The third weekend in September is the traditional date for British Invasion
in Stowe, VT. I've been going for six years now and enjoyed myself each
time. This year was no exception.
The weather forecast was all wrong for this past weekend. What was expected
was showers and what we got was summer heat and humidity. Some 600 cars
made their way onto the field and friendships were renewed and begun, cars
were polished, parts were traded and fun was had. I was with my usual
cohorts for the day; Henry Frye, Tim Hutchisen, Rick Aust, among others. We
had a ball. The concours crowd was there in spades, with some outstanding
cars. The participant's choice was tough this year, since so many nice cars
came out of hiding. (When was the last time you saw a Triumph Dolomite
sedan?) When the dust settled, I found myself with another first-in-class
trophy for the early TR6 class. A Triumph 2000 roadster was deemed
best-of-show, even though Austin-Healey was the featured marque this year.
Sunday's activities are more varied and subdued. There is a "backseat
driver" contest, in which the driver is blindfolded and takes direction
from the passenger as the car makes its way around a course of pylons.
After seeing last year's contest, Henry and I decided we'd have a go. Henry
was blindfolded and we set off in his Stag. A penalty is assessed for each
cone knocked down, so Henry and I adopted a strategy of knocking 'em down
fast. We knocked down a few too many and came in fourth after penalties,
but first in raw time. At the very least we gave the crowd a thrill and
sent Chris Francis, one of the organizers, to his cardiologist. I have the
funny feeling we may be banned from future competitions. ;-)
Overall, the weekend was a hoot, just like always.
Phil Barnes (peb3@cornell.edu)
Cortland, NY (nowhere near New York City)
'71 TR6 CC61193L (25 year owner)
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