Had a great time watching you all having fun! grrr Next time!!
Was great to put a face to the names etc and the after-karting-mission-around-northampton-centre-
looking-for-a-pub-that-wouldnt-let-us-in was great fun too!
Well done to fordie for the organisation of it all and cant wait to see the 3am pic!
@Bob Smith! NOW I know who you are!
@P1lot Great to meet you, hope franky wasnt too crazy for you!
@ScHiZ - Mental guy, keep the photos coming
I just got in too (and plugged the computer in, although I haven't looked at the onboard footage yet).
I had a great time to be honest. Walking around trying to get everyone together (some managed it on their own, others needed rounding up from the Station etc). Then a bit of a chat, as everyone became more relaxed.
By the time we got the track we all seemed fairly friendly. Then a whisper started. Someone (I forget who) thought they'd seen Victor in a BMW (as a passanger). Oooooh, are the Devs here? 5 minutes later, they had arrived!!!
Most people, myself included, kept away from them for a bit, as Scawen has admitted to being 'Bloody Nervous' meeting us all. Gradually, we all started chatting to them - but not as 'The Devs', we all seemed to treat them (at the track) like any other LFS fan!!! It was a bit surreal.
Race was good. I have HUGE blisters on both hands, and one on my left foot (from walking later), and a large bruise on my right leg (from Sundays Karting with Will - I'm a sadist aren't I!). Didn't do much overtaking for position personally, it was mostly lapping, and moving over for 3J and Will.
Pub afterwards was great, until the world's shittest Irish band started playing at nearly 3000dB where we were sitting (until we were shooed away). Needless to say, we left to find other bars (Scotty and Will don't look 18, so kept getting kicked out). After a few drinks (!), Scotty, Will and I departed for Shifty's, and the rest you seem to know.
I've got a few pics. Will post in subseuent edits as I get them off the camera (which I've left in my glove box).
Thanks to everyone for a great day, not least Fordman (for most of the hard work), Will (for giving us the idea in the first place of going Karting), Scawen (for buying us a drink each), Victor (for being very friendly, although he did keep frowning at Scawen's lap times), Bob/Ben (for being surreal, and totally mad when drunk), TAA (for filming non-stop, and returned the signed abuse from me as I drove past), Flo (for being so incredibly polite - how many times do I need to ask if he wants a drink before he finally says yes), 3J (for being 3J, but that is also another story I'd imagine), and many many more. Thanks.
Oh, and Flo (is it Florian? I don't actually know how to spell your name!), I have you LFS T-Shirt thing - I'll post it to you at some point...
Implying you didn't when we were in the pub? You must pay less attention than Tux.
And why is everybody calling me "Bob/Ben". Just bloody pick one! illepall
Inspired by Senna's edit of Schiz's photo, I've attached two, one with online names, one with real names complete with yellow letting. If I've got any wrong feel free to correct me.
Edit: has anybody got a photo of me looking normal?
Yeah, had a really good time despite being unable to get into the karts (I got into the overalls, but not the kart so that's my goal for next year) :P
Woke up at 5.45 and prepared for the long haul drive up north. Met Bob and Tux at Haslemere station at 7 and 7.15 and for the first 30 mins there was a deathly awkward silence. Then suddenly, conversation broke out as we approached the M1.
Arrived at Quality Hotel at 9.10 and checked in. The rooms were pretty decent yet Tux had a lot to criticise (i.e. the muddy looking footprint and slightly messy floor.)
The trip to the pub was one of the highlights of the weekend as it took us what should take 10 mins to get to the track, 40. Each one of us had made a detour at somepoint in the journey! We then spotted the pub and I panicked and got stuck in a maze of estates right next to the Thomas A Beckett!
The morning session in the pub was nice as we met P1lot and Schiz before the main congregation arrived. Then as me and Bob headed to the track, we spotted the devs going in the opposite direction in their M3 and Bob said that they recognised him from his avatar (ah, the price of jpg stardom!)
After karting, me and Tux headed back to the hotel in the dark and got lost again! Nearly got onto M1 by mistake! We got back and collapsed at about 1130. Morning was alright with a good 8-hour rest before trip back which ended up with us going the wrong way on the London Orbital and quickly turning around at J22! Sigh, we all got our own kicks from this weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed! Great to meet you all and apologies if I didn't seem talkative in the evening, just tired and had a lot on my mind what with uni and all. *sigh* ^^
it was infact me, i did turn up, eventually, after getting seriously lost. it took me near 3 hours to get there...from cambridge, lol, i even rode down the right street 45 mins before i turned up, but oh well. it was a good day, although short for me, and the karting looked very proffesional, especially will and marks driver changes. would have been nice if my slr was working but oh well, it happens.
btw, you gotta admit, my bike does sound nice, lol.