The Octagon 

NEWSLETTER OF THE CLASSIC                CLUB

Vol. 48                       No.6                    Issue 573                                   June, 2011 

MAINTAINING THE BREED FOR OVER FORTY EIGHT YEARS

PRESIDENT: Pete Rogers, 31104 Fairvista Dr., Tavares, FL 32778.  Phone 352-343-1855.   E-mail: pfrslot@gmail.com.

EDITOR:   Al Cook, 8554 Amber Oak Dr. Orlando, FL 32817.  Phone 407-678-6814. E–mail arcpa@mpinet.net.

WEBSITE:  www.classicmgclub.com  WEBMASTER:  Paul Plasschaert, E-mail: webmaster@classicmgclub.com. 

MEETING:   (AGAIN) NOT QUITE AS USUAL.  It is the third Thursday, June 16th, however, we have been informed (again) that we cannot “use the facilities” at the Maitland Senior Center.  Instead, we will plan to meet at Carlucci’s Italian Restaurant where we can convene our meeting.  We encourage you to go directly to Carlucci’s at 7:15 PM.  If you go to the Maitland Senior Center and find that there are none of your MG Friends there, go to Carlucci’s to drown your sorrows!  Directions to Carlucci’s: 501 North Orlando Ave, Ste 145, Winter Park.  This is at the shopping center at the corner of 17-92 & Lee Rd.  Obviously, we will be discussing a new location for our meetings.

MAY DRIVING EVENT FOLLOW UP:    Our driving event for May was an excursion to Ponce Inlet on Saturday, May 21st.  We had an extraordinary turn-out for the drive and had to grant “honorary MG” status to at least a couple of vintage vehicles who traveled with us!  Paul Plasschaert let the way and we did get underway more-or-less on time, but with the many stops along the way to meet fellow MG friends, to repair leaky float valves and to wait for vapor locks to disappear, we arrived at our destination at the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse with just enough energy left to decide to head to lunch before taking on the tough job of The Tourist.  Luckily, we were just down the road from The North Turn Restaurant, which was definitely the place to go to have lunch.  It was aptly named because it is on the site of the original track during the era when Stock Car Racing was held on the Beach.  There were many photos from that era and mementos from the first years of NASCAR. Not only that, the food was good!

After a wonderful meal, we split into at least 2 major groups.  Some returned to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and others took in the Marine Science Center, both of which were a little South of the restaurant.  Your Editor stayed with the Lighthouse Group, and after a lovely tour of the Lighthouse and Museum, returned to town just in time to pick up all the “love bugs” we (somehow) missed on the way over.             

GOF COMMITTEE REPORT:  Compared to recent months, the GOF Committee seems to be relatively quiet, but there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes!  Our good friends who recently hosted us in Weeki Wachee, (especially Diann Selke) have offered to let us use the domain name “GOF South.com” for the website for our GOF Mark XLVI (GOF #46 for you non-traditionalists) in 2012.  This is a WONDERFUL gesture and Diann even volunteered Ron to help maintain the website, if we can get the content to him.  I hope she checked with him first, before volunteering him!  Paul Plasschaert, who speaks “Computer” will figure out what she said, but it sounds GREAT to me!  The Committee will have lots of decisions to make in the coming months, as we plan for a Great Event on March 23-25, 2012.

JUNE DRIVING EVENT:  Our event for June will be a free-style shopping and touring event in Lovely Downtown Sanford during the afternoon of Saturday June 18, 2011, capped off by a dinner with your MG Friends at Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café located at 205 East First Street, Sanford FL 32771 (407-321-2204), where we have reservations for dinner at 6:00 PM.  This is what the organizing committee would call an “easy one” because we don’t have to meet anywhere to drive anywhere.  Come on your own, as early as you like.  Shop, if you like, or just walk along the lakeside or watch the boats coming and going from the marina.  Observe the fact that the entire new streetscape of First Street celebrates their welcome of our MG Club!  (How else do you explain the presence of so many Octagons?)  The only organization involved is to get yourself over to the Willow Tree at 6:00 PM and insist that they put you next to the other MG nuts who will be there!  We will then enjoy the wonderful German food and beer that The Willow Tree is famous for.

