NBO 10
Show Report
Sorry about the delay and the length of this report but so much positive things to write about this year .
WOW what a show !!!!!!!
For me the NBO 10 was the best one ever to celebrate our tenth year
We had rain and then more rain earlier in the week but the show had to go on !!
Our NBO set up crew of of 14 had a brilliant convoy down this year and arrived at LV at 11am
We are a well oiled machine ,a quick briefing by the captain and a pitch inspection by Gus and a risk assessment by mark and the NBO field was set up this year in a record three hours ,lots of planning goes into stand layouts that's why we need accurate figures of cars and club numbers to make sure every thing fits perfect
The sunday morning came and no rain ,we said we would do it and the NBO committee had actually moved away the clouds and chased the rain with our flat fours
The firefighters charity came in early and we had a team briefing ,they like to do coffee mornings and small shows and they think 3/4/£500 is a good amount for a days fundraising .Trevor had taken on the role this year as charity coordinator and set a target of the day of £3400 based of previous amounts raised and told them how we would help them achieve our aims for the charity .
They were shocked at such an amount Trevor said we could raise for them and I suggested we could even raise more Money this year with some new ideas we had put together, the Firefighters then realised the NBO committee are very professional in what we do and are all dedicated to raising money .
The FF then manned the gates complete with their buckets and uniforms ,just wondering what to expect and then it started at 9am the first cars came piling in and they kept coming this year I think we only saw three cars pay the £8 minimum donations and we were amazed at people driving in and throwing a tenner in and loose change for the passengers too and as always we were delighted with lots of £20 notes thrown in by smiling faces .
After a hundred Scoobies I said the big convoys are coming !
Johny Gav led in 57 cars from NESF
The uk Scoobies led by Bry came with 50
The LADs led by the legend known as CRAFT had taken his hardcore convoy around the twisties and mountains to make an interesting detour as always drove in with a few smiling faces who had a drive of a lifetime
The northern convoy leader Darren ( who had even collected Andy from manchester airport who always flys in from USA for the event ) led in the TTS and Travis made sure my Better half and mother kept up in the convoy this year !
The Porsches ,Evos and many more Scoobies kept piling in and even 30 of our independent drivers or billy no mates came in desperate to see what the NBO is all about
By 1030 am the buckets were bulging and the FF could not believe it 316 cars in the field .
The show was announced by our Master of Ceremonies, Martin who kept the crowds entertained all day and makes sure everything goes to plan
Martin really is the King of the Mike and we could not do the show without him . Thanks to Stan Palmers for supplying his car for transport .
Our first big change this year was the club stand judging we had done it for 9 years and this year we decided to do self judging
I gave a talk to all the clubs judges and handed out our Judges packs that Elaine had drawn up and off we went .
I gave a presentation of each club and then the club chairman talked to the 13 judges about the club and why they should win .
We started with the Porsche independent owners club Mick C is a legend with many trophies under his belt with his WR1 show car before he moved to his ' Yes Ego ' plated Porsche a smaller number this year due to the weather that was predicted I learned a lot of Mick years ago with his presentation of his WR1 club and the thought and attention to detail he had put into his display his passion for clubs is just amazing and he is so proud of his small club ,a great spokesman and the judges realised how a excellent presentation can make a difference to the judges minds
The EVOs followed ,a smaller number then normal this year and Chris explained how the EVOs aren't as far ahead as subarus clubs in displays with a lack of banners and bunting but had a well stocked kitchen and talked about how EVO owners were real petrolheads and Chris who had just taken over as Regional Organiser was inspired by how well organised other clubs were and wanted to develop them to the other club standards in the future ,the cars looked fantastic in a row with 6 different models
B-SPOC represented the whole of Scotland ,Martin who is no stranger to the arena over the years sold his award winning hatch and went and bought a stunning green RS and has spent a year adding bits to it ,but realising he could not run his former club with no Subaru teamed up with Adam who traveled 276 miles to the NBO and formed the B-SPOC club a group of people who just loves cars ,he got the hardcore veterans from Ayreshire Scoobs down to fill the stand and showed us a collection of his members varied cars ,Martin and Adam are big detailers and that's the focus of his group and of course being proudly Scottish it was great to see some members in Kilts to complete the look and next year they assure me the bagpipes are coming down also
The North Wales Scoobies came next and what a display led by the very thoughtful chairman Richard ,he then presented a fantastic display with a dozen cars on display ,Richard on only his third NBO and after coming second twice asked me last year how they could win ,I said only be following my vision and club notes was the only help I could offer .
