Mk1 Cotina Owners Club National Rally - 1998
![[1998 National Rally Plaque]](nr98plaq.jpg)
Mk1 Cortina Owners Club National Rally Report Coombe Abbey
25th and 26th July, 1988
Saturday Afternoon:
Two hours and fifty minutes down the road and we were there, that wonderful road that leads us to a field full of shiny Cortinas. A few days ago it might not have been possible - you know - the usual story of last minute MOTs (I wonder just how many cars at the rally also had very recent MOTs) and repairs going horribly wrong. But we'd made it again and all the hard work was to be well worth it. At the gate we were greeted by the smiles of the ever faithful Daphne and Doug. Goodie Bag includes very smart plaque (to be added to the collection). Plan of action: put up tent, have a snack and then raid the spare stalls and tent. The weather was bright and warm and the tent was soon up. The freshly mowed field was filling up quickly with cars and things seem quite busy considering this is the "quiet day".
The rest of the afternoon was spent admiring the cars. There was a good range of Cortinas in the field, one standard, deluxes, supers and lotus. There were a good many estates as well as modified cars and convertibles. The condition of cars varied from the tired looking, well used types to the immaculate concours cars. Many of the cars in the general members section were of a very high standard - if not quite concours condition.
Saturday Evening/Night:
Saturday evening arrived to the sound of music and Mike enthusiastically encouraging people to come over and join in the music quiz. The music quiz was excellent and tunes from past decades evoked many memories. Drink was consumed, food eat and dances danced. A thoroughly good time with people looking happy. Oh Yes, I forgot to mention - for those that were there don't forget the music quiz intermission with it's "yeaaahhh" and its "ooooooo" - many times until a final "yeaaaahhhh" and then we were off again -you had to of been there!
Sunday:
The sun arose and people started to mill about - there was the usual mix of those that like to get up early and those that prefer to make a more gentle start to the day. We preferred the latter this year and eventually, after a brisk walk up the field, started to cook breakfast. The site cafe always opens early and provides a very good breakfast - we just fancied doing our own this time. A good cup of hot tea provided us with much needed refreshment and we were set for the day.
Sunday is the busy day and of prime importance to give the car a final wash and polish and install in line with the other members cars. Next a quick run round the spares stalls to try and find some more goodies. There was also plenty of club regalia on sale and the new designs were good. The weekend guide indicates that I should have started taking photos half an hour ago, so, with a fresh film loaded, and a pen in hand, I went of to admire the cars - which were of course the reason that we had all ended up in the same field together. I went around taking photos of many different cars and stopped and had a chat with several of the owners. It was a pleasure to talk with so many people about theirs cars and all were very enthusiastic and friendly. Just to prove its a "small world" it turned out that one couple I spoke to had joined about the same time that I had (about fifteen years ago) and our membership numbers were two numbers apart. Others I spoke with lived quite near. We had travelled up from Essex and I think there was about five others cars also from Essex. The time and effort that people had spent restoring their cars was impressive and they're a tribute to the owners. It was also quite informative and I learnt a few new things to help me with my own work.
It was good to meet up with Marcel again, he'd travelled over from Holland again this year and has been to many rallies over his long membership.
![[Marcel and his GT]](marcel.jpg)
The time went quickly and before we knew it, it was time to grab some food before the raffle. Next came the last main event - the prize giving. This year must have been particularly difficult to judge as standards have been steadily increasing each year and are now very high. There were some very well deserved winners, but whether a winner or not we can all be proud that we took our cars along and took part. I was glad to see some of my own favourites doing well. It was time to clear up, pack up and leave the field and go home.
![[1998 National Rally Class Winners]](winners.jpg)
![[1998 National Rally Supreme Champion]](win2.jpg)
To those that haven't been to the rally I hope this has encouraged you. The weekend is many things; good for getting spares, good for socialising, good weekend break, informative, great evening out and above all fun. Don't miss it next year.
Lastly a big thanks to the committee for all their hard work in bringing together another successful rally.
Read about the last two years rallys... (right click and use save as)
National Rally 1996 - Personal report in MS-Word format
National Rally 1997 - Personal report in MS-Word format