As always thanks to Greg for this report:

A message from Jeremy Holdsworth, MG2022 Vice Chair

The organizing committee of MG2022 continues to work behind the scenes to ensure all our participants enjoy a memorable and fun-filled convention. Registration opened at the beginning of December and our team has been overwhelmed by the fantastic response we have seen thus far.

At the time of writing this update, we are down to our last 10 convention rate hotel rooms. All this allocation at the Holiday Inn has now sold out and the remaining rooms are at the Best Western. Standard rates at both of those hotels are still available by making your own arrangements directly with these host hotels themselves. Peterborough also offers several other choices for accommodations including hotels, motels, traditional bed & breakfast, AirBnB and some excellent campgrounds in the local area.

Our activities are also filling up fast. We kick things off on Sunday when registration opens at the Holiday Inn, followed by the NAMGBR Meet & Greet where you will be able to meet the organization’s officers and registrars.

Monday will have a full schedule of programming including numerous Tech Sessions, Guided Tours, a Rallye and Funkhana during the day, followed in the evening by our Parking Lot Party at the Holiday Inn. We will also have self directed driving routes mapped out for those who wish to explore Peterborough and surrounding areas in their MG.

Tuesday brings us another full day of activities including the famous John Twist Rolling Tech Session plus more Indoor Tech Sessions, Guided Tours and the Hagerty Driving Experience followed in the evening by our Group Dinner at Lang Pioneer Village and then later by our Pub Night.

Wednesday is the day you have all been waiting for. The Car Show is the main feature of all NAMGBR conventions. We will have all the standard NAMGBR classes for MGB, MGC, Midget, 1100/1300 and Post Abingdon cars plus classes for MG T-Series, MGA, MG - Other and British - Other. You do not need to bring a NAMGBR sanctioned car to participate in our car show and we encourage owners of all MGs to consider bringing their cars to MG2022.

This year’s show will take place at Nicholls Oval Park, only a short 5-minute drive from the host hotels. This was the site of the Car Show at the inaugural convention in 1992 and we look forward to making our return to this beautiful location and filling it with hundreds of MGs. There are washrooms on site, plus lots of trees for shade, a playground with splash pad for our youngest enthusiasts and a covered pavilion just in case of any inclement weather. We have lined up a DJ to play British Invasion tunes, some food trucks and British Car related vendors to offer a complete MG Car Show experience.

The Car Show is followed by the Awards Banquet at the Holiday Inn. Ticket holders will be provided with a hearty meal and once the dinner has finished, we will open the Awards Ceremony to all participants. Covid restrictions might make it a bit challenging to fit all participants into the banquet facility, but we are working on finding a way of having the ceremony broadcast on a live feed into one or two of the hotel’s conference rooms. You will not want to miss our Guest Speaker coming all the way from the UK, Dr. Ian Pogson, who spent many years working on Post Abingdon cars for MG. His stories and tales from the modern factory are not to be missed.

Thursday morning, we say farewell with a Pancake Breakfast to promote MG2023 in Calgary. We look forward to hearing more about MG2023 from the Calgary MG Club. I have personally visited the host hotel for MG2023 and can say it will be a fantastic location for another NAMGBR convention.

As previously mentioned, our activities are filling up fast. Some are available on a limited/first come first served basis so please consider registering as soon as you possibly can at www.mg2022.org to avoid missing out.

Safety Fast!

Jeremy Holdsworth

MG2022 Vice Chair

The season finale for the activities of the Houston MG Car Club is always the Christmas Party, where we take the time to share the spirit of the season and reflect on the events of the past year. And 2021 was indeed a memorable year for the club, marking the return of (almost) normal activities, registering a record number of members, and the achievement of reaching our milestone 50^th anniversary.

The Christmas Party was held in the accommodating and familiar surroundings of The Club at Falcon Point on Saturday, December 4. For those driving their MGs to the golf club, the weather co-operated by being comfortably warm and keeping the showers at bay. The Club was decked out in seasonal livery, adding to the warmth of the Christmas spirit.

