Hello All!  After a year away I am back!  I haven’t just been off with my feet up though, I have been at home busy raising the next generation of Testers for you. Here are my three boys with some of their toys ..

James, Jim and Harry Tester

Anyway, I could gush over a whole post about how gorgeous and wonderful my baby boys are but enough baby talk .. you want the CARS!

Team Manager, Dave Moore

So much has happened over the last year I could write pages and pages, so I will condense it for you. First, a workshop update for you. Sadly our Apprentice decided to leave us (and no Jim didn’t say “You’re Fired!”). We are very, very pleased to introduce you to our Team Manager David Moore. David/Dave has worked many events with us over the years and we are delighted he is taking more of a full time role with us to help develop and continue to expand the business. Dave will be at events and in the workshop so feel free to have a chat or contact him if Jim isn’t available about any way we can help you.

Le Mans Classic 2010
Last year Jim and Iain enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Le Mans Classic event over 9th to 11th July 2010. This was a nice jolly for the boys, with a couple of “busman holiday” moments! To join in the fun Jim and Iain had travelled with good friend Roger Ludgate after preparing his Jaguar Mark II.  The car ran like a dream save for the ‘boulder’ that attacked the windscreen! All the boys needed was a local French equivalent of B&Q to purchase a sheet of perspex, a saw, a marker pen and a roll of tape and hey presto! A new windscreen emerged in the car park! Then there was the oil tank for a Ferrari P3 Jim welded up in the pits…

Tour Britannia 2010
This prestigious race tour for historic cars took place in September and took in some wonderful places including Aintree, Oulton Park, the Great Orme, Eaton Hall, Cholmondeley and Mallory Park. The event was the first outing for our then most recently finished Jaguar E-Type (more later on that) for our clients Historic Autosports. We finished a very respectable 1st in class.

Track Days
Over the last year we have taken part in a number of track days, driving our own cars and preparing cars for clients to drive. The most memorable one for me was getting a passenger lap at Silverstone just as The Wing was finished. I particularly remember the rain lashing down and getting very soggy in a Cobra!

Racing in 2011
This year we have taken part in four events: one at Anglesey, one at Donington and two at Brands Hatch. At Anglesey Jim drove with Gary Morris in his Tester prepared Jaguar Mark II and received the Spirit of Racing Award. There will be more regarding the E-Type racing at Donington and Brands Hatch later.

The view from the top of the ferris wheel!

24 Heures du Mans 2011

After a very busy year, Jim and Iain enjoyed a trip to Le Sarthe enjoying some great racing, camping and barbecue-ing! Great seats in the grandstand over the pits allowed them to enjoy fantastic views of pit stops and be in the centre of an electric atmosphere. I feel this trip may become an annual event .. !

"Team Tester": (L-R) Iain, Dave, Gary, Mick, Jim, James and Andy

So that’s the news pretty much up to date. There will be some more detailed posts with pictures to come on the racing.

Coming up we next we have the Silverstone Classic on 22-24 July, where we will most definately be Rocking and Racing with the best! This event is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the iconic Jaguar E-Type and we can’t wait to be a part of it. Will we be seeing you there? We certainly hope so .. be sure to stop and say hello if you are!

Claire