Brilliant Billing
Steve Miller reports from his caravan parked up at a sunny and muddy Billing
Steve Miller reports from his caravan parked up at a sunny and muddy Billing
THIS was the third hosting of the Billing Off-road Show and no one will ever forget the 2018 version for two reasons. Firstly it was the hottest summer ever. Secondly we set a Guinness World Record for the longest parade of Land Rovers ever. The official number for the record set is 640 though we had nearly 1000 Land Rovers in the attempt. Topping that effort would be near impossible…
Still the organisers, Richard and Sarah Arrowsmith, worked tirelessly, along with their sons Edward, Julian, and daughter Imogen to try and ensure that 2019 was no anti-climax. I can confidently declare it most certainly wasn’t. As a family-organised show, they certainly know how to look after their weekend and day visitors.
The show officially started on the Saturday, but the camping fields set within the glorious Northamptonshire countryside, were filling up by the Friday morning – and some keen beans even arrived at the start of the week. I arrived at lunchtime on the Friday, set up camp ( Ed: what he meant to say was parked his caravan) and had a slow walk around, as exhibitors were busy setting up. The beer tent, which was obviously open at this stage was well-stocked with local real ales. So I stopped for a cheeky pint before continuing my walk.
The Riverside off-road course was already in full swing on the Friday – the Lakeside course only opened exclusively for the Saturday and Sunday. It was great to see freshly-mudded Land Rovers heading back to the campsite in the evening, ready to take on Lakeside the next day.
Billing is world-renowned for its offroad course, which as many of you know has been running on this site for over 25 years. This year the excellent off-road enthusiasts were once again expertly managed by the many marshals and judging by the smiles of the drivers, everyone has having a great time. Regular show goers and LRM readers know the chief marshal, Charlie Thorn. This year Charlie couldn’t make the show due to illness and we look forward to seeing him fit and well for 2020. Charlie worked hard behind the scenes prior to the show but had to hand over the chief marshal reins to Barry Holt and Matt Drew, who, along with their team, did an excellent job. Due to the heavy rainfall prior to the show, water levels had dramatically increased and caught several petrol engine Land Rovers out. I saw a well-and-truly stuck 101 Forward Control! The infamous mud run however made most people look like off-road driving gods as it wasn’t as tough as
previous years.
Challenge South West provided one of the highlights of the show. Their team worked hard at building a fantastic course with big jumps, all set up in the main fields. For just £20, passengers could get two hot laps around the course in one of their challenge trucks. The sound of these trucks making ‘significant progress’ around the course was very impressive and the rides proved to be one of the most popular activities at the show.
There were no less than 32 clubs in attendance this year, and they all made a huge effort with their displays. I had the honour of judging the ‘Club of the Show’ and although they were all great, there could only be one winner. The LRM Club Award went to the Discovery 3&4 Owners’ Group. Top bunch of guys and girls and I’m sure they will be back next year.
The knowledge and passion of the clubs is out of this world and the shows wouldn’t be the same without them.
This year saw an even larger number of trade stands than previously, and some who had never attended a show before. Hopefully they’ll agree with me and be back for 2020.
The beer tent had some local live entertainment on the Saturday night. The main event however was the return of the charity auction with Chris Pretty as host. A special thank-you must go out to all the traders who donated products for this; the auction raised a massive £3400. All of this will be handed over to Prostate Cancer UK and the local air ambulance. Chris even sold the shirt off his back, which like the off-road course is proving to be popular amongst the ladies and one or two of the men.
The thing I love most about shows like this is the friendliness. There was a real festival atmosphere, and those who remember the heyday of the old Billing show will know what I mean – and there always seemed to be the familiar hum of a V8 engine in the distance and the aroma of BBQS – always a welcome sound and smell in my opinion.
The Billing Off-road Show announced their 2020 dates, so put June 27 – 28 in your diary – it’s guaranteed to be another good and sunny one!
“The thing I love most about shows like this is the friendliness”