POC
03-08-10, 23:09
Here is a review from one of the drivers of this years charity drive.....Thanks ed
The Stats
57 people
39 male
18 female
29 Cars,
28 Petrol, 1 Diesel,
9 FWD, 16 RWD, 4 AWD,
58 Litres of capacity,
17 Turbos, 126 cylinders, 488 valves,
6400 Horsepower,
3 Days, 1200 Kilometers,
The above is a recipe, like any recipe you would follow to make a cake. But as with every good recipe it always needs some special ingredients to make it work. As any chef will tell you, a loaf of bread isn’t a loaf of bread until the yeast is added.
The recipe listed above under normal circumstances, is a weeks worth of calls to the Joe Duffy radio show, with enraged calls from people calling for the heads of us modern day outlaws of the country’s highways and byways. For the last three days though, everywhere we have gone we have been greeted by friendly waves and smiles.
All it takes to turn this recipe for disaster, into one of acceptance and understanding is the addition of 3 simple things
1 Website, 1 Charity, 1 Goal.
Put these into the mix and the resulting creation is the 2010 MidnightClub.ie Charity drive in aid of Our lady’s Hospital in Crumlin.A 3 day event where 29 cars rolled through the Republics 5 major cities, and every town and village in between, raising funds for a very worthy cause.
Day 1
This day was always going to be the heartbreaker of the weekend, an early start for most, and then the longest drive of the whole journey. For me it was an early start indeed, even though my alarm wasn’t set to go off until 7am, I woke up at 6am, as giddy as a child on Christmas morning.
A quick look out the window confirmed my worst fears as I faced a bleak sky, with little hope of reprieve from the heavy rain we had been experiencing lately. Still, there was no way I was letting the rain get me down today. So with an enthusiasm I have never possessed before at such an early hour of the morning I jumped into the car and pointed her towards Limerick.
All the way there my eyes were cast skywards in a futile search for a patch of blue sky that would scare the rest of the clouds away, but to no avail , coming into limerick the sky was as black and showery as it had been in Tipp.
Once there we pulled into Pro Image, one of our kind and very generous sponsors and the place was a hive of activity. All the cars were being herded into the workshop to be dried off and the sponsor’s stickers applied. The buzz about the place was electric, as everyone contemplated what was ahead of us for the next 3 days.
Old friends got re-acquainted and new friends were made as stories of how little sleep each had gotten the night before were embellished and exaggerated, and the usual banter was exchanged
http://i36.tinypic.com/1i0cxx.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/2wc34mc.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/qxl55t.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/o6biau.jpg
There was an almighty collection of metal on show, mostly Jap, with a few Bahnstormers thrown in for good measure as well as Clianas wide ass pug
The star of the show was clearly Niall and Sinead’s Toyota Mark II which had only come out of the sprayer’s oven the night before and was looking pristine bedecked in its new paint, and sitting on a set of Work wheels that have more dish than the radio telescopes used to find extra terrestrial life . Something tells me if the aliens knew about this car, they’d definitely come and have a look.
http://i34.tinypic.com/294s6fa.jpg
A quick drivers briefing, and the route maps were handed out, then it was time to fire up the 29 cars which would be making the journey. The industrial estate echoed to the rumble of 126 cylinders and the strange whirring of the rotary engine in Scampers borrowed RX-8. The go ahead was given, our path out was cleared and we hit the public highways as a group for the first time as a convoy and straight away all eyes in the vicinity were on us as we made our way to the newly opened limerick tunnel and our first event .
The 900m long tunnel is Ireland’s newest tunnel and is truly a masterpiece of engineering and shaves about 25 minutes from the trip through the city, it does however have a second purpose which the engineers may not have thought about when the idea was conceived and planned. The acoustics inside it amplified the sound of our V6’s, straight 6’s, flat fours and straight 4 bangers to create a symphony of automotive aural ecstasy.
Once the tunnel run was dealt with, it was straight road to Galway, and bumpy road through Gort, as the thirty odd cars made headway towards the city of tribes on its busiest weekend of the year, Race Week.
We snaked through the gridlock and arrived at the Galway Shopping Centre where a few volunteers from the Galway contingent of Midnightclub.ie were setting up the marquis and had the area cordoned off ready for us to arrive , park up and try and shake a few euro from the race goers before the bookies got their hands on them.
They already had Blaine’s R33 Skyline, npm’s Celica and a minter of a P1 Impreza on show trying to attract a crowd.
As soon as we arrived, the skies cleared and we were treated to some sunshine, the buckets were distributed, lollipops handed out, the roundabout outside the centre was surrounded on all sides, and because the traffic was moving so slowly, no-one could escape our collectors. Some tried to escape, the most notable being the pure chancer who tried to pull a fast one on scamper by pretending to be talking on his phone, when the phone rang in his hand. Scamp finally shamed him into coughing up a few euro.