Passing over to Sharon and the welsh ladies ,dressed in special welsh dresses gave a perfect presentation of what a club can do on a very small budget ,super swags section ,welsh flags and of course their theme !!
A marked arena with 3 blow up sheep and a rugby ball ,I watched the 13 judges amused and laughing as Sharon demonstrated the sheep playing Rugby dressed in a black hat and dress as part of the grand slam celebrations ,yes it was crazy and I had to drag the judges away smiling and looking at a small club who had followed the vison what they lacked in expensive display and cars they more then made up with enthusiasm and laughter ,I knew the judges were seriously impressed by NWC
The YPCO was next ,I always enjoy visiting this club ,a group of owners from what was left from 2 Yorkshire clubs that had disbanded over the years a dozen cars ,an active forum and a real hardcore group who meet every month and nice to see a couple of non Subaru cars as people want to retain their friendship when they swap marques
A great ' grass routes ' club which reminds many of the judges how their own club started out ,simple and a great varied and passionate group of members
The CADS long term NBO veterans who have done every NBO and are professional trophy collectors ,no messing about with this group of people ,subarus are these guys lives and they show it ,year in and year out ,so excited with their trophy cabinet ( 5 from last years NBO alone ) Immaculate presentation ,club structure and display and equipment these guys came a long way to show what a top group the CADS have constantly developed every year for their quest for perfection ,the judges realised these guys are big hitters who know how to run a small club and have to be 100% in every part of it ,a credit to their organisation .
The Legacies came next after Mariouz ( NBO web site designer and photographer ) posted a photo of 7 legacies parked up in corner last year the legacies realised they were missing out and made the NBO their first national meeting ,as they are spread out all over the uk many had travelled a hugh distance to attend their first big meeting ,so proud of their cars with some over 18 years old and everyday users ,lovingly maintained and renovated these guys know they rare and are determined to keep these well built cars on the road and were so proud of their individual cars ,when they realised they could not compete with club displays they showed with their cars and individual passions this was a different display of another developing grass routes club with great potential for the future
The NESF came next and took up half the length of the back of the field Johny Gav ( who has been on the Scooby scene even longer then myself ) formed the club 3 years ago and handed the judges over to Iddy who on his first ever presentation gave a fantastic talk on the club and was proud to boast of how Keith had managed to get 57 members to the NBO in a well organised ,highest value at the front convoy ,that's a first as they realised they would have had problems just getting into position ,Iddy talked about massive numbers on the forum with 156 on at a single time and 700+ forum members ,NESF think big and the judges were shocked of how the club doesn't charge membership neither ,many clubs could only dream of hugh numbers like NESF ,they had a new banner and tent and had read some of the club vision and showed off a scalelextrix. And the welsh lady showed the lad how to drive to great amusement from the judges ,the judges went away impressed by the sheer numbers and excellent presentation of a relatively new club .
The UK Scoobys came next ,again a new club on only their second NBO and what a display of super cars ,a couple of trophy winners with Alex and Hughy and led proudly by Bry another excellent presentation as he explained the history of the rapidly growing club with members even from Europe ,their stand was packed to the rafters with over 50 cars on display and the best food tent I had ever seen ,which was packed out by smiling happy people ,this new club is all about people and cars and even club T-Shirts and Bry introduced us to the club mascot a dog !! This is a club first with a dog for local shows and another dog for bigger shows with a blue and yellow collar ! This club has massive potential for the future with their expansion plans ,
Great bunch of guys and a blonde uk Scoobies model who passion for subarus was fantastic and gave great Input with the judges, we were really impressed by the club .
