First it was Storm Ciara, then Dennis the Menace followed swiftly by Jorge. In March, it was, well…. it’s all over the news and there’s not a single corner of the glob unaffected by it. When we ran our Open Day in March, little did we know that it would be the last one for a few months. Here’s how it went down….
In light of the escalating threat of the virus outbreak (it had not yet been announced as a pandemic), we had to react quickly and keep an updated COVID-19 response plan that was carefully developed in line with the expert advice and guidance being provided at the time. You can read more about it here. In the end, our March Open day went ahead with Re:Fuel, Mansell Raceway and our outside food and drink vendors taking additional steps to protect our visitors and our staff.
As it turned out, March’s Re:Fuel Open Day was another wet one but it didn’t stop petrolheads far and wide coming out to enjoy the open air with like minded enthusiasts; when we still could.
The “corner theme” this month was all about Hot Hatches; both new and old. Our friends at Vospers kindly brought along a selection of the latest and greatest hot-hatches from their inventory. We had various Ford ST models plus the latest Abarth 595 Competizione. We even got our hands on the new Peugeot e-208 (no prizes for guessing what the e stands for), complete with one of the coolest dashboards we’ve ever seen!
However, in the true spirit of Re:Fuel, there were hot hatches of all ages. We saw a fantastic collection, stretching right the way back to the 1970’s. Everything from Renault 5 Turbos to XR2i’s and 205 GTi’s. There was certainly an extra air of nostalgia amongst many of the Re:Fuel visitors this month!
It was fascinating to see just how far the hot-hatch had come since its origins. Seeing a 1977 Rover Mini Cooper next to a new JCW Mini is an interesting sight in itself!
But, as ever with Re:Fuel, the diversity of cars we were blessed with on the day was nothing short of spectacular. A special mention to the 1950’s XK150 Convertible that turned up around midday. Also the brand new Cayman GT4 which arrived around a similar time to two Pontiac Le Mans that graced us with their presence. The whole day was just a treasure-trove of automotive indulgence.
With everything going on in the world at the time, it was nice to see people somewhat forgetting about the hurdles that we now face as nation, and just enjoying the company of other like-minded enthusiasts; all be it from a distance.
You may have noticed we’ve been a bit quiet at Re:Fuel since the March Open Day. Don’t worry, it’s because we’re INCREDIBLY busy. There are plans afoot you see. All we’ll say for now is keep your eye on our social media, our website and your email inbox (if you’re not signed up to our mailing list, we recommend doing it now!).
But for the time being everyone….. stay safe, keep your head up, and get working on those projects you’ve been putting off for months!