Time was moving on and we still had a monster drive ahead of us, so we had to get back in the drivers seat and set off for the N69.In motoring magazines across Europe, this is a road that is talked about in the same breath as the Stelvio pass, The Col de Turini, and was featured recently in an issue of Top Gear magazine. It truly is a breathtaking piece of tarmac that snakes in and around the mountains and lakes of Connemara.
http://i33.tinypic.com/15nofw0.jpg
The drivers are rewarded with a challenging drive that pushes cars to the limits whilst the passengers, if they dare to take their eyes off the road, are faced with some of the most beautiful vistas in the whole country. The hills roll and undulate for miles and the road is just a ribbon of tarmac laid down on top of the landscape. The imposing sight of the twelve Bens Mountains is something to behold but unfortunately I didn’t get much chance to gaze on such wonders for more than a fleeting second.
The reasons why were ahead of me, and behind me. I was surrounded by two legends of tarmac rallying, a P1 Impreza ahead and a Lancer Evo behind me, and we weren’t holding back .My own car may not be as focused as these, but its still a turbocharged 4wd monster that has some rally heritage. These roads are what these cars are meant for and we had fun finding grip where the RWD cars couldn’t and nothing beats the feeling of going for the apex on a clear sighted corner.
As we rolled on through Connemara we finally hit Westport, and were greeted by a familiar sight to any car enthusiast, the flashing lights of the Garda car .But today there would be no hassle over tinted windows, loud exhausts, or not having a full window. Today these kind lawmen would be escorting us through the town of Westport as our ever helpful volunteers tried to liberate a few euro from the locals for a worthy cause.
It might have been a good idea to have St Johns ambulance on standby because I don’t think Westport knew what was coming, as 30+ cars were escorted through town with everyone bouncing off limiters and honking horns like demons. The townsfolk were certainly taken by surprise and everyone waved and cheered and covered their ears if I’m honest, because we were LOUD.
With the collecting over, it was time to head to our first overnight stop of the weekend in the Ramada hotel in Drumshanbo. And what a hotel, overlooking the southern shores of Lough Allen it truly is a breathtaking spot. Not nearly as breathtaking as what was in store for the drivers though as every one ,once ensconced inside the bar was treated to some of the Czech Republics finest exports , some 70% Absinthe . Someone made the mistake of entrusting Ernie with the bottle and the rest as they say is history.
Not twenty minutes later he was stripping for a hen night in the bar and outside playing on the slides .Not long after the bus to take us to Cartown arrived and we all waited with baited breath to see what the northwest’s largest nightclub held in store for us. For some members it held a Pakistani man, mad for the dancing, and who was looking for sexy time, the less said about it the better. The smoking area held court to some drinking games and a very optimistic attempt at lifting a vintage tractor.
As always though, time flies when you’re having fun and pretty soon it was time to return and lay our heads down for some well deserved sleep.
The Stats
57 people
39 male
18 female
29 Cars,
28 Petrol, 1 Diesel,
9 FWD, 16 RWD, 4 AWD,
58 Litres of capacity,
17 Turbos, 126 cylinders, 488 valves,
6400 Horsepower,
3 Days, 1200 Kilometers,
The above is a recipe, like any recipe you would follow to make a cake. But as with every good recipe it always needs some special ingredients to make it work. As any chef will tell you, a loaf of bread isn’t a loaf of bread until the yeast is added.
The recipe listed above under normal circumstances, is a weeks worth of calls to the Joe Duffy radio show, with enraged calls from people calling for the heads of us modern day outlaws of the country’s highways and byways. For the last three days though, everywhere we have gone we have been greeted by friendly waves and smiles.
All it takes to turn this recipe for disaster, into one of acceptance and understanding is the addition of 3 simple things
1 Website, 1 Charity, 1 Goal.
Put these into the mix and the resulting creation is the 2010 MidnightClub.ie Charity drive in aid of Our lady’s Hospital in Crumlin.A 3 day event where 29 cars rolled through the Republics 5 major cities, and every town and village in between, raising funds for a very worthy cause.
Day 1
This day was always going to be the heartbreaker of the weekend, an early start for most, and then the longest drive of the whole journey. For me it was an early start indeed, even though my alarm wasn’t set to go off until 7am, I woke up at 6am, as giddy as a child on Christmas morning.
A quick look out the window confirmed my worst fears as I faced a bleak sky, with little hope of reprieve from the heavy rain we had been experiencing lately. Still, there was no way I was letting the rain get me down today. So with an enthusiasm I have never possessed before at such an early hour of the morning I jumped into the car and pointed her towards Limerick.
All the way there my eyes were cast skywards in a futile search for a patch of blue sky that would scare the rest of the clouds away, but to no avail , coming into limerick the sky was as black and showery as it had been in Tipp.
Once there we pulled into Pro Image, one of our kind and very generous sponsors and the place was a hive of activity. All the cars were being herded into the workshop to be dried off and the sponsor’s stickers applied. The buzz about the place was electric, as everyone contemplated what was ahead of us for the next 3 days.
