Regency Run 2001

After so much rain and gloomy weather it was quite a surprise to be heading for the Brooklands museum for the start of the Regency Run on a bright and sunny May morning. There had been an extra cloud hanging over this popular ‘road run’ as a result of the recent ‘Foot & Mouth’ crisis and cancellation had been a distinct possibility. Fortunately the ‘Regency Run’ jointly organised by the MGOC and The MG Car Club was allowed to go ahead.

Brooklands is always a popular venue for events of this type and as we drove past the ‘Historic Motoring Village’ the whole site seemed to have been converted into an ‘MG only’ car park. All the MGs were arranged in order of age with the very oldest outside the Clubhouse and the newest right out at the far side of what remains the famous banked racing circuit.

On arrival participants sign on to collect their rally boards and route books. Fitting a rally board using a couple of plastic cable ties is not too difficult on an MGB with a chrome slatted grille but it’s quite a challenge to fit one on an MGF.

The pre-war cars are allowed to set off early and the first MG to be flagged away by Gemma Lane of Brooklands was John Hart’s 1929 MG 18/80. As usual there was a huge entry for this extremely popular road run and the programme listed 625 entries but because of the doubt about the run going ahead there were many more participants who turned up at Brooklands and paid on the day.

Two routes down to Brighton are meticulously planned to be entertaining and scenic, one for the odd numbered entries and another for even numbers. The programme details the route with precise tulip type diagrams and written instructions. My eleven year old son Adam was in charge of navigation and he insisted that we set the trip on the mileometer to aid the process. This provided an invaluable guide, giving us a very good idea of where and when to expect the next road junction and the correct route to take. The tulip diagrams are simple to use provided that you remember to read them from the bottom so that left and right refer to the road ahead and then you just follow the route indicated by the large arrow.

The ‘Run’ took us through various delightful country lanes, some very narrow, twisting through dense, dark stretches of woodland. The lush dark green of the trees contrasted with the occasional splash of colour from the carpets of bluebells beneath them.

Eventually the route brought us out on to the picturesque South Downs with wonderful views into the far distance. As we approached the coast before reaching Brighton we climbed steadily to the top of Ditchling Beacon which is some 250 metres above sea level.

Despite the fact there were so many MGs en route it was still possible to travel for miles at time before coming across another entrant. Such a beautiful day also brought out many other road uses, with groups of cyclists and horse riders out in force. By lunchtime the roads and lanes became dotted with MGs pulled over for their picnics. The Regency Run enjoys a unique and friendly atmosphere and all participants have a thoroughly good time.

The sixty odd miles seemed to pass very quickly and all too soon we were back in the busy traffic of Brighton to find ourselves threading our way down to the finish at Madiera Drive. Here a grand finishing line was laid out and some of the participants are chosen for an interview with Bill Wallis, Chairman of the MG Car Club as they cross the line.

Bill has attended every Regency Run except one since its inception and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of all models of MG and can identify the rarest examples of the marque. This enables him to maintain an informative and entertaining commentary throughout the day and he invariably manages to bring up some new and interesting point about all the MGs that pass through.

The popularity of the Regency Run continues to grow and many owners return year after year, the ‘Run’ has become an annual pilgrimage for all of us who love our MGs.