As is tradition with the HMGCC, donations of food were accepted for a local food bank, and club members were invited to join President Mike Woodward in an MG caravan delivering the considerable collection of donated food on the following Tuesday. Thank you to all the members who contributed to this worthy cause!

The party started with friends gathering in the banquet room and sharing laughs and Christmas spirits with their friends. Many club members arrived wearing their seasonal finery and ugly Christmas sweaters, reminding us all that Christmas never goes out of fashion. Old and new friends swapped stories about the events of the past year and tales of tribulation with their vintage autos.

Mike Woodward ably demonstrated his extraordinary range of talent as he acted as master of ceremonies, award presenter, activity director, and keyboardist during the course of the afternoon. The first award was the group presentation of the 500 Mile Club, recognizing those enthusiasts who use their car for more than just an objet d’art by driving them at least 500 miles to club events. The members of the 500 Mile Club for 2021 include Bob Chalker, Alex Laverock, Ken Evesson, Mike Woodward, Dwight Dawson, Gordon Bard, Joe Schrodi, Scott Hardy, Roger Sykes, Ray Holtzapple, Rich Colwell, Steve Session, Pete Sandy and Bruce Payne.

After the first award, Club members enjoyed a fine Christmas feast served buffet style. As the guests patiently waited for their table to be called to the bar, those who were first served enjoyed a sumptuous meal featuring both fish and fowl, not to mention holiday treats for dessert.

The presentations recommenced as the members finished their meals. The Club Officers for 2022 were announced, and thanks given to those leaving their positions.

o          President – Mike Woodward

o          Vice President – Tony Galt

o          Board Member – Ron Redding

o          Board Member – Bob Schroeder

o          Board Member – Rich Colwell

o          Board Member – Steve Sessions

o          Board Member – Gordon Smith

o          Webmaster – Bob Chalker

o          Assistant Webmaster – Rob Ficalora

o          Regalia – Alex Laverock

o          Treasurer – Greg Fleischer

o          Membership Chair – Rob Ficalora

o          Secretary – Roald Lokken

o          Event Coordinator – Larry Lovins

o          Roars Editor – Scott Hardy

One of the most anticipated yearly awards is the Driver’s Award, given to the club member who records the most mileage in attending club events in their vintage car. This year’s deserving winner was Joe Schrodi, racking up an impressive 2,945 miles in his yellow 1976 MGB.

The Alan Rayne Memorial Award, better known as the Broken Crankshaft Award, is the trophy nobody really wants, because it memorializes a mechanical misfortune occurring during or driving to/from a club event. The trophy this year was presented by last year’s recipient, Gord Bard (who keeps himself in the running every year). The 2021 winner was Pete Sandy, for losing his distributor at the Autocross held in 2019.

The Ralph Diebert Award goes to the MG that receives the most votes from club members attending the Houston All British Car Day, and this year was presented to the 1972 MGB of Bob Chalker. Bob was a double award recipient, also taking home the Board of Director’s Award for outstanding service to the club. Well done!

The President’s Award is given to any club member who has provided exceptional leadership or service. Service can include, but is not be limited to: contributing articles to the website or Roars, organizing one or more events, or attending multiple events throughout the year in support of the club. Mike mentioned several people he considered for the award, and the plaque went to Larry Lovins for his exceptional job organizing and promoting club events.

The Back Seat Driver’s Award is given to the spouse or partner of a club member who in the opinion of the Board of Directors made the greatest contribution to the Club’s success for the year. For 2021 this award was presented to Trish Hardy in recognition of her success in organizing past events.

After the presentation of the awards, Mike assumed his activity director role and led the gift exchange aerobics. Door prizes were handed out to the lucky winners, and one person at each table went home with the table centerpiece.

To wrap up the party and send everyone home in the festive spirit, the indomitable Oil Spots reconvened and regaled the crowd with their renditions of holiday classics. Our thanks and a tip of the fedora to John Bowyer, electric guitar and vocals; Rich Colwell, saxophone/flute; Mike Woodward, keyboard; Ken Evesson, drums; and Walter Bernard, keyboard.

