I hope that you had a chance to look over the driving schedule that Reinout put together. There is a lot going on and just about every kind of event that you can imagine. This will be a great year to find something for you to enjoy with your car and significant other. There is just so much to choose from. My B is still sitting in the garage, waiting for the winter to finally end. It really seems to be hanging on this year and just needs to let go! The ‘Spring Tune up’ is coming soon and I am really looking forward to the event.

‘March Madness’ is carrying over to April, I can already tell, and the month is just beginning. The Formula 1 season is off to a great start and the Indy car series has also started. A few years ago, I participated in the Skip Barber open wheel racing program and boy what a thrill. The cars were fun to drive and the experience was very humbling. I thought that with my previous flying experience, that it would enable me to quickly master the driving skill, boy was I wrong! I ruined my racing budget in one weekend at Elkhart Lake Road America. UGH! It still hurts! I did get to meet some great people and one of the fun things was to see youngsters getting a start in the sport.

One of the young guns in several races that I competed in was Ryan Hunter-Reay. Since then he has been very successful and is currently the Indy car Champ from last year and is driving for Andretti. I have also said several times that I cheer for Tony Stewart of NASCAR fame. I began following him when I worked with his uncle. Tony Stewart is one of those guys that likes to race in any kind of vehicle, on any kind of track. He is just as good on the dirt in an open wheel vehicle as on a paved track in either open wheel or cover wheel cars. I really do enjoy watching races. It is also fun to drive a good car, I guess that is why I love my MG!!

-- George Phariss

I make a weekly trip to the Club Post Office box in Addison. So far there have been lots of member’s dues checks, some junk mail, solicitations, and financial stuff for our Finance Minister and so on. But what I really look forward to are the newsletters we receive from other clubs, NAMGBR, and especially the two glossy publications from England. These are the ones we put out on the front table at the monthly meetings. “Safety Fast” is the publication of the MG Car Club. “Enjoying MG” is the publication of the MG Owner’s Club. Both publications are beautiful and glossy, truly professional. I urge all members at the meetings to check these out.

Apart from all the cool articles and ads, “Enjoying MG” usually has about 22 pages of brief reports from clubs and chapters all over the UK. I find this amazing, and at times I’m catapulted into the goings-on of the Channel Islands or Whitecliffs MGOC activities. And the ads…love the ads for parts, services and so on, and of course the classifieds for members selling cars (in both mags) always interests me. I’ve often fantasized of going to the UK, buying an MGB GT V8 and cruising rural roads and small towns of the British Isles where the major stops of the day are caused by sheep on the roads or looking for a pub with cool beer and a decent plate of mutton. Something I’ll have to work on with my wife Carol. And of course bring the car home.

I’m also genuinely impressed at the number of MG clubs, and other British Marques of course. We’ve all heard the lines that MG stands for the vintage of the owners “Mostly Grey”, or Mainly Geezers”, however attendance at any events, ours, national, or international, assures us that MGs and their owners will not disappear from the planet. In all, more than half a million MGBs were produced and just over 100,000 MGAs. So when I see all the ads, associations, businesses, clubs, communities activities associated with the MG, I’m assured that these LBCs, and their owners (regardless of vintage) will be around for awhile.

In any case, this Geezer plans to hold on to his MG as long as I can shift a gear, and here’s to a great driving season. Bottoms up!

Carry on!

-- Joel-Paul Brossard