FUTURE EVENTS:

Summer is a difficult time for MG folks.  It’s often too hot to drive your car in the middle of the day.  Many members are on vacations.  Our goal is to schedule events that bring our group together in more comfortable venues and to keep the spirits up until MG-friendly weather returns.  The scheduled event for July is a BBQ by the cement pond at the home of Al & Kathy Cook which will be held on Saturday July 23, 2011.  More information will be announced later.  In August we will return to Fiddler’s Green, a favorite watering hole in Winter Park, where we will continue the humiliation which is our Annual Darts Tournament.  That event will be on August 20^th.

Brit Bash 2011 is on for Saturday, October 29, 2011 at Riverside Park in Vero Beach.  This is the former Fox Lake and Wickham Park event put on by our friends at MG Car Club Florida and the location and venue (Springfield Suites by Marriott) were wonderful last year.  For information and registration go to www.mgcarclubflorida.org .

Usually we don’t go into details too early, (it kind-of ruins the MG unplanned philosophy) but sometimes events require us to plan ahead.  I mentioned that it had been suggested by our friends in Melbourne that we get together for our traditional October Over Night Trip.  It was also suggested that we move it up a little (to make room in our schedules for the Brit Bash, on October 28-29) and plan to meet them at one of our favorite locations, the Tuckaway Resort (now condo hotels) in Indian Harbor Beach.   It just so happens that the Tuckaway is open for business, has rooms available and is offering our members a 15% discount from their “Rack Rate” for accommodations for Saturday, October 1, 2011.  This time and information will be shared with the MG Car Club Florida and all are encouraged to both mark their calendars and to call for reservations.  Both Clubs will undoubtedly come up with both a clever and entertaining method of getting there, but for now, it will be enough to know that we are going!  We have reserved their party room for Saturday evening and can have a wine & cheese and/or beer & crackers reception before selecting a suitable local dining establishment for dinner.  For information, visit their website at www.tuckawayshores.net and for reservations call 321-723-3355 (local) or 1-800-820-1441 (toll free).  Mention that you are with the MG Group to get your discount.

WANT ADS:   Joseph Bushel reports that he is looking to sell his 1969 MGB Roadster.  It is located in Live Oak, so it might be wise to call him or to have him send you a photo of the car first.  I have seen a photo and it looks clean and neat.  Please call him at 386-330-2583 or contact him at mew2dwr@windstream.net 

_

Tony Roth Memorial MG Race

We just received the following information regarding a “Tony Roth Memorial Race” that will be held during the MGVR Lime Rock Historic Races in Connecticut in September.   

For a very nice article written in the MGVR Newsletter about Tony go to     www.mgvr.org  and click on the Newsletter Volume 31, Issue#1. This is a large pdf file and scroll to page 37.

Further looking through the MGVR newsletter we see that George Perdee (our West coast club member) has registered for that race and we wish him all the best.

1981 – MGVR – 2011Celebrating our 30^thAnniversary! 

MG Vintage Racers Bulletin

June 6, 2011

 Updates on MGVR “Focus Event East 2011”At Lime Rock Historics, Labor Day Weekend   

 The “Lime Rock Historic Races” this coming Labor Day weekend is shaping up to be a wonderful MG racers and MG enthusiasts weekend!  Over 60 MG racers having entered - or say they plan to race there - below are some of the latest updates.  So far: 12 MGB’s; 1 MGC; 6 Midgets; 20 MGA’s; 18 TC/D/F’s;  4 Pre-War MGs.  Overall, over 300 vintage race cars will be competing!

MG Race to Honor Tony Roth

    The MG feature race at Lime Rock will be named the “Tony Roth Memorial MG Race” in honor of this founding father of MG vintage racing who passed away this past year.  Tony began vintage racing his MGTD in the late 70’s, was a founding member of SVRA, MGVR, and the Classic MG club of Orlando, and was extremely active in a variety of MG and vintage racing activities.  More importantly, he made events FUN for everyone!  He wasn’t about competition and winning.  We remember him and the foundations he helped lay for MG enthusiasts and events, giving unselfishly of himself to the MG community in so many ways!