Rutland/Leicestershire Run! 5th August 2012
07-01-2012 | 09:17 AM
#1
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From: Rutland
Rutland/Leicestershire Run! 5th August 2012
Hello all.
After a long time of talking about it, I have finally got my arse in gear and sorted a route for a driving meet. It includes some of my favourite local driving roads on A, B, and C roads in and around The smallest county in the UK - Rutland. Because it is so small, it will also include roads the surrounding counties in Leics, welland valley in Northants, etc.
Due to the shortage of decent breakfast venues with ample parking around the route, I am proposing a circular route that both starts and finishes at McDonalds (I do apologise, I appreciate this is not to everyone's taste) on the outskirts of Market Harborough. The route is about 80 miles long and should take around 1.5 - 2 hours to complete so if people want breakfast before or an early lunch after then you can.
The start/finish point McDonalds/Texaco Petrol station is on the main roundabout from harborough A6 to leicester and B6047 Melton road. The postcode is LE16 7FD. I chose this location hoping it is fairly accessible for people from both Leicester, and northants directions.
Here is a map showing with the yellow arrow what roundabout it is on:
Time: If you do not want breakfast before we start, then please aim to arrive at 7.45am so we can set off promptly at 8am. If there are people who want breakfast first then please arrive before with enough time to eat before the start time.
Fuel: Please arrive with sufficent fuel for the drive (it's about 80 miles and around a third of a tank). Please note that there is a Jet Station on the roundabout by Mcdonalds so you can get a top up if needed.
Weather: If the weather is forecast to be bad, I'll cancel the run by 4pm on the day before. Please check before travelling.
SatNav: I have not made a satnav file yet. If there are considerably more than 10 cars attending, then I will try to knock some up to email out if really necessary.
Simon
List of attendees here:
Definites (breakfast before start - 7:15 arrival time - start run at 8am)
Simonix
KGCLE
jiggy2000
Rich 3
deanbayley
RTVgreeneagle
Maybes
Minvo
Plastic91
Penelope Pitstop
Aquila Eagle
Here is some of the well recognised Ricky run blurb for general driving info:
Some notes on convoying and overtaking:
1) I try to keep the pace reasonable, if you feel that it's too fast, please feel under no pressure to keep up. Drive to your limits, not mine, or anyone else's. We will wait at the next turning.
2) Overtaking - getting 5 or more cars (and we've had as many as 15 on occasion) to overtake can be a tricky business. Patience and safety are key here.
3) It's your responsibility to make sure you can overtake safely. If you're unsure, then don't overtake. Do not feel pressured into overtaking to keep up. Chances are that I am stuck behind another vehicle half a mile up the road, so you'll catch up anyway. Err on the side of caution at all times. Remember, We will wait at the next turning.
4) One other thing to remember, given the roads are quiet, certainly on the way there, it means that there isn't much traffic coming the other way so overtaking opportunities are plentiful. There's no need to take any sort of risk when overtaking.
5) If the cars in front have overtaken and it's been a couple of minutes before you've been able to overtake, there is no need to drive at excessive speeds in order to catch up. This is especially relevant in light of this ruling http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...ading-rideout/ where a lead rider was fined on the basis of the speeds following riders were doing. I do not want to be fined for your actions, so please be considerate and bear this in mind. And if not for me, then for anyone else using the roads.
As mentioned above, the lead cars will either be stuck behind someone else just up the road, or will be waiting before the next turning (or perhaps in the next village where appropriate), so simply stay on the same road at a similar pace until you catch up. Even if you're unable to overtake, you'll only be a couple of minutes behind at the most, so there's no pressure at all.
6) Think of it this way, the leaders overtake a car doing 40mph on an 60mph section. After 5 minutes, the leaders will be 1.7 miles ahead. At 40mph, that means you'll only be 2 1/2 minutes behind, which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, so there's no need to worry about keeping people waiting. Most NSL sections on this run are only a few miles, so it's even less of a worry.
7) If you are "stuck" behind someone who is going a bit slowly, please keep a safe distance and do not try to push them along. Backing off a bit on the straights and then enjoying the corners is a good way to approach things.
8) Remember to have fun
After a long time of talking about it, I have finally got my arse in gear and sorted a route for a driving meet. It includes some of my favourite local driving roads on A, B, and C roads in and around The smallest county in the UK - Rutland. Because it is so small, it will also include roads the surrounding counties in Leics, welland valley in Northants, etc.
