British Pedal Car Grand Prix 1987 Part 1

The British Pedal Car Grand Prix 1987 Part 1

Once upon a time, in 1986, Ringwood Round Table organised a Jailbreak from the police station on Christchurch Road in aid of Children in Need. Teams of three had to escape and see how far they could get (in convict uniform) by fair means or foul, by sponsorship or shankss ponies, in twelve hours.

Now, Ringwood Twinning Association was quite new at the time, so two teams of cyclists decided they would go by bike (and ferry assistance! - sponsored by P&O) to Ringwoods twin town, Pont Audemer. One of these teams was made up of the Vicar of Ringwood, John Turpin, on a bicycle, plus Mike Osborne and John Steer on a tandem. Expedition support was provided by Anne Osborne, driving a large white van to scoop up any casualties.

When they coasted down the hill into Pont Audemer, at 11pm, in the pouring rain, they were met with a warm welcome and a barrel of (very good) Beaujolais Nouveau. As the level in the barrel went down, the quality of conversation improved, and the French hosts decided that, if these Brits were this foolish, they might be daft enough to enjoy their Voitures à pédales (which they used to race over the pavé!). And so the International Races were born.

The first year, 1987, some 120 Pont Audemeriens came over, bringing with them two lorries carrying about 18 voitures (VAP cars, as they came to be known). I think there were about 5 British cars, one of which in particular has been reborn several times over the years. Hosts were found among the people and hostelries of Ringwood, and a great time was had by all. The party at Greyfriars after the race was, as they say, something else! We wont go into which side won, but lets say the local cars put up a jolly good fight.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• British
• Pedal
• Car
• Grand
• Prix
• 1987

[swlewis07]

LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF FUN!