The Green Goblin came next ,Oliver came out of nowhere a week before the NBO wanting to have a tent around his special showcar ,I never had been approached with a request like this and said he will have to have a club stand he said ,'no problem 'and fetched a couple of support vehicles and staff in one of his vans he had filled it with raffle prizes from his suppliers as Oliver wanted to help the NBO raise money for charity and put his hand in his pocket too ,the NBO was shocked with his kind donations and desire to help with our fundraising Aims his car was superb ,he travelled a long distance and came to see what the NBO was all about and was seriously impressed by our charity work too . We look forward to working with Olly and the Green Goblin in the future at the NBO 11
The TTS came next one of the oldest and most respected clubs on the Subaru scene ,I was at their 2nd ever meeting over 11 years ago a real great bunch of people with a very active cub based of fun and friendship and super organisation led by Steve ,Lesly and Travis and of course Darren the northern convoy leader ,this club has it all ,some super characters including Peter who simply makes people laugh and has been awarded a 5 year contract in the NBO auction programme after his fantastic fundraising performance in the ring ,Peter H boasts he is the fastest pensioner in the north ,they are a superb bunch of veterans to the NBO and this is a fine example of a older group which new clubs can inspire too
Always a pleasure to visit the TTS
The big boys came next the LADs these are at the top of any club in the country ,this club ticks every box ,ran with military precision by Elvis, the planning this club does is amazing from a set up squad ,a very fast convoy led by CRAFT a legend in the community, every single thing this club does is amazing ,a perfect presentation of club facilities ,a club shop ,a display tent of their achievement s a tent showing Subaru history and regalia ,every part of their club is superb ran to perfection ,
we were handed over to different members of the club who spoke passionately about what they have achieved in their own departments of the group ,it's like walking into a perfect department store where you just know you are treated right and like VIPS and of course as always the LADS had something special ,a special Subaru rally car collected from prodrive especially for the event complete with rally drivers uniform on a manakin ,how do these guys pull off such stunts like this ? Amazing what the LADS achieve every club judge was inspired and wants their club to be as perfect as the LADS
The final group of the field was the Cumbrian Scoobs ,( my own club we formed nearly 12 years ago )
I handed over to Gus the chairman who went through every thing the club does ,of course the CS organises the NBO and the judges were given a guided tour of the magic 10 ,cars laid out in the shape of a ten to celebrate NBO 10 ,from food tent ,locally produced food , the display tent showing the massive trophy cabinet and awards and through to Julie and Elaine given a fantastic presentation of the clubs charity aims with thousands given away to projects over the years ,the Judges were introduced to Trevor who spoke passionately about the Firefighters charity and members showed the judges the cars which are the pride of their owners ,this club is about passion ,friendship and a need to help others to in their visions and aims
I watched the judges go away very impressed and wanted their clubs to be like the CS
After that we we held a debriefing about what they had seen today and every club was inspired about the other clubs ,I asked each club to take away a few ideas from what they have seen today to develop their own clubs as we have 4 veteran clubs CS , LADs ,TTS And CADs and many new clubs going through the translation period ,I talked about how clubs don't always need pots of money to succeed and we talked about smaller clubs on a budget and clubs with many members and passion
I felt this has been a great achievement for the NBO with more judges and the idea of networking with other groups to swap ideas and learn from each other in the one great community we are in .
