MG in EAST ITALY - June 15, 2008
It all started with my inability to attend the rallies, either due to commitments with canine events or commitments with the ASI.
So after repeated attempts to make everything fit together and above all to manage to free myself for a weekend, clearly in vain, then my mare's litter, then new competitions with my new champions, and more certification sessions, I decided against all odds to commit myself to bringing my beloved MGs to the land where I live.
The first thing to do was to secure support in time. Gasparini and Turchet of the "Ruote del passato" club were key, having been involved despite everything. Once this was done, I presented the rally in Padua, a unique opportunity to coincide with the classic car fair, where I could speak with the entire board of directors and certainly the regional directors. The third step was the logistical organization and the preparation of the races and the road book. Once again, Fabio and Paolo were key figures for the experience and collaboration they offered me.
After several phone calls with Max and Oscar and after several reprimands from them, the organizational machine finds itself with everything ready and in this very ugly spring and prelude to summer we find ourselves with a contrary Jupiter pluvium, so the last week before the gathering I spend close to meteorological websites, one that claimed the arrival of the sun and the other the exact opposite.
With my commitments free, I spent the two weekends before the meeting retracing the planned route, re-testing the routes, confirming the number of people in attendance with all the participating restaurants, contacting the hotel for Saturday evening in case anyone wanted to arrive early, and looking for a place to have dinner with friends arriving on Saturday. Everything was perfectly organized: the road books were already being printed, the photo hunt sheets were ready, and the roads were double-checked, the weather was certainly uncertain!
On Saturday afternoon I set off again for a complete test drive, to check everything again and make sure the set times were correct. The sky was dark and full of clouds and the pouring rain was not letting up. Thunderstorms were forecast for Sunday: "What a shame, everything was so beautiful!" By now it was too late to change anything.
In the evening I welcome the ten people who anticipate the arrival of the caravan, we go to dinner under rain and a sky full of clouds, for the following day no good weather news.
The next morning is the moment of truth, I wake up and rush out into the garden, a clear sky, a bright sun and the crisp air, I can't believe someone up there likes MG.
Then the rest becomes common history and I wait for further comments from the participants, I'm tired and the tension was very high, but after all I'm happy as a clam!
Thank you so much to everyone who participated, you left a lasting impression on me!
Richard