Our best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season and a healthier and joyeous 2022!

• -       Story by Scott Hardy, photos by Greg Fleischer

Autocross, Twisted Sisters, GoF, tech sessions, movies and many more driving events.

The club has begun planning the schedule of events for 2022 and although it isn't yet official we have published a list of tentative events so that you can begin planning.  We encourage you to mark your calendar so that you don't miss out on the fun.  The list can be found on the 2022 Tentative Events page.  Once they are official they will be added to the Club Sponsored Events Page.  

For those of us who love our classics, this will touch your hearts.  Get your Kleenex’s ready.  

https://youtu.be/c4-oyBnknHk

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, may it be full of family, friends, love and peace.  Oh yea, and a bit of driving in your MG!

As you prepare to attend our Christmas Party, remember to bring your package for the Food Bank. Here are some Ideas from a person that spoke to people who actually receive donated food items: 

As always thanks to Greg for keeping up with the standings :

A crisp October morning greeted the participants in this year’s autocross event hosted by the Texas Triumph Register. Held annually at the Houston Police Academy training track, an autocross provides enthusiasts like us with the opportunity to drive their cars in the manner for which they were designed. That is to say, drive it like you stole it! But you can do so in the safety of a closed circuit with the only obstacles being plastic pylons marking the course.

The host club had arrived early to litter the training track with orange traffic cones, marking the figure eight track into a maze of twists and turns. After the participants arrived and finished their coffee, the organizers went through the track procedures and led the group on a parage lap through the maze of cones. Which left everybody to wonder how they were ever going to remember the correct route through the piles of pylons. (Spoiler: many did not!)

The hosts required that the cars be cleared of loose items in the cab and boot, and all cars had to pass a tech inspection. Surprisingly, all did. All drivers who did not bring their own helmets were given a colorful balaclava and a loaner helmet to complete their drives. And so the competition began, with the cars being divided into four heats and drivers being allotted four timed laps each.

The cool morning air was soon shattered with the sound on snarling exhausts and squealing tires as the autocrossers attempted to better their times with each succeeding lap. And those who overestimated the abilities of their classic cars to negotiate the twisties soon provided spectators with some impressive drifts and smoky slides. A special shout out to Pete Sandy, who guided his big Healy through, by consensus, the most entertaining slide of the day. Special mention to Gord Bard for his numerous trips off the tarmac and to Ken Evesson for his brilliantly executed 180° drift to conclude his day on the track.

The HMGCC was able represented by the aforementioned drivers as well as Rich Colwell, Glenn and Fran Carpenter, Renne and Clair Lanphier, Scott and Trish Hardy, Dwight Dawson, Larry Lovins and Steve Loden.

The event was not limited to just Triumphs and MGs, as more modern machinery was also allowed to run. But there is no doubt that the older cars, while they may have been slower, were much more fun to follow as they skittered through the course squealing their tires, smoking their brakes, and listing through every turn.

The Triumph club had a special surprise at the end of the day. They had a trophy made which would be presented to either the Triumph or the MG club, depending on which classic British marque’s devotees had the best average lap times. In a remarkably close decision, which may or may not have come down to some creative Hollywood bookkeeping, the MG club took home the inaugural presentation of the Lucas Memorial Cup. Said trophy will be proudly on display at the Christmas gala in December for all club members to ogle.

The only blot on an otherwise perfect day was that the number of Triumphs greatly outnumbered the number of MGs. All HMGCC participants agreed that the autocross was a wonderful day to spend with your car and fellow club members. Nothing quite matches the adrenalin rush of pressing your car and your skills to the limit, trying to put together the perfect lap. And even if you will never be the reincarnation of Stirling Moss, the excitement of working the steering wheel through the pylons is worth the price of admission. You enjoy the same fun factor regardless of skill level.

Enjoying an event like this is definitely something all club members should seriously consider, and the good news is that you will have another chance to do so in the spring!

-       Story and photos by Dwight Dawson and Scott Hardy