2014 Concours d' Elegance
I’ve just got home after a wonderful Club day out at the 2014 Intermarque Concours d’Elegance at the Ellerslie Racecourse. I’m hot, tired, the Mini has been put to bed and it’s time to relax.
I was very pleased to ‘receive the phone call’ asking if my 2005 BRG Cooper would be available for the Club display. After many years of being there to help with the setting up, this year would definitely feel different. Having seen a diagram of the set up, the display looked fantastic. I don’t know what is in the Pukekohe water - or is it the potatoes - but Mike and Jan’s interpretations of the theme always impress, with a tremendous amount of preparation obvious. This year’s theme was ‘Back to the Future’. Pairs of Minis, one Classic and one BMW each the same colour, the movie inspired display panel layout, the pathways showing the way back to the future; this display quite simply ‘looked the part’. After a once over around the show, the Club looked highly likely to feature when the kudos was handed out.
I could hardly believe my ears when we didn’t make the top three clubs! Surely I had misheard? But no, representatives of the winning Clubs were up there receiving their plaudits. These clubs deserved the praise they received, all had gone to a lot of effort with their displays and they did look good. Some clubs didn’t even bother. But ours………’It’s in the bag’ as they say. Or perhaps, more appropriately ‘never count your chickens…’.
A couple of throwaway comments from one of the judges during the awards rang an alarm bell. “One of the things we took into consideration was the total number of club members” - or words to that effect. Surely not. We were going to be penalised because the Mini Car Club of Auckland is too strong (and successful?). Then…”some marques have it easier than others because the brand is still being manufactured”. Surely not. We were going to be penalised for being a successful brand that is 55 years young!
A quick visit to the rules page of the event website threw up only the following:
‘Classic Cover Insurance is looking for the best celebration of our theme for the year: "Back to the Future”.’
The official rules state:
Display judging will be done by the sponsors representatives assisted by the Organising Committee, and will take into account:
• interpretation of the theme of the display, 10 points
• quality of the props and surrounds of the display, 3 points
• quality of the cars in the display, 3 points
• the amount of effort in the preparation of the display, 4 points.
• maximum total, 20 points.
No mention of numbers of club members, no mention of advantages for extinct marques.
Club member Rex entered his excellent Mini van in the new Survivors class. He was disqualified because his car was ‘unregistered’. The rules state that all cars entered must be registered. Trouble is, Rex’s van is registered, but ‘on hold’. Technically it is registered but no, he was given a DSQ.
I felt disappointment at the results, so can only imagine how Mike, Jan the others who put the display together must have felt. However, all Club members can be very proud of the display and to Mike and Jan: We salute you!
…..”You can please some people some of the time. You can please all people some of the time. But you’ll never please all people all of the time”….
These words were never more true than today.
**NB: Please note that these views do not reflect those of the Mini Car Club of Auckland.
I was very pleased to ‘receive the phone call’ asking if my 2005 BRG Cooper would be available for the Club display. After many years of being there to help with the setting up, this year would definitely feel different. Having seen a diagram of the set up, the display looked fantastic. I don’t know what is in the Pukekohe water - or is it the potatoes - but Mike and Jan’s interpretations of the theme always impress, with a tremendous amount of preparation obvious. This year’s theme was ‘Back to the Future’. Pairs of Minis, one Classic and one BMW each the same colour, the movie inspired display panel layout, the pathways showing the way back to the future; this display quite simply ‘looked the part’. After a once over around the show, the Club looked highly likely to feature when the kudos was handed out.
I could hardly believe my ears when we didn’t make the top three clubs! Surely I had misheard? But no, representatives of the winning Clubs were up there receiving their plaudits. These clubs deserved the praise they received, all had gone to a lot of effort with their displays and they did look good. Some clubs didn’t even bother. But ours………’It’s in the bag’ as they say. Or perhaps, more appropriately ‘never count your chickens…’.
A couple of throwaway comments from one of the judges during the awards rang an alarm bell. “One of the things we took into consideration was the total number of club members” - or words to that effect. Surely not. We were going to be penalised because the Mini Car Club of Auckland is too strong (and successful?). Then…”some marques have it easier than others because the brand is still being manufactured”. Surely not. We were going to be penalised for being a successful brand that is 55 years young!
A quick visit to the rules page of the event website threw up only the following:
‘Classic Cover Insurance is looking for the best celebration of our theme for the year: "Back to the Future”.’
The official rules state:
Display judging will be done by the sponsors representatives assisted by the Organising Committee, and will take into account:
• interpretation of the theme of the display, 10 points
• quality of the props and surrounds of the display, 3 points
• quality of the cars in the display, 3 points
• the amount of effort in the preparation of the display, 4 points.
• maximum total, 20 points.
No mention of numbers of club members, no mention of advantages for extinct marques.
Club member Rex entered his excellent Mini van in the new Survivors class. He was disqualified because his car was ‘unregistered’. The rules state that all cars entered must be registered. Trouble is, Rex’s van is registered, but ‘on hold’. Technically it is registered but no, he was given a DSQ.
I felt disappointment at the results, so can only imagine how Mike, Jan the others who put the display together must have felt. However, all Club members can be very proud of the display and to Mike and Jan: We salute you!
…..”You can please some people some of the time. You can please all people some of the time. But you’ll never please all people all of the time”….
These words were never more true than today.
**NB: Please note that these views do not reflect those of the Mini Car Club of Auckland.
