Club News and Events

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Club Helluvit members are an eclectic mix of petrolheads, car geeks and Sunday drivers: don't worry, you'll fit in!  We are based in Bournemouth, but we are active along the South Coast and wherever there's a great driver's road.  Our current members drive everything from Ferraris to MG TFs and from the latest Porsche to the oldest Alfa Romeo! 

Membership of Club Helluvit is currently free!  The only entry qualification is that you drive a sports car!  (Sports bikers are also welcome).  We believe that Club Helluvit is the only all-marques sports car club in the area, although we would like to hear from you if you know different.  Find out how to join the club - here!

Total membership is now 426 members!  Congratulations to Ms Sue Duncan, who became our 400th member on 17th July, 2009!  We will mark this with a mini celebration at the first event that Sue can join us on.  Sue drives a Honda S2000 and a Mazda MX5 Le Mans (special edition).

Please add your email address in the box at the right if you would like us to send you a regular email with details of our sports car club events.

Forthcoming events
Events marked in orange are events organised by Club Helluvit or external events to which Club Helluvit will be hoping to lead a cavalcade of cars!  Events marked in normal type are for your information only - Club Helluvit members may be attending these external events.  Please contact David Jones on 07966 578999 (or email: davidjones@etc-inter.net ) if you need directions and to confirm your participation.

Look further down the page and on other pages for reviews of past events.

Please join us for the July Helluvit sports car road run this coming Sunday:

Sunday 25th July - Road Run to Lyndhurst and Ferrari dealership
This will be a short drive over to Meridien Modena in Lyndhurst to dribble over some gorgeous Ferraris, Maseratis and Alfa Romeos.  You will not be able to sit in anything (unless you bring your chequebook and pen), but you will be able to get up close and personal with some of the finest cars on the planet.  We will meet at the Wessex Hotel, West Cliff Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5EU at about 09.30 hrs before setting off on the drive to Lyndhurst at about 10.00 hrs.  It would be good to get on the road early to avoid the traffic that will build up around Lyndhurst later on.  Feel free to meet us in Lyndhurst if you prefer (we should be there comfortably by about 11.00 hrs).  There is public car park accessible via the High Street.  If there is time, we may go to one of the local hostelries for a bite to eat.

Saturday 14th August - Supercars at Wilton House
Join Lord Pembroke and his Bugatti Veyron at Wilton House!  for the second year running, Lord Pembroke is opening the gates to his stately home near Salisbury to show off an amazing selection of high-power sports, super and hyper cars.  There will also be a mini Motor Show, featuring local dealers and stands.  Gates open at 10am, with a Grand Parade of cars at 12 noon.  Entry costs £10 for adults, £5 for children and there is free entry for under 5s.  Parking in a (stately) field is free.  Tickets can be bought on arrival on the day or in advance via the Wilton House website at: www.wiltonhouse.com

We will meet at the Wessex Hotel, West Cliff Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5EU at about 09.30 hrs before setting off on the drive to Wilton House at about 10.00 hrs.  Feel free to meet us in the grounds of Wilton House, if you prefer (we should be there before 11.00 hrs).  Please note that this event is on a Saturday, unlike most of our other events.

Again, please contact us if you need directions.

Other dates for your diary (at Goodwood Motor Circuit):
(I am not yet sure if I will be able to attend these other events myself, due to pressure of work and my toddler duties).

1st August, Goodwood Breakfast Club, theme: Performance Car Legends.  Free entry to all, from 08.00 hrs until about 12.00 hrs.

29th August, Goodwood Breakfast Club, theme: Classic Sunday.  Free entry to all, from 08.00 hrs until about 12.00 hrs.

17th - 19th September, Goodwood Revival.  Tickets available via the Goodwood website at: www.goodwood.co.uk

Start your engines!

Provisional dates for this year's other road runs and sports car events organised by the Helluvit sports car club:
Sunday 26th September - Road run to Mercedes World at Brooklands.
Sunday 24th October - destination to be confirmed (probably a visit to a sports car manufacturer).
Sunday 28th November - destination to be confirmed.
Wednesday 15th December - destination to be confirmed.

Time to get the MX5 back on the road?  Time to polish up the Porsche?  Come and join us: we'd love to meet you!

