Morris Minors at Hampton Downs Track
The July outing was a trip to Hampton Downs for a track cruise (part of their “Caffeine and Gasoline” / “Auto Addict” morning meetup).
The weather was quite wintry, with cold temperatures and showers forecast. This didn’t deter eight hardy Morris Minors, possibly because we’d already paid our money and weren’t going to waste it.
Everyone met up at the Drury motorway service center before forming an orderly convoy down to Hampton Downs Race Track at a sensible speed. Many of the group were new to the track but we eventually found the drivers briefing. It’s just a “cruise” around the track, of course, not a race! The Hampton staff driver leading the procession decided that 80 would be a safe maximum speed for the day. Being organised and punctual, the Morris Minors were first to line up in the pit lane ready for the cruise. The editor noted that some very fast-looking modern cars pulled up behind us, and suggested they should go first, but this didn’t seem to happen. So off we went to the track with a full Morris Factory contingent in the lead!
The weather stayed fine until we pulled on to the track, and then it started to rain. This gave us about one dry lap and then it got wet and slippery. As an experienced Hampton Downs driver, the editor took the lead and stayed a polite distance behind the pilot vehicle. On the second lap, the contingent of fast modern cars overtook the Morris procession, which was anticipated. Then the excitement started as several of these modern car drivers were unable to manage the power of their machines in the wet conditions, and ended up spinning out of control in hilarious but dangerous ways. The pilot vehicle reduced his speed, obviously concerned that these moderns were not driving in a safe manner. The editor is pleased to report that no Morris Minors had any difficulty, and everyone enjoyed the challenge (despite some degree of trepidation!) of driving around a proper track, regardless of their preferred speed.
After the track session finished, the rain stopped and everyone retired to the cafe for a much-deserved lunch and debrief.