Due to the shortage of decent breakfast venues with ample parking around the route, I am proposing a circular route that both starts and finishes at McDonalds (I do apologise, I appreciate this is not to everyone's taste) on the outskirts of Market Harborough. The route is about 80 miles long and should take around 1.5 - 2 hours to complete so if people want breakfast before or an early lunch after then you can.
The start/finish point McDonalds/Texaco Petrol station is on the main roundabout from harborough A6 to leicester and B6047 Melton road. The postcode is LE16 7FD. I chose this location hoping it is fairly accessible for people from both Leicester, and northants directions.
Here is a map showing with the yellow arrow what roundabout it is on:
Time: If you do not want breakfast before we start, then please aim to arrive at 7.45am so we can set off promptly at 8am. If there are people who want breakfast first then please arrive before with enough time to eat before the start time.
Fuel: Please arrive with sufficent fuel for the drive (it's about 80 miles and around a third of a tank). Please note that there is a Jet Station on the roundabout by Mcdonalds so you can get a top up if needed.
Weather: If the weather is forecast to be bad, I'll cancel the run by 4pm on the day before. Please check before travelling.
SatNav: I have not made a satnav file yet. If there are considerably more than 10 cars attending, then I will try to knock some up to email out if really necessary.
Simon
List of attendees here:
Definites (breakfast before start - 7:15 arrival time - start run at 8am)
Simonix
KGCLE
jiggy2000
Rich 3
deanbayley
RTVgreeneagle
Maybes
Minvo
Plastic91
Penelope Pitstop
Aquila Eagle
Here is some of the well recognised Ricky run blurb for general driving info:
Some notes on convoying and overtaking:
1) I try to keep the pace reasonable, if you feel that it's too fast, please feel under no pressure to keep up. Drive to your limits, not mine, or anyone else's. We will wait at the next turning.
2) Overtaking - getting 5 or more cars (and we've had as many as 15 on occasion) to overtake can be a tricky business. Patience and safety are key here.
3) It's your responsibility to make sure you can overtake safely. If you're unsure, then don't overtake. Do not feel pressured into overtaking to keep up. Chances are that I am stuck behind another vehicle half a mile up the road, so you'll catch up anyway. Err on the side of caution at all times. Remember, We will wait at the next turning.
4) One other thing to remember, given the roads are quiet, certainly on the way there, it means that there isn't much traffic coming the other way so overtaking opportunities are plentiful. There's no need to take any sort of risk when overtaking.
5) If the cars in front have overtaken and it's been a couple of minutes before you've been able to overtake, there is no need to drive at excessive speeds in order to catch up. This is especially relevant in light of this ruling http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...ading-rideout/ where a lead rider was fined on the basis of the speeds following riders were doing. I do not want to be fined for your actions, so please be considerate and bear this in mind. And if not for me, then for anyone else using the roads.
As mentioned above, the lead cars will either be stuck behind someone else just up the road, or will be waiting before the next turning (or perhaps in the next village where appropriate), so simply stay on the same road at a similar pace until you catch up. Even if you're unable to overtake, you'll only be a couple of minutes behind at the most, so there's no pressure at all.
6) Think of it this way, the leaders overtake a car doing 40mph on an 60mph section. After 5 minutes, the leaders will be 1.7 miles ahead. At 40mph, that means you'll only be 2 1/2 minutes behind, which is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, so there's no need to worry about keeping people waiting. Most NSL sections on this run are only a few miles, so it's even less of a worry.
7) If you are "stuck" behind someone who is going a bit slowly, please keep a safe distance and do not try to push them along. Backing off a bit on the straights and then enjoying the corners is a good way to approach things.
8) Remember to have fun
Boo hoo. Crying at your choice of date my friend as you are clashing with the Thetford Run I am organising.
07-02-2012 | 10:11 AM
#7
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From: Heath & Reach, Beds, UK
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07-09-2012 | 02:07 PM
#8
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 142
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From: Leicestershire
Good one Simon ! Really looking forward to it. Great start point for me too, and for others in the Leicester area. I'll join you for breakfast at 7.15.
Can you PM me if there are any changes as I'm away a lot at moment.
Can you PM me if there are any changes as I'm away a lot at moment.
