The first two months of the 2015 driving season were packed with driving events. There were events almost every weekend and we saw very good participation. The interim score, including the Land’s End Rally is as follows.

Rick Meservey and Sundy Mead are on top with 11 points, followed my Jim Compton and Bob Dorley and George and Jana Pharris tied for 2nd and 3rd with 10 points each. Rick and Nancy Maitzen and Dino and Lisa Perez are tied for 4th and 5th places with 8 points. Rick and Sundy’s strategy has been to participate in many events (5 of the 6) while Jim and Bob and George and Jana have been at only 2 or 3 events but are doing real well in the rallies. And one of the older MGs, Rick and Nancy’s TD, is tied with the very latest model, Dino and Lisa’s RV8. And it looks like we’ll see some more MG models as the driving season progresses and there may also be more contenders for the annual trophies, with the first Auto Cross starting soon.

August is going to be even better, with seven events, including the University Motors Summer Party. But first comes July which offers us a little bit of a breather, with fewer events on the calendar. The open dates on July 11-12 have not been filled so there is no event that weekend.

On the 25th of July we have a new event, a car show on the grounds of Lake Forest Place (when it rains or is too hot, we’ll be in the parking garage) What’s so new about a car show, I can hear you think, right? Well, first of all, we haven’t had our own little car show for a long time. Many go out to local shows and cruise nights but this will be our own, all MG, show. And what makes this show special and new is that longtime VMGCC member Bill Dobeus resides at the retirement home.

And the idea is to present him, and the other residents, 25 MGs to enjoy and bring back good memories of the days that they were still able to enjoy their MG or any other classic car.

The second weekend of August brings back one of the older events, The University Motors Summer Party. It used to be an annual extravaganza of MGs in Grand Rapids, MI with over 700 MGs at its heydays. After a hiatus of a few years the Summer Party, or Twist’s as it was known, it has not been so big anymore. But we can still have a good time with a large contingent of Chicago MGs. We may have one or two caravans out there and, if there is a volunteer, we’ll bring back the famous Chicago Picnic and Beer lunch on the show grounds. Safe the date and let’s make a plan at the next club meetings.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions or questions. I am looking forward to hearing from you at 847 342 0904 or reinoutvogt@gmail.com

"The more you drive, the more you smile".

-- Reinout Vogt