Re: **CHANGE OF DATE* - RotaryStock 2017: SATURDAY 1ST JULY. Lelystad, Holland

[CrissyUK]

I would imagine so.

[re japi]

Nice to see you again Crissy
What car you and A are bringing?

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[CrissyUK]

I will be a passenger again - RX8 is locked away for a bit longer  :-)

[Furb]

i will be there with the RX-4

[re japi]

Awesome!  Finally I can see her! And you too

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[Casey]

Clive, Lisa, Aston, Malcolm & Gwyn on the Ferry. Just left Calais....

[re japi]

Umm, I thought that Ann is coming too...?

But safe driving, see you soon!

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[Casey]

Bad traffic at Antwerp. ETA at hotel more like 8pm..

[re japi]

Kev, we talked about drive distances to this event. So I was abit curious about distance from my home to Lelystad. It was more than I though!!! So, I think that I will ever do that trip with 12A

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[lennycarloff]

That's some distance

[C J R]

Come on you lot, where are all the pictures of this epic journey to Holland ? 

[Lisa]

Jarno & Malcolm took loads.

Jarno does not fly back home until today.

Hope you had a great weekend at Good Wood - you were missed!

[Casey]

Only got back yesterday about 7pm, absolutely shattered, so only this morning starting to download my pictures. Will sort out soon and do a short write-up of a most enjoyable weekend.

For now I shall just say the evening at the Yacht Club on Saturday evening was excellent; lovely setting, delicious food in great company and the fun of deciphering the menu with "Google Translate" will linger long in my memory:

"Chicken with Satan Sauce"
"Chicken robbed of bones"

[re japi]

That menu translation was hilarious.

I will post some pictures later, Ill be home at midnight, so you have to wait until tomorrow. Do you want me to put our sightseeeing pictures for you to see too?

Btw, can you suggest some free photo "storage", because my Photopucket is full?

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[Casey]

I thought a short report on this trip was in order 

Four UK Mazda Rotaries have just returned from a memorable trip over to RotaryStock at Lelystad Midland Raceway, Holland, held on Saturday 1st July. Clive, Aston (Arnie_O) and I took our RX-8's and Jim (lennycarloff) took his Time Attack RX-7 FC.

Clive was accompanied by Lisa, Aston took Crissy along and Gwyn came with me. Jim took his son, Thomas, who was accompanied by his girlfriend Emily. We were joined in Lelystad by Kevin (Kev-yorks) and Sharon, plus Jarno (re_japi) and his family, who flew down all the way from Finland! Kevin had planned to bring over his FC, but last minute ECU/electrical gremlins meant he flew over to Holland from the UK and hired a car for the weekend - not rotary though 

Gwyn and I stayed at a hotel in Ashford, Kent, on Thursday night prior to the trip, to avoid a rush-hour dash to Dover to catch our ferry to Calais at 11.10am on Friday morning. We left our hotel at about 8.30am on Friday and stopped a few miles down the road to top off with Tesco Momentum. I pulled over in the fuel station car park to answer a text from Clive and was startled as someone knocked on my window. It was a Belgian guy who asked if he could take a picture of my car! No problem, and in chatting to him, found out he owned several Mazda rotary cars and was just on his way from Belgium to Goodwood for the "Festival of Speed". He had planned to go to RotaryStock until the date changed, which then clashed with Goodwood. Strange coincidence for our paths to cross, going in opposite directions, as our route would take us via France, via Belgium and on to Holland.

Clive, Aston and I met up in Morrison's in Dover to enable us to drive in convoy to check-in for our P&O ferry. The crossing was smooth and uneventful and the time just flew by. By around 2pm (local time) we were off on our ~240 mile journey to Lelystad. A few stops and plenty of traffic meant we arrived at our hotel, right on the coast in Lelystad about 8.30pm. Kevin, Jarno and Jim had already arrived so we met up for a quick bite to eat and arranged to leavet at 8.30am in the morning to convoy to RotaryStock, about 20 minutes away.

We were amongst the first cars to arrive at the event on Saturday and set up the MRC Gazebo for some cover from the drizzling rain which greeted us.

A very diverse variety of Mazda Rotaries arrived at the event throughout the morning. Everyone I met was incredibly friendly (and spoke excellent English!). I've uploaded some pics of the event below. The day consisted of static displays, slalom and sprint events on the track and a "Show and Shine" competition. Congratulations to Jim and Aston, as Jim took 1st place in both the Slalom and Sprint, with Aston also taking 2nd and 3rd in the two events. A nicely restored Red RX-4, owned by Furb, took the "Show and Shine" award.

The weather improved throughout the day with some sunshine in the late afternoon. It was great to see some rare rotaries, including a large number of Series 1 RX-7 1st Gens, and chatting to a lot of their owners was a delightful way to spend the day.

The time flew by and then it was back to the hotel to change for a meal at a superb restaurant on a marina jetty just a 5 minute walk away. Everyone in our group came along and we had fun with the menus as only Dutch and German version were available and the staff spoke very limited English. "Google Translate" was a hoot, yielding memorable dishes such as "Chicken with Satan Sauce" and "Chicken robbed of its bones". The food was absolutely delicious, and with the floor-to-ceiling windows open we had a lovely view over the marina packed with yachts. It was a truly enjoyable evening, especially as there was still some light at 11pm.

The next day most of our group went to a local car show, in format very much like the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but as we were near to Amsterdam, Gwyn and I took the opportunity to revisit the city we'd last seen in the 1980's. We took the train from Lelystad, the journey taking about an hour, arriving at Amsterdam Centraal about noon.

Incredibly, just as we were walking out of the station I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Kevin and Sharon! They had driven their hire car back from our hotel to the airport, dropped their luggage off and had taken a train into Amsterdam to spend a few hours there before their evening flight back to the UK. What were the chances of meeting up like that!! Kevin and Sharon were looking to eat and we were planning to do some exploring and eat later, so we parted to go our separate ways.

The weather was warm with a part cloudy sky; perfect for exploring the city on foot. We walked for miles around the streets, taking in a tour boat ride and enjoying the sights and atmosphere of this bustling, vibrant and friendly city. We stopped to enjoy a meal and some wine at a pavement bar before returning back by train to Lelystad, where we met up with all the remaining group for a glass of wine just as they were finishing their meal in a Steak Restaurant in town.

So, Monday morning and time to take the long trip home, with Clive, Aston and myself in convoy to Calais. Thankfully, the weather was fine and the traffic was light so we arrived at the port just in time to catch the ferry at 16.05, the crossing just prior to the one we had scheduled. The passage was a little rougher with a slight swell, but it's only an hour and 40 minutes journey so we were soon on our way home.

All in all, a very pleasant weekend in great company, with good food and many sights and experiences to make a memorable weekend