Some events and shows can get a bit repetitive every year with the same cars and the same format, so you would think turning up to a tiny village in West Wales watching vintage cars race up and down a beach would fall into that category. Absolutely not a chance.
There’s something mystical about driving around those twisty roads and ending up at Pendine Beach, where motoring history was made. As soon as you turn into the car park and see vintage hot rods parked up on the grass, with pit crews and owners going through their final checks, you realise this is something special. The sound of those engines firing up and the exhaust screaming in anger just takes you back to a much simpler time when power steering, ABS and disc brakes were something you read about in a science fiction book.
This is as good a point as any to mention the VHRA who organise this event. Without their organisation and attention to details this event simply would not happen and we would not get to experience such a fabulous event. So a huge big thank you to Neil Fretwell for the work you do and of course to the many members that help make things happen before and on the day itself.
As always the cars are the stars of the show and I’ll let the pictures speak from themselves but as usual the VHRA members did not let anyone down. A fabulous mix of vehicles, from V8 to Straight Six engines, with pick–ups, coupes and saloons all on show. There really was something to cater for all tastes.
The racing was as hard and competitive as ever as times and records were beaten. Even the weather behaved, even if the sand was a bit harder than normal causing the odd seat of the pants moment – and of course it wouldn’t be Wales if we didn’t get soaked by the occasional freak downpour.
There seemed to be a much larger crowd there spectating and a real family vibe on the beach where hopefully a new generation can appreciate that cars did exist before 1990 and how exciting and unique hot rodding can be in an age where everything has to conform.
That’s it for another year. Already looking forward to 2019. Maybe I’m biased because it’s my local show, I have a passion for hot rods and being one the official providers of Hot Rod Insurance for the VHRA, but if you want to experience something very special here in the UK then I would encourage you to make that pilgrimage next year and see what all the fuss was about both all those years ago and right now and up to date, in our ever changing modern world.