Old friends got re-acquainted and new friends were made as stories of how little sleep each had gotten the night before were embellished and exaggerated, and the usual banter was exchanged
http://i36.tinypic.com/1i0cxx.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/2wc34mc.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/qxl55t.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/o6biau.jpg
There was an almighty collection of metal on show, mostly Jap, with a few Bahnstormers thrown in for good measure as well as Clianas wide ass pug
The star of the show was clearly Niall and Sinead’s Toyota Mark II which had only come out of the sprayer’s oven the night before and was looking pristine bedecked in its new paint, and sitting on a set of Work wheels that have more dish than the radio telescopes used to find extra terrestrial life . Something tells me if the aliens knew about this car, they’d definitely come and have a look.
http://i34.tinypic.com/294s6fa.jpg
A quick drivers briefing, and the route maps were handed out, then it was time to fire up the 29 cars which would be making the journey. The industrial estate echoed to the rumble of 126 cylinders and the strange whirring of the rotary engine in Scampers borrowed RX-8. The go ahead was given, our path out was cleared and we hit the public highways as a group for the first time as a convoy and straight away all eyes in the vicinity were on us as we made our way to the newly opened limerick tunnel and our first event .
The 900m long tunnel is Ireland’s newest tunnel and is truly a masterpiece of engineering and shaves about 25 minutes from the trip through the city, it does however have a second purpose which the engineers may not have thought about when the idea was conceived and planned. The acoustics inside it amplified the sound of our V6’s, straight 6’s, flat fours and straight 4 bangers to create a symphony of automotive aural ecstasy.
Once the tunnel run was dealt with, it was straight road to Galway, and bumpy road through Gort, as the thirty odd cars made headway towards the city of tribes on its busiest weekend of the year, Race Week.
We snaked through the gridlock and arrived at the Galway Shopping Centre where a few volunteers from the Galway contingent of Midnightclub.ie were setting up the marquis and had the area cordoned off ready for us to arrive , park up and try and shake a few euro from the race goers before the bookies got their hands on them.
They already had Blaine’s R33 Skyline, npm’s Celica and a minter of a P1 Impreza on show trying to attract a crowd.
As soon as we arrived, the skies cleared and we were treated to some sunshine, the buckets were distributed, lollipops handed out, the roundabout outside the centre was surrounded on all sides, and because the traffic was moving so slowly, no-one could escape our collectors. Some tried to escape, the most notable being the pure chancer who tried to pull a fast one on scamper by pretending to be talking on his phone, when the phone rang in his hand. Scamp finally shamed him into coughing up a few euro.
Time was moving on and we still had a monster drive ahead of us, so we had to get back in the drivers seat and set off for the N69.In motoring magazines across Europe, this is a road that is talked about in the same breath as the Stelvio pass, The Col de Turini, and was featured recently in an issue of Top Gear magazine. It truly is a breathtaking piece of tarmac that snakes in and around the mountains and lakes of Connemara.
http://i33.tinypic.com/15nofw0.jpg
The drivers are rewarded with a challenging drive that pushes cars to the limits whilst the passengers, if they dare to take their eyes off the road, are faced with some of the most beautiful vistas in the whole country. The hills roll and undulate for miles and the road is just a ribbon of tarmac laid down on top of the landscape. The imposing sight of the twelve Bens Mountains is something to behold but unfortunately I didn’t get much chance to gaze on such wonders for more than a fleeting second.
The reasons why were ahead of me, and behind me. I was surrounded by two legends of tarmac rallying, a P1 Impreza ahead and a Lancer Evo behind me, and we weren’t holding back .My own car may not be as focused as these, but its still a turbocharged 4wd monster that has some rally heritage. These roads are what these cars are meant for and we had fun finding grip where the RWD cars couldn’t and nothing beats the feeling of going for the apex on a clear sighted corner.
As we rolled on through Connemara we finally hit Westport, and were greeted by a familiar sight to any car enthusiast, the flashing lights of the Garda car .But today there would be no hassle over tinted windows, loud exhausts, or not having a full window. Today these kind lawmen would be escorting us through the town of Westport as our ever helpful volunteers tried to liberate a few euro from the locals for a worthy cause.
It might have been a good idea to have St Johns ambulance on standby because I don’t think Westport knew what was coming, as 30+ cars were escorted through town with everyone bouncing off limiters and honking horns like demons. The townsfolk were certainly taken by surprise and everyone waved and cheered and covered their ears if I’m honest, because we were LOUD.
With the collecting over, it was time to head to our first overnight stop of the weekend in the Ramada hotel in Drumshanbo. And what a hotel, overlooking the southern shores of Lough Allen it truly is a breathtaking spot. Not nearly as breathtaking as what was in store for the drivers though as every one ,once ensconced inside the bar was treated to some of the Czech Republics finest exports , some 70% Absinthe . Someone made the mistake of entrusting Ernie with the bottle and the rest as they say is history.
Not twenty minutes later he was stripping for a hen night in the bar and outside playing on the slides .Not long after the bus to take us to Cartown arrived and we all waited with baited breath to see what the northwest’s largest nightclub held in store for us. For some members it held a Pakistani man, mad for the dancing, and who was looking for sexy time, the less said about it the better. The smoking area held court to some drinking games and a very optimistic attempt at lifting a vintage tractor.
As always though, time flies when you’re having fun and pretty soon it was time to return and lay our heads down for some well deserved sleep.