Please note that all of our sports car tours, trackdays and other motoring events are dependent on the weather and the general driving conditions: please check with the organisers before setting out!  Please drive carefully!

2010 Sports Car road runs and other motoring events
Here are some short reports about this year's events (so far!):

Thursday 28th January at 5pm - "A Woman In Motorsport" - Becky-Beth Cox gave us a talk about her career to date in motorsport and as a motorsport mechanic.  Venue: ETC International College cafe at 24 West Hill Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5PG.  Subsidised refreshments were available to purchase at the college cafe.  (Please note that the college cafe is located at the rear of the school buildings and that there is limited parking available in the ETC car park to the right of the school, as you look at it from the road.  There is also a public car park opposite the school).  Cost: free to Helluvit members and ETC International College (adult) students.

 
Becky-Beth Cox gave us a talk on her experience of being a woman in motorsport.

Sunday 28th February at 2pm - Cafe meet at Highcliffe Castle - Against all the odds (and in the face of a dodgy weather forecast that probably put off a lot of people), a small group of us assembled at Highcliffe Castle for a coffee, cake and chat session.  It didn't rain (at least not for long), we didn't get any tree-splitting gales and I've still got my wig.  A few of us even managed to go for a stroll along the beach in the sun.  So much for the Met Office!

   
Left to right: Phillip's Vauxhall VXR; the grandeur of Highcliffe Castle; Martin and Tami in the castle cafe.

Sunday 7th March - Goodwood Breakfast Club meeting.  Several of the members joined up to blast over to Goodwood for the first of this year's Goodwood Breakfast Club meetings at the famous racing circuit, near Chichester.  The theme was "Tax free Sunday" (ie. for classic vehicles that are exempt from Road Tax).  As usual at these events, the car park was every bit as interesting as the display area!

Thursday 18th March - Goodwood Media Day.  David was lucky enough to be invited to attend this year's media launch day for this year's motoring events to be held at Goodwood (the Festival of Speed, Revival, etc).  An excellent day - like a mini FoS! - just for event partners and invited media.  David enjoyed two passenger rides up the hill (Alfa Romeo GTA 1600 and Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta) and managed to interview Lord March for Helluvit and Listed Magazine.  Check out the interview on this website - here!

 
Left: Audi Quattro.  Right: Lamborghini Murcielago SV.  (Do we really need to tell you this?!).

Sunday 25th April - Sports car road run to Compton Abbas airfield
This was a short drive from Bournemouth out to Compton Abbas airfield for a coffee and a chat.  You could show off your motor in the car park and watch the planes take off and land from this hill-top airstrip, still miraculously unaffected by volcanic ash!  We met at the Wessex Hotel, West Cliff Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5EU at 09.30 hrs before setting off on the drive (at about 10.00 hrs) to Compton Abbas airfield, Ashmore, Dorset (postcode: SP5 5AP), to arrive for about 11.00 hrs.  Timings were approximate to allow for delays.  This gave us time to have a quick coffee and a chat before we set off.  Special mention goes to Jacqui and Bernard in their newly-acquired TVR with gorgeous paintwork!

Sunday 16th May - Sports car road run to the Beachcomber Cafe
This was a short drive from Bournemouth out to the Beachcomber Cafe in Barton on Sea for a coffee (late breakfast?!) and a chat.  This is a great little cafe on the cliff top, with amazing views out to sea.  As it was windy, you needed to staple your hat to your head, because it can be a bit fierce out there!  We met at the Wessex Hotel (in the lobby), West Cliff Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5EU at 10.00 hrs before setting off on the drive (at about 10.20 hrs) to the Beachcomber Cafe, Marine Drive East, Barton on Sea, Hampshire (postcode: BH25 7DZ), to arrive for about 11.30 hrs or so.


Sunday 27th June - Open Day at Battistinis Custom Bikes + Porsche Club meet at the Highcliffe Castle
This was a short jaunt over to the Battistinis Custom (motor-) Cycles HQ in Christchurch Road for their first open day in their new premises, followed by another short drive over to Highcliffe Castle to gawp at some gorgeous Porsches.  Those of you who have attended any Battistinis events before will know that they are a lot of fun, with live music, food and merchandise to buy, the occasional pretty girl and various showstopping bikes on display.  We were at Battistinis showroom soon after 10am, where the party was already well underway!
Battistinis Custom Cycles,
1172 - 1180 Christchurch Road,
Bournemouth.  BH7 6DY.