The results were from the 13 judges sheets were
1 North Wales Scoobies ( the sheep,the people ,rugby theme girls and laughter won the day )
2 LADs ( perfection in everything they do and an ability to get things from prodrive to show on the day )
3 Cumbrian Scoobs ( fantastic display ,passionate people vast experience and fundraising aims )
4 CADS ( cars ,trophies ,displays ,passion and perfection )
5 NESF. ( a massive club with lots of members ,fantastic presentation ,a hugh variety of cars &potential for the future )
A great display from all the clubs today and each was awarded a Trophy .Next year we are going to repeat the self judging
Programme as its a fairer way to judge the clubs ,and makes more people involved in the show and hopefully each judge will take away a couple of ideas from each display and develop their own displays to improve the NBO even more.
The car of the day in the arena was tweaked this year into 4 classes
The best Non Subaru
Great display of Porsches ,EVOS ,Ford RS and mixtures of general cars ,always well attended and closely fought
Best new hatch & Saloons
Initially I was disappointed to see only five in the arena but looking around the show field the percentage was the same as other classes entered as per the number of hatches at the show ,closely fought ,by the most modern Subaru available at present.
Best Classic
Hugh presence in the Arena with the standards amazing by cars that are 12 -19 years old ,modified and polished to perfection.
Best New Age
Again a massive selection of cars which tested the judges to the maximum
A big thanks to the 4 judges ,Chris ,Andy ,Mark and Andy (weasel) who flew in from the USA especially for the event
We simplified the classes reducing them from 7 to 4 and descriptions to avoid confusion ,what is modified etc ,to gave the judges more time and yet it was a hugh task to separate out the cars due to the standards being so high
Another success and will be repeated next year .
The traders all reported excellent sales figures ,we need the traders to support the event and I'm still surprised after all these years there is so few ,just the same faces and a couple of new ones this year who all had a great event .
As well as a successful raffle (which we held earlier this year to maximise numbers ,when the judging was being taken place) we also selected 10 of the best prizes and held a auction as we realised there was over £1200 worth of prizes which had been kindly denoted by our traders ,clubs and private individuals .
Dragging Elvis and Peter ,Andy and the 3 fireman into the Arena to help work the crowds ,Martin started the Auction ,this is the first time we have went Big on this with over £450 raised for the firefighters in 20 minutes !!it was a real success ,the crowds loved the competition between the bidders and it was another great success for our fundraising .
The awards ceremony was next
Every year I select people for Lordys special awards for services towards the NBO vision ,it's getting harder for me with over 25 people involved in running the show and so many who have already had trophies , to select those but this year they went to
Darren for leading the NBO northern convoy for the last nine years
Andy for rewriting the car of the day judging and maintaing standards of the arena .
Lesley from Total Impreza for helping in sponsoring the NBO event and trophies
David ( croggie ) for the logistics and Hugh amount of equipment we need to host the event
Mark for H&S ,risk assessments,field planning and marshalling
Julie for administration work ,selling of wristbands ,NBO design and assisting of fundraising
Trevor for taken on the role of charity liaison ,planning of fundraising events ,targets and vision
Gus and the Captain Martin and the rest of the NBO committee totally caught me off guard with a hugh ten year plaque to celebrate my involvement with the NBO ,showing the different years and amounts raised (£48500) and charities I will treasure this and the memories forever ,thanks for that Guys .
The 4 winners and runners up got their awards and the car of the day award this year went to Alex for his super Type R
The runners up for the clubs got the awards and the 5 contenders were counted down with the final 2 in the now famous head to head ,as always the atmosphere was electrifying and North wales were crowned the champions this year in the closest fought completion for years .
The success of the NBO web site ,facebook page and forum posts works well and this for me was the best NBO ever to celebrate our ten years and make a total raised to £48500 For the ten years .
The cheque presentation to the firefighters of £4000 was gladly received by them and a group photo of the ten year total was done also .
The NBO was originally set up my myself for a ten year Vision and was due to end this year ,but due to continued pressure and support from my hard working committee and team to continue and expand on our NBO success ,as the biggest and best Subaru show in the country and a public vote of continuing with the NBO vision I have decided to continue for a few more years !!
So roll on NBO 11
Lordy
NBO chairman
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