2020zoom On The Road

The Restoration Run

Following months of preparation, the Restoration Run appeared to be under serious jeopardy from the weather. The previous week saw some of the most violent storm and flood damage ever with five inches of rain dropping on parts of the Midlands throughout a torrid twenty-four hour period. Shelsley suffered dramatically at the hands of the floods with a landslide taking down a section of the banking between the area of the members' tent and Bottom Ess. With a great deal of hard work, the track itself was cleared sufficiently to allow cars up the hill.

We anxiously weather-watched throughout the week and it was eventually decided we would go ahead with the event. This proved to be an excellent call as, on the morning of July 29th, the sun began to shyly re-emerge.

We arrived early in order to get ourselves organised and we were introduced to Matt Sillence, the other photographer. He and James were dispatched up to Bottom Ess and I settled myself by the start-line.

Cars had set off earlier in the day from three separate start points: Gaydon, Prescott and Loton Park. After completing their ninety mile planned routes, they began arriving at Shelsley at around 1.30pm. Starter and Clerk of the course for the day, Martin Baker, wasted no time in getting proceedings underway and we soon had an incredible range of vehicles going up the famous hill. James, Matt and I fired away with our Nikons at smiling drivers and passengers as they proudly drove their precious machines by.

After all the entrants had concluded their hill run, everyone congregated in the paddock area for meals and drinks. With the sun getting steadily hotter as the afternoon progressed and a four-piece jazz band playing jauntily in the background, the havoc caused by the weather throughout the previous few days was temporarily forgotten.

Well done to Andrew Davis and his team on hosting a thoroughly successful event that has raised a tidy sum towards the Restoration Project. Can’t wait to do it all over again at some stage in the future.