We then headed over to Highcliffe Castle to join the Porsche Club Rally taking place that day from approximately 11am until 4pm.  (We spent an hour or so at the Battistinis event before heading over to the Porsche Club meet).  Highcliffe Castle,
Rothesay Road,
Highcliffe.  BH23 4LE.

Here is a rundown of what the Helluvit sports car club did in 2009:

Sunday 25th January, 2009 - Sports Car Road Run to Compton Abbas Airfield.  This was a short drive from Bournemouth out to this small but busy airfield (near Guy Richie land) for a coffee and a chat.  There was quite a good showing, in spite of the weather and it was great to see some new faces too.  The planes were grounded, unfortunately, because the runway was waterlogged (that doesn't happen at Heathrow, thank goodness!), but there was still a buzz to the place as a good few people had arrived for their Sunday lunches, including the local Triumph owners club.  We met at the Orchid Hotel, 34 Gervis Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3DH at about 11.30 hrs before setting off on the drive to Compton Abbas at about 12.00 hrs.  This gave us enough time to have a quick coffee and a chat before we set off.

 
Left: Andrew Marchington's Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
Right: Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante joins the line-up!

 
Left: Mike's Mercedes SLK AMG. 
Right: Some members of the local Triumph Owners' Club members were also at Compton Abbas.

22nd February, 2009 - Social meet and Road Run to the Sir Walter Tyrell pub
We met at 11am at the Orchid Hotel on Bournemouth's East Cliff (near Bournemouth and Poole College) for a coffee and a chat.  David didn't expect to see anyone, because it hadn't been possible to send out an e-newsletter with details of the planned road run, but amazingly, 7 other people were waiting, cars polished and raring to go.  After some preliminary car talk over coffees and teas in the Orchid Hotel, we headed out to the Sir Walter Tyrell pub in the New Forest for some more petrolhead banter and to discuss ideas for future road runs.  Well done and thank you to those people that made it in spite of the IT breakdown!  Incidentally, a special mention should go to little Kai James - at 16 months old, the club's youngest member - for turning out resplendent in his best racing car T shirt!  The Sir Walter Tyrell (website: www.sirwaltertyrell.co.uk ) is located in the heart of the New Forest, just off the A31 Southampton to Bournemouth road.  The famous Rufus Stone is just about 200 yards south of the pub.  The address of the pub is:
Sir Walter Tyrell,
Brook,
Lyndhurst,
Hampshire.  SO43 7HD.
Telephone: 023 8081 3170.

 
Left: the Sir Walter Tyrell Pub - destination for our February 2009 sports car road run.
Right: The Helluvit Sports Car Club's youngest member on his first road run!

Sunday 15th March, 2009 - Road Run to the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum
This was a short drive from Bournemouth out to the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, Bashley Cross Road, New Milton.  BH25 5SZ.  Entry fee was 5.90 GBP per person.  We met at the Orchid Hotel, 34 Gervis Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3DH at about 10.00 hrs for a 10.45 hrs departure to the museum.  This gave us time to have a quick coffee and a chat before we set off.  The run to the museum was enlivened by David's MGF expiring in a gush of steam as its head gasket blew!  (At least it happened on a lovely day and in a picturesque spot!).  Several people met us directly at the museum and enjoyed an excellent tour of some of the golden greats from the heyday of British motorbikes.  There were so many bikes that we hadn't even heard of, but also a lot of names that still elicit nostalgia for the glory days!  Over teas and coffees (and probably more cake than is really wise), we had time for a good natter about cars, bikes, electric bikes and photography before the rescue service turned up to tow away David's MGF!

Sunday 22nd March, 2009 - Road Run to Goodwood Flying Club
Numbers were restricted on this event, so it was first come, first served!  We met at the Orchid Hotel, 34 Gervis Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3DH at about 10.00 hrs for a 10.45 hrs departure to the flying club.  Just two cars (John and David in John's Porsche 924S plus Pat and Bob in their Mazda MX5 Mark 1) set off from Bournemouth, but we met up with Carolyn in Midhurst and then blasted down to Goodwood (following in the wake of her awesome Lamborghini!).  Time for a bite to eat with one eye out for the light aircraft constantly taking off and landing just a few hundred yards from the club house!

