1st - 3rd October 2010

                       LONDON- JOHN O'GROATS – 

                           LANDS END – LONDON

     2 DRIVERS, 2,000 MILES in 48 HOURS... non – stop!!

             In aid of MIND - for better mental health

Well, we made it. Team 26 comprising Murphy, Treaders and TS2 successfully completed the 2010 Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability Run, on behalf of the TR Register. And it has to be recorded that the encouragement and support of all those Register members we met along the route, taking photos, fetching coffee and spurring us on was a major factor.

Turning out at unearthly hours and all weathers to show support, the sight and encouragement we got from one and all lifted us immensely. We would haul into a control halt, tired, fatigued, wet and with ringing ears, yet that would be gone in an instant seeing friendly smiling faces urging us on. Meeting Rodders at Lands End, watching Alec stuffing cake, being surprised by Mike and Kate Sloan somewhere in North Scotland, and even seeing Chris C doing our service halt work for us was so uplifting.

The event was quite punishing, 2014 miles in 48 hours, virtually non-stop, with some atrocious weather thrown in. This in the earliest (alright, 2nd!), side-screen TR with no hard-top or heater for de-misting. This really was using the car for what it was made for. In the early hours of Sunday, torrential rain on the Devon and Cornwall stint pushed Mark, me and TS2 to the limit, and cost us a lot of time. Very frustrating having to watch the saloons cruising past, while we were limited by visibility, aquaplaning and wet faces!

That said, the car was simply awesome. It never missed a beat, was the equal of everything, the only thing we couldn’t live with were some of the big 2.5 saloons, 180 bhp, full rally equipment, three drivers, and a de-mister! TS2 gained many friends earning huge respect, and that respect was instantly transferred to the club by the very fact that it was there. In such a tough event, it showed the spirit of the register, and it was a privilege to drive it. TS2 was completely reliable, returned 32 mpg, used 1 pint of oil put in after the event had finished, and is a lot quicker than the other competitors initially realised.

The highlights? Dawn over Brora Bay, Breakfast at JOG, (though every food stop seemed to be breakfast!), blasting through the forests of Northumberland and Wales, the party atmosphere at Didcot and my first pint of beer for a month at the finish!!

Respect too to the 'kiddies' in the Coca Cola Car. The TR7 also ran faultlessly, and the kids were typical kids - little Matt slept a lot, and little Wayne spent the whole time with a big grin on his face!

Finally, whilst the profile and ethos of the club has benefitted hugely, the principal purpose of entering the event was to raise money for MIND. There’s a link below to the Just Giving web site, all donations very gratefully received, as they say.