Another Motorsport day has been and gone, but without a shadow of a doubt, this year's was the most spectacular and well attended by far. Having been asked by Brooklands Museum about six months ago to organise and run a Rally demonstration, I sat down with the other members of Southern Car Club Committee, and drafted out my proposal to run about 10 different Rally cars on the demonstration special stage, as well as a comprehensive static display in the main part of the Museum.

The Day was always going to be a success with the mention that Jackie Stewart, David Leslie, Paddy Hopkirk, Tony Brooks and Murray Walker would all be attending. This they did, bar one, unfortunately Murray Walker was called away to T.V. duties at the last minute, deeply disappointed that he could not attend. The collection of cars and displays that Brooklands had drawn together for the day was quite magnificent, mixing perfectly the old and the new. As for our display, again we were able to draw on Southern Car Club's thick resources [? I think that could have been more tactfully phrased - Ed] of competing members and their cars, enabling us to provide a static display of Rally cars, Eurocars, and other racing cars.

The whole point of the day is to raise money for the charity "Ben" - Motor and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund, via an auction of various motorsport memorabilia. This is an event in itself, with bidders not only attending, but also bidding from around the world.

My involvement with this day started in 1996 when Betty Hill unveiled my new rally car at the motorsport day. This progressed to being asked to run a small demonstration last year, which involved 4 cars in total. This year however was a much bigger affair, and I have to say, I have a few grey hairs added because of that.

Firstly and most importantly, my own rally car was not going to be ready in time, which caused me a sizeable problem, considering that I had just signed a sponsorship deal with "The Brooklands Healthtrack Club" for the coming year. This is where my problem started!!!!!......No car!...so, after a few rapid thoughts, I decided to livery my road car, which is very close to competition specification and ran this car as course car for the Motorsport Day. There is now a very "lairy" Porsche with red wheels and Brooklands Healthtrack down the sides, so if you see me around say hello!

The course designed at Brooklands, consisted of 2 Laps totalling 1.5 miles, of mainly Tarmacadam surface, but most importantly used a section of original Brooklands track banking which had not been used competitively for some 60 years or more. This in turn, provided logistical problems such as: nails, steel girders, screws, ironmongery, bolts and all other possible types of tyre deflaters imaginable!!

Two weeks before the event, found this organiser on all fours picking up said pieces of metal from the racing line, only to have the indignity of having to explain one's self to a passing car of the local constabulary!! ah ha! good afternoon officer! - I'm sure they thought they had found an anorak with a screw loose not lost!

Come the day, the weather turned favourable, to the point that when the Sun came out, I was very likely to overheat in my Brooklands Healthtrack sweatshirt. A swift dive into the car, a short blast up the road and I ran into the reception of the Gym in dire need of a T-shirt. (Remembering that it is a driver's duty to promote his sponsors). Personal temperature sorted, I got back to the museum to find people still flooding in, rapidly filling all possible extra parking spaces. The numbers that actually turned up were just under 4500, way in advance of anyone's wildest expectations, as such the temperature was now beginning to rise amongst the marshals who didn't know if they were coming or going, or if they had just been!

Come show time, the day launched perfectly, the rally drivers gave the spectators an insight into the country's most popular spectator sport (fact), as well as listening to the fantastic sounds and images of classic Italian Sports cars and also Brooklands Museum's "Mother Gun", driving as they were designed to be driven on a course on the runway.

A big thank you has to go out to the marshals who put on a superb job coping with the numbers of people attending, making sure that the day, as ever, was run to the highest of safety standards, Many thanks. The marshals' role on the day, helped create an atmosphere which encouraged the many visitors to give a total of £26,000 during the auction, all of which was greatly received by the charity BEN.

Saturday night left me sitting in the bath, with a glass of wine, relaxing and thinking about a truly successful day, I was also thinking already of next year, and the even bigger displays and demonstrations that we can give to the public from this birthplace of all motorsport. I understand we as a club will be doing this all again at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed in June. I will be there but if I don't see you, then I'll see you at Motorsport day 1999!