 
Left: following in the wake of Carolyn's Lamborghini Murcielago.
Right: Lambo, Porsche and Mazda at Goodwood with their crews.

 
Left: Carolyn's Lamborghini lures its next victim.
Right: Driving through the Meon Valley.

Sunday 12th April, 2009 - Road Run to the Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Yeovil.
We met at the Orchid Hotel, 34 Gervis Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3DH at about 10.00 hrs for a 10.45 hrs departure to the museum.  What a great set of cars and motorbikes!  Why isn't this museum as well-known as Beaulieu?!  Photos to follow soon.

Sunday 17th May, 2009 - Road Run to the Red Lion pub in the New Forest
This was a short drive from Bournemouth out to the Red Lion pub, near Lymington in the New Forest.  Participation was free.  Dating back to around the 15th Century and mentioned in the Domesday Book, the Red Lion is an amalgamation of an old style forest public house, two old cottages and stables.  Offering cosy beamed rooms, gardens for the summer (fingers crossed!), heated patios, well-kept cask ales and a genuinely warm welcome, this is a classic New Forest pub not to be missed.

We met at the Orchid Hotel, 34 Gervis Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3DH at about 10.00 hrs for a 10.30 hrs departure to the pub.  We had a cool, leisurely drive and then a great wide-ranging chat about all things motor-related.  People present included John in his Porsche, Leigh, Leigh's father and Karen in their Jaguar S Type R, Marcus in his Ferrari Scuderia M16 (great noise Marcus!), Bernard and Jacqui in their TVR Griffith (great noise Bernard!).

The address of the Red Lion pub for your sat nav is:
The Red Lion, Boldre, Lymington. 
Hampshire. 
SO41 8NE.
Tel: 01590 673177.

 
Left: Marcus's Ferrari Scuderia M16. 
Right: A very mixed bag of sports cars in the car park at the Red Lion in Boldre!

Sunday 7th June, 2009 - Road Run to Goodwood Circuit for the Supercar Sunday Breakfast Club Meeting
This was a drive from Bournemouth out to Goodwood, near Chichester, to enjoy the free display of modern and classic supercars at the famous motor circuit.  Participation was free. 

We met at the Orchid Hotel, 34 Gervis Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3DH at about 08.00 hrs for an 08.30 hrs departure to Goodwood.  Luckily (or unluckily!), there were only a few of us this time, because there was very little parking space available - hence the need to move our rendezvous point to somewhere with more guaranteed space next time.

As usual at these events, there was plenty of shiny supercar metal on display, including the usual crowd of Ferraris, Lambos, Astons, etc, but this time also including some new blood: a few Nissan GTRs, Audi R8s and Alfa Romeo 8Cs, to mention just a few of the star cars!

 
Left: Alfa Romeo 8C - undoubtedly one of the stars of this year's Supercar Sunday.
Right: Nissan GTR, looking all moody on the track at Goodwood.

Sunday 14th June, 2009 - Road Run to the Empress of Blandings pub, Copythorne (near Southampton).
Our scheduled Helluvit Road Run out to the Empress of Blandings, a great car club friendly pub not far from Southampton with plenty of parking available and really good bar food on offer.

We met at a different location for the 14th June run: ETC International College car park at 22 West Hill Road, Bournemouth.  BH2 5PG.  This is near the Triangle in Bournemouth town centre.  (Don't worry, there are no speed bumps in the area yet!).

The address of the pub for your Sat nav is:
The Empress of Blandings,
Romsey Road, Copythorne.  Hampshire.  SO40 2PB.
Tel: 02380 812321.

If you would like to have a meal at the pub we recommend that you telephone the pub in advance as it is a very popular haunt on Sundays!

 
Left: Helluvit sports car club members assemble in the pub car park to talk about shiny metal things.
Right: Mr M. Schumacher's Lotus Elan and Des Collins's gorgeous (and rare) Renault Sport Spider.

