This just in:

Goodness me, it seems only a moment since I was writing the last month’s missive – mind you, I have just spent a week over in Atlanta for work, so that has completely stuffed my sense of time! (Not to mention my back too!)

By the time you read this we will, unbelievably, be into the last two months of the year, but also therefore properly into Summer! We are also only a month away from the Christmas Party, so please make sure, if you are planning to come, that you confirm how many will be there and which car you will be entering in the Concours d’Elegance – full details of how and what elsewhere in here but suffice to say if you don’t register by 23rd November, you will go hungry if you turn up unannounced!

November also sees the return of the Simply Sports Cars Lotus On Track Days, this time hosted by Winton. These events have rightly earned their place on the calendar for being a fantastic combination of social entertainment and varied motorsport, with everyone catered for, from first timers right through to veterans of GT Championships. If you haven’t been to one, you owe it to yourself to contact PJ at SSC and get along!

Also slightly alarmingly, the Australia Day 2015 CARnivale celebrations are already being planned, and we have been in discussion with John Flowers to get a space, so I am hoping that we, as a Club, can muster a decent representation of cars for the event – cars have to have been built before December 1984 (or be a direct model run-on), so if you would like to join in the fun with your car, please head to this link and register to be parked with the Club.

Otherwise, the last month saw the launch of our brand new fancy website, which I hope you have had a chance to have a look at. If you are encountering any difficulties with the registration process in order to access the Members area, use the Contact form to drop a line to Seth, our webmaster, and he will be in touch with you directly to help set things up.

We have also been running a photo competition on both the website and our new Facebook page, asking you to help choose the photos for our inaugural CLA Calendar – not so much Pirelli, more Classic Car, but we hope it will be the start of a more regular annual event. If you would like your car to be the star, make sure Tom receives high quality shots of your car in time for next year’s competition!

The aim of both these media is to provide an easy and enjoyable approach to our club, in keeping with current social media trends of currency and interesting information. Please feel free to comment on either, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts! And the calendars should be in the post to all full members in time for Christmas!

Looking a little further afield, the Bathurst 12 hour is shaping up to be a weekend of top motorsport, with Tony Alford and Mark O’Connor once again campaigning the Donut King Exige V6 in Class C. Up at the pointy end, I gather Audi and Bentley have joined in the fray, so it really will be an event to see. The Club is organising a display area right outside the main grandstand, so keep an eye open for details, and get yourself booked in sharpish! And if you haven’t already done so, book your accommodation, as it goes faster than an Exige down Conrod.

Right, that’s enough from me – you have Christmas shopping to do for one thing, and an email to write to Elliott to confirm your attendance at the Christmas party for another! And the rest of the magazine to read too…

I look forward to catching lots of you at Bruce Mansell’s shed on 11th for a great evening.

In the meantime keep it safe, upright and on the black stuff.

Pip pip,
Ashton