AND THEN,THERE WERE THOSE IN 'PERIOD DRESS' ALSO......

THE BAND CAME MARCHING IN........

BUT,SOME HAD OBVIOUSLY SEEN IT ALL BEFORE ? AND RELAXED,WITH THE 'LOVE OF THEIR LIFE'.......?

TIME FOR SOME 'KORV', SENF AND KETCHUP..........

THEN MEANDER AROUND THE PADDOCK......

THIS,WAS THE REASON WE HAD COME.........?

CHOOSING CARB JETS....

LOT'S OF 'LAST MINUTE' PREPERATION.....

'LIFE IS RACING,EVERYTHING ELSE IS JUST WAITING'............

1960'S ALL OVER AGAIN.....

THERE WERE SINGLE SEATER'S RACING AS WELL....BUT, I PREFER TIN TOP'S....

THE MOTORHOME,REALLY WAS AN EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR DAY'S LIKE THIS......A LEISURELY STROLL BACK MID-AFTERNOON,TO MAKE SOME FRESH SANDWICHES,FILLED FROM THE FRIDGE WITH COLD DRINKS........

NOT TOO LONG,MIND......THE RACING PROPER, WAS STARTING JUST AFTER 14.00....

ON THE WALK BACK TO THE PADDOCK,BESIDES COMING ACROSS MORE RETRO CLASSIC RACE CARS........I MET THE 'OSTGOTA SPORTVAGNSKLUBB',AND WE HAD A GOOD CHAT ABOUT SAAB'S & RACING....I LEFT WITH THEIR 'CLUB' MAGAZINE.

MEANWHILE,SOME SAAB BLOKES HAD TIME, FOR A COFFEE AND A SMOKE....

I WAS PRETTY AMAZED TO SEE THE GRANDSTAND'S SO EMPTY,WITH SO MANY PEOPLE MILLING AROUND THE PADDOCK AND CLASSIC CAR SHOW......?

BUT THIS IS SWEDEN,WITH A POPULATION OF 'ONLY' AROUND 9 MILLION........

BACK IN THE UK,THE GRANDSTANDS WOULD BE PACKED FULL.....?

MAYBE THERE IS MORE PEOPLE, COME TO THE BIGGER RACE MEETINGS,HERE AT 'MANTORP'..?

EVEN SO,ONCE THEY HAD DONE A WARM UP LAP,THE BIGGER ENGINE CAR'S,WERE THE FIRST TO RACE....

THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH CAR'S IN SOME OF THE CLASS'S TO FILL THE GRID,SO THESE WERE AMALGAMATED,PRODUCING SOME PRETTY BIZARRE RESULTS......

WHILST WE ENJOYED WATCHING THEM,IT WAS REALLY THE TWO STROKE'S WE WERE WAITING FOR.......

YOU COULD HEAR THE SOLITARY SONNET,ON THE START LINE......

QUITE A NOVEL WAY OF RECOVERING A MK1 ESCORT,IT GAVE THE CHAP'S IN THE BIG VOLVO SOMETHING TO DO.....

MAKES IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE A' TOY CAR'....?

SHORT INTERLUDE,BEFORE THE UNDER 1000CC TIN-TOP RACE.......

MINI'S,ABARTH FIAT'S,SAAB 96 ETC.....

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT NOISE.....?

AROUND EIGHT 96 2 STROKES, SCREAMING FIAT ABARTH'S,MINI COOPER 970S,AUSTIN A35/40 AND A SOLITARY FORD ANGLIA PULLED UP TO THE START LINE,AFTER A CONSERVATIVE WARM-UP LAP.....

NOT BEING QUITE OLD ENOUGH TO EXPERIENCE THE RACING BACK IN THE 1960'S,I HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING QUITE LIKE IT,NOR SHALL I EVER FORGET IT....!!!

THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS,I HAVE 'PLANNED' TO DO IN LIFE ? INEVITABLY,THESE 'THINGS' HAVE BEGUN TO ELUDE ME,AS LIFE PROGRESSES,IN IT'S RAMSHACKLE WAY...OF UPSETTING YOUR DREAM'S AND ASPIRATIONS

BUT 700 MILES INTO THE TRIP,IN A TIRED OLD 1987 CITROEN MOTORHOME,WE HAD COVERED COAST TO COAST..........AND THE OLD FRENCH FARTBOX,HAD ACTUALLY MADE IT TO 'MANTORP',WHICH I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD DO....? AND THE SUN WAS SHINING...

WE HAD SEEN SOME INCREDIBLE SIGHT'S ON THE JOURNEY SO FAR,HAD MUCH LAUGHTER,BUT NOWT PREPARED ME FOR THE HIGHLY PITCHED SWARM OF MICRO-MACHINERY,AS IT HURLED INTO THE FIRST LEFT-HANDER.....

AFTER ALL,THIS WAS SAAB'S FORTE,TO PROMOTE THE 'ODD' LITTLE CAR'S.....

I HAVE TO ADMIT,I HAD A LITTLE LUMP IN MY THROAT I HAVE ONLY EVER SEEN PHOTOGRAPH'S........THIS WAS FOR REAL

THE LITTLE FIAT'S,ENGINE COVER'S ADRIFT,BEGAN TO WORK THEIR WAY UP THE FIELD.......WITH THE ODD MINI COOPER,DOING IT'S DAMNEST TO TRY AND HANG ON THE BACK......

BULLNOSE AND LONGNOSE 96'S, FOUGHT IT OUT,CLOSE BEHIND....