Many of you may have passed the small crash that happened on the way out from the show. I just felt compelled to write a short bit about the credit and praise I'd like to give the owner of the Mr2 Golf and his mates.
I broke down in the gold Volvo P1800 on the way up the hill between two sharp blind bends. It was the worst and most dangerous place possible to break down. A small queue had formed behind and we were doing our best to get out the way as a few cars passed cautiously and safely on both sides. I'd managed to edge a little further forward so that I could see around the bend and also, more importantly, be seen by oncoming traffic.
A handful had passed and the mk2 was slowly and safely edging past when a landrover with fully laden trailer (with logs) came round the corner at a faster speed than he should have considering there was a stranded vehicle in view. I do believe he was going within the speed limit, however with a fully laden trailer around a blind corner on a steep hill with a stranded car in view... he should have been going slower. I put my hand up to try and get him to slow, but it was a little late as the golf was in the middle of the road over the central line.
Brakes were slammed on but with that weight and the hill he wasn't stopping. Credit to him, he did manage to steer out the way, but in the process he clipped the wheel arch, wing and (absolutely pristine) wheel on the golf as well as taking half the hedge with him.
No one was hurt, but all shaken from a quite fast near miss that could have been an inch closer and would have caused a huge amount of damage considering the probably 3 tonne plus weight.
The point I really want to get to is that I was so amazed by how well the guys in the golf and the drift car who were involved took it. It could have gone one of two ways, they could have flipped out with the find of rage reaction that anyone feels when someone smashes their pride and joy, made a scene, even gotten in a fight, but they didn't - the guy took a deep breath, held his clam and did everything in the most mature and by the book way possible. There were no raised voices, threats, or anything like that, just a calm and mature approach to a situation that has happened.
Once we had cleared up, the driver of the Golf's main concern was to help me get my car to a safe spot and help me get it running again rather than think of his own car. I did turn this down as we thought we had it under control, however staying in that layby for half an hour or so was only interrupted by countless offers of help by others who were just passing.
This is a great example to the amazing attitudes of all who attend Retro Rides Gathering, and why it makes is such a great show to attend and why I shall continue to attend year on year. To the driver of the Golf, I take my hat off to you sir, and to the rest of you, thank you for being who you are.
My only regret was not taking up the offers of help. It took me 17.5 hours to get home in the end!
I broke down in the gold Volvo P1800 on the way up the hill between two sharp blind bends. It was the worst and most dangerous place possible to break down. A small queue had formed behind and we were doing our best to get out the way as a few cars passed cautiously and safely on both sides. I'd managed to edge a little further forward so that I could see around the bend and also, more importantly, be seen by oncoming traffic.
A handful had passed and the mk2 was slowly and safely edging past when a landrover with fully laden trailer (with logs) came round the corner at a faster speed than he should have considering there was a stranded vehicle in view. I do believe he was going within the speed limit, however with a fully laden trailer around a blind corner on a steep hill with a stranded car in view... he should have been going slower. I put my hand up to try and get him to slow, but it was a little late as the golf was in the middle of the road over the central line.
Brakes were slammed on but with that weight and the hill he wasn't stopping. Credit to him, he did manage to steer out the way, but in the process he clipped the wheel arch, wing and (absolutely pristine) wheel on the golf as well as taking half the hedge with him.
No one was hurt, but all shaken from a quite fast near miss that could have been an inch closer and would have caused a huge amount of damage considering the probably 3 tonne plus weight.
The point I really want to get to is that I was so amazed by how well the guys in the golf and the drift car who were involved took it. It could have gone one of two ways, they could have flipped out with the find of rage reaction that anyone feels when someone smashes their pride and joy, made a scene, even gotten in a fight, but they didn't - the guy took a deep breath, held his clam and did everything in the most mature and by the book way possible. There were no raised voices, threats, or anything like that, just a calm and mature approach to a situation that has happened.
Once we had cleared up, the driver of the Golf's main concern was to help me get my car to a safe spot and help me get it running again rather than think of his own car. I did turn this down as we thought we had it under control, however staying in that layby for half an hour or so was only interrupted by countless offers of help by others who were just passing.
This is a great example to the amazing attitudes of all who attend Retro Rides Gathering, and why it makes is such a great show to attend and why I shall continue to attend year on year. To the driver of the Golf, I take my hat off to you sir, and to the rest of you, thank you for being who you are.
My only regret was not taking up the offers of help. It took me 17.5 hours to get home in the end!