Sunday 19th July, 2009 - Road Run to Sherborne Castle for the annual Classics at the Castle classics and supercar show. 
We met at the Nightjar pub in Canford Cliffs at 09.00 hrs on Sunday morning before driving to Sherborne.  This was a drive from Bournemouth out to Sherborne Castle, to enjoy the huge display of modern and classic cars at the beautiful lakeside setting of Sherborne Castle (the 16th Century residence of Sir Walter Raleigh).

Highlights included:
- over 1,000 cars on display, from Veterans to Supercars.
- arrival of Veteran car tour at 11.30am.
- arrival of Dorset Classic Car Tour at 12.30pm.
- motorsports feature display.
- supercar feature.
- trade stands.
- motor club stands.
- autojumble.
- crafts fair.
- Charterhouse car auction.

The show was open to the public from 10.00 am until 4.00pm, and we all had a good giggle, in spite of the changeable weather (which veered from rainy squalls to bright sunshine!).

 
Right: Helluvit members parking up at Sherborne Castle and preparing for those storm clouds.

Members entered individually but those of us who drove up together were actually able to park up within the show in formation (and thus form part of the display).

 
Left: Aston Martin Vanquish.  Right: Ferrari California.

 
Left: Pontiac Solstice.  Right: Pagani Zonda and Ferrari F40.

Tuesday 20th October - Evening road run and club meeting.
Destination: Drusillas Inn, near Wimborne. 
Mission: to relax with like-minded people and perhaps sample a little amber nectar.
A relaxing evening at this famous local pub.  Drusilla's is situated in rolling Dorset countryside and enjoys uninterrupted views of the 17th century Horton Folly Tower and the lush grazing field across the road.  Enjoy real Ales, fine wines and beers in the 17th Century beamed bar.  Feature Inglenook fireplaces add warmth and character to create a relaxed dining and drinking area.  If you would like to eat at the inn (most people will probably just have a drink), please book a table by calling the management on 01258 840297.  Their current special offer is 3 delicious courses for 10.90 Pounds (Monday to Thursday).
The address of the inn is:
Drusillas Inn,
Wigbeth,
Horton. 
Dorset. 
BH21 7JH.
Here is a map, showing where to go:
http://www.multimap.com/maps/?hloc=GB|BH21%207JH#map=50.86527,-1.90529|14|4&dp=841&bd=useful_information&loc=GB:50.86329:-1.93748:16|BH21%207JH|BH21%207JH

Thursday 12th November (yes, Thursday!) - Morgan Factory Tour - cost: £10 per visitor.
Address of the visitor centre is:
Spring Lane,
Malvern,
WR14 1AJ. 
Allow about 3.5 hours for the journey, if you are travelling from Bournemouth.  It took us longer than we had imagined it would!

Our last sports car road run of the year was from Bournemouth to Compton Abbas airfield.  As with almost all of our events, participation was free.

December event - Last run of the year!
Sunday 6th December, 2009. 

This was a short drive from Bournemouth out to Compton Abbas airfield for a coffee and a chat.  (As you can imagine if you know a lot of our members, cake was also involved!).  We had a pleasant drive, managing to avoid a few mini accidents on the road and showed off our motors in the packed car park.  It was also fun to watch the planes take off and land from this hill-top airstrip.  We had to wrap up warm though: it was pretty chilly!  (And no-one was brave enough to drop their top!).  Des's Alpine was probably the car that grabbed most people's attention - mainly because you don't see very many of them these days!

Would you like to take part in - or sponsor - a future Helluvit event?  You can also sponsor our newsletter from £75 per issue, which is sent out to all of our subscribers.  Contact David Jones for more information about sponsorship opportunities.

Remember, there's no charge to members for participation in our monthly road runs: just come along!  But if it's a picnic, remember to bring some food and a frisbee!  Or if it's a Road Run or Rally, bring enough money to buy yourself a coffee and a snack!

 
Left: Yurie Oyama-Jones in Monte Carlo.  Right: David Jones on a recent sportscar tour.

Put yourself in the driving seat!

For more details on all club events, call: + 44 (0) 7966 578999 or send an email to: davidjones@etc-inter.net

Monthly events - international driving tours - free membership!

Helluvit is sponsored by Red Dragon Motorsport (UK).

Copyright: Red Dragon Motorsport (UK), 2010