The Blyton 1-3

All booked and raring to go. Yes folks, Project Merlot will once again be heading for Blyton for the MX-5 Owners Club Blyton 1-3 track weekend.  Can't wait.

http://www.mx5oc.co.uk/forum/forums/t/57546.aspx

The Merlot goes hill climbing !

In a first for Project Merlot on Sunday 16 September the team were to be found taking on the Prescott Speed Hill Climb near Cheltenham. And I can report, that despite my initial reservations about what was not much more than a few seconds drive up a hill, it was great fun. This was supposed to be a fun run only, non-competitive, no helmets, no timing.  And indeed all those applied but sit me in the Merlot, strap me in with the harnesses and there is only really one way to drive, and that’s flat out.!  So there I was on my first run up the hill, wheels locked, in a cloud of tyre smoke, heading straight for the barriers on the surprising steep and tight Pardon hairpin turn.

 But I need not have worried, the Merlot has never let me down yet, and with inches to spare, full grip was returned and the turn was made, but it did quicken the pulse a bit.!  By the time of my third and last run things were going a lot smoother and I think I even managed to take the correct line around a couple of the corners!  So, Prescott maybe the home of the Bugatti Owners Club, it may have seen far grander cars race up the hill but it can now also boast to having been conquered by the one and the only Project Merlot.

The Blyton Bash

It was ambitious, but if anyone could make it happen then The MX-5 Owners Club’s newest Motorsport Coordinator, Jon Smith could. The Blyton Bash, a weekend of MX-5 dedicated track action at the Blyton Park Driving Centre in Lincolnshire. And what a brilliant weekend it turned out to be.  Project Merlot was in the hands over the weekend of Jon E, Robbie M, Martin C and long-time Merlot fan James Huggins.  The weekend also saw the MX-5 Owners Club attempt to fill the entire circuit with as many MX-5s as they could to set a couple of world records.  We still await final confirmation from Guinness on the records but we reckon the Merlot has always been a bit of a record breaker. There was no doubting the highlight of Jon E’s weekend, the chance to put in some very hot laps with Ma5da Racing champion Rob Boston in the passenger seat giving Jon some invaluable tips.
We loved the weekend and the great little Blyton Circuit, perfect for MX-5s and we are already looking forward to Blyton Bash 2013, oh yes, it’s already booked…..

Martin's new hat!

Derek Higgs takes to the wheel for the WR attempt.

Robbie and Jon trying to look casual