Lucas Memorial Night Rally
August 23, 2008 - 7:00 PM
Starting and ending at:
Dapper's Restaurant
980 W. Lake Street, Addison, IL

Eighteen people (including rallymaster and assistant) had a jolly good time carousing around the western suburbs in the dark with their nine little British cars for a couple of hours on a warm summer evening. If you missed it you may never know everything you missed, but you can find a power point slide show on the web site showing of all of illuminated signs revealing answers to the rally questions at:
www.chicagolandmgclub.com/photos/lucas_nr08.
Contestants were provided with explicit route instructions and a map with the route clearly marked. First car was off two minutes after sunset, the rest at one minute intervals. Roads used for this rally were mostly lesser traveled side streets with low speed limits, usually well lighted (with a few exceptions). A non-stop trip would take about 80 minutes, but most cars took closer to 120 minutes to complete the 33.5 mile route while searching for clues on illuminated signs. There were 60 questions, slightly out of order to discourage back tracking. Correct answers scored 2 points, incorrect answers scored minus 1 point, perfect score could be 120 points. A couple of questions had no answer and could score 2 points for being left blank.
There was a no formal time limit but there was a substantial penalty (3 points per mile) for excess mileage (beyond 37 miles) intended to discourage back tracking. Unfortunately one car was off coarse for a while and didn’t remember the mileage penalty, finishing half an hour later than most with serious results in scoring. Maybe it’s true that men will never stop for directions?
Possibly the least experienced rally crew (running the MG TD) ran the entire route with no problem, returning quicker than other cars but ignoring most of the questions. Some of the questions they did answer were guesses, resulting in penalty points and a slight negative final score, but they seemed to be having just as much fun as anyone else.
As promised, scoring was finished within 30 minutes of last car in, while most folks were enjoying some refreshments at Dapper’s. After results were announced and awards were distributed, there was a short review of the answers. We didn’t get the projector screen up, but we did have all of the rally signs on a computer for show and tell. The rallymaster was last to leave the restaurant and was home before midnight, not bad for a rally intended to end around 10:00 pm (but having a few stragglers). Hoping to see you all next time.
-- Barney Gaylord

Chicago’s British Car Union Hosts the 22nd Annual Chicagoland British Car Festival - September 6-7, 2008

Sponsored by the British Car Union, a not-for-profit organization made up of representatives from Chicago area British car clubs, the Chicagoland British Car Festival is the 22nd annual gathering of Midwest British car enthusiasts.
The event is a celebration, not a show….A come as you are party for British cars and their lovers.
The date for this year’s Festival is Sunday, September 7, 2008, the first Sunday after Labor Day. Located at Moraine Valley Community College, in Palos Hills, Illinois, the Festival is easily reached from major expressways. There is ample paved parking for both participants and spectators. Vendors and local marque clubs will be on hand to answer questions and provide information.
On Saturday, September 6th is the Donald M Healey Rally. The rally will start from the K-Mart parking lot (northeast corner of Rt. 83 and Plainfield Roads). For complete rally information, please go to www.britishcarunion.com/rally.htm
For COMPLETE information and a registration form please see the website at www.britishcarunion.com.

CMGC members should have received a flyer in the mail. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Jack Feldman at Qualitas.jack@gmail.com