchester. Francis House offers the families of children who have a short life expectancy a respite from their role as carers and gives the children a loving home from home. So it was a very worthy cause. Ride Drive had prepared two gift vouchers, each representing a Half Day Advanced Road Driving Experience, and donated them as auction prizes. Whether it had been due to the several enthusiastic conversations that had been going around the bar before dinner; conversations that me and the team did pick up on in among all the general conversation noise, or the Ride Drive name had been lifted within the realms of public opinion, but those two vouchers broke all previous records that night in terms of the amount that was bid for them, and that was for each one the same.

By the end of the night the auction had raised £1,200 for Francis House, which is spectacular when you consder the party consisted of about 90-people. Again the food was superb with plenty of it, the atmostphere completely as you would want it for a party and everyone had a great time.

Next morning, and after another humongous breakfast, we made our way down to the stand so as to get ready for the day ahead. We were in fact about 15-minutes early and yet there were three guys waiting for us and who asked iof they could do the Drive Out. Without further ado, Glenn, Dave and Nigel jumped into three respective morning dew covered TVR's and they were off. Then more came, and more. This was quickly becoming a main attraction of the show, and it wasn't until the time came for the club run in the afternoon, where many of the TVR's drive out in a convoy around a pre-planned route, did we get chance to have a sit down.

Not long after the convory had left the heavens opened and I instantly thought of those cars I had seen drive out with the roof down. If you have ever experienced the cloud bursts of the tropics then you will know what I mean when I say that was how it seemed. There must have been a road somewhere in the hills where about 50 TVR's would be pulled into the side of the road with their driver's hurriedly putting the tops on the cars. Certainly some people came back looking a bit bedraggled as they peeled themsleves off the leather seats.

After all was said and done, and with all the equipment packed away, having counted up how many people we had taken out that weekend, I found that the number reached 42! That is incredible, and everyone of them seemed to have a really good time with us as well. If any of those people are reading this now I want to say thanks for being such good sports and for going into what we gave you with such an open mind. You certainly got the most from it as a result. We are going to try and get the same activity organised for the Griff Growl, which is at Stratford Upon Avon in August. A list will be published for names to go on a little later.

In closing I would like to thank Angus and Carmen for making the weekend such a resounding success, certainly over and beyond what I had expected, but also to all the staff at the Moorside Grange, who clearly could not do enough for us. They absolutely gave it everything to make everyone feel welcome, as well as comfortable, and for making it appear that nothing was ever too difficult or too much trouble.

Next stop, the Griff Growl at Ettington in Warwickshire.

Julian Smith

Ride Drive Limietd