The 56th Annual VMCC Banbury Run™ held on 20th June 2004

Once again folk came from far and wide to ride 'The Banbury'.  The spectators that came for the day were able to wander around the Autojumble which was up to the normal 'Banbury' standard.  The main site at Drayton remained dry all day but most of the riders encountered a heavy shower en-route.  The Organising team received many nice comments saying that the routes were both interesting and enjoyable.

Most of the changes to the event were a success - the A Route riders averaged 15mph and this seemed to meet with universal approval.  Sunrising Hill had more Marshals as, like the rest of us, they were also getting a year older!!  The staged groups of Marshals up the hill meant that no-one had to push for the entire hill.

There were a total of 45 original entrants who, for whatever reason, were not able to ride.  The administrative difficulty was the fact that half of these scratched entries occurred in the last 6 days before the event!  However, most of the Reserves who had not been given a ride had registered as Standby riders and, after a series of Friday night 'phone calls, they were given the blank slots and so were able to come to Banbury knowing that they had a ride.  The few Standby riders that turned up on the day also got their rides and there was a total of 486 starters.

We have posted a few photos of the event - including one of Chris Read in tweed plus fours on his 1907 Vindec outfit (the world's oldest sidecar) with lady passenger in the wicker chair....and two dogs!!  What a sight!! 

The Timed competition had 190 entrants and although no-one achieved a perfect score the best performance came from Percy Austen, a 'Friday night' Standby rider riding his 1914 Douglas Model W 3½hp with a 1 minute error.  32 Gold awards and 40 Silver awards were won - it remains a challenge to win an award at Banbury! 

The route mileages and times were:
A Route:           34 miles at 15mph = 2 hours 16 mins
B Route:     52.4 miles at 20mph = 2 hours 37.2 mins
C Route:    62.9 miles at 24mph = 2 hours 37.3 mins
You can view the detailed Results list using the link below.

We had our usual crop of interesting 'happenings'......the fact that there was a locked barrier across the rear entry road when we arrived on the Friday evening.  We found the Caretaker - but he said that he did not have the key as the barrier belonged to Cherwell Council.  So we 'phoned the Council.......but it was 5pm on a Friday - no chance!!  So we 'phoned the Emergency number - but no help there.  So we were stuck with a major drama - until someone suggested telling the local 'kids' about our problem.  It was only a few minutes before the barrier was gone!!!
And then there was the Breakdown vehicle that had a major breakdown!!   No contingency there!!

Please take a look at the Pictures Page & see details of our CD-ROM available for purchase

If you would like an Official Programme of the 2004 Banbury Run (available while stocks last) just send a cheque for £3.00 to the address below:

Banbury Run Programme, Wyn-da-lea, Church St, Bodicote, Nr Banbury, Oxon. OX15 4DW.

making your cheque payable to "VMCC Banbury Run"