With heavy rain forecasted for tomorrow, IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman, has put together some crucial advice to help you drive safely in the rain.

Heavy rain:

• Heavy rain will affect your visibility, so take it slow. Rule 126 of the Highway Code states that the braking distance between yourself and the vehicle in front of you should be at least two seconds when driving on a dry road, and at least four seconds in the wet. It is even longer on icy surfaces. IAM RoadSmart recommends up to 10 times the braking distance when driving on ice.

• Your windscreen should be clean, wipers effective and the jets positioned correctly and aimed at the screen. It is sensible to clean the windscreen, make any necessary adjustments and remove anything from the main area before you start your journey.

• A good rule of thumb is that if you need windscreen wipers, then you need your headlights. Automatic light settings will not always activate in bad weather conditions, so it is up to you to make a sensible decision as to whether these need to be turned on.

Aquaplaning:

• If the water is standing in puddles on the road surface, your car is at risk of aquaplaning. Aquaplaning is where a wedge of water forms in front of the tyre and lifts it up off the road surface. This is caused by the tread not being able to displace the amount of water present. To recover from aquaplaning, ease gently off your accelerator, have a firm grip of the steering wheel and be sure not to make any sudden steering actions. The car will eventually regain its grip as the water clears.

Floods:

• First, ask yourself - can I take another route? If not, then you need to identify how deep the flood is. If the standing water is more than six inches deep, avoid driving through it. If you are familiar with the road, you can judge the flood in relation to the kerb.

• If heavy rain was not the cause of the flood, then what was? And what impact on the road does it have? For example, if it is a burst water main, the standing water may look like a normal flood but the road surface beneath the water may be completely broken up. If you are unsure how the flood has formed, then avoid it altogether.

• Are there other vehicles similar to yours that are safely driving through? From this, make a judgement call as to whether it is safe to travel through or not.

• If the water is fast flowing, do not attempt to drive through it, as there is a real danger of your car being swept off the road.

• If you have taken everything into consideration and decide to drive through the flood, be sure to do so slowly. The best approach is to press lightly on your clutch and add gentle pressure on your accelerator to increase your engine revs. Do so without increasing your speed, in a similar way to how you would undertake a hill start. This will prevent water from entering your exhaust. If you are in an automatic car, accelerate slightly but control the speed with your brakes. When you have passed the flood, test your brakes to make sure they are dry and working properly.

• If you are in the slightest doubt, then turn around and don’t go through the flood. Often modern saloon cars have the air intake in the wheel arch, which may be below the water level. If your engine should take in water, it will immediately hydro lock and the engine will stop.

• Remember to stay alert and avoid splashing pedestrians. If this is done accidentally - even when causing splashes when driving through puddles at the side of the road - you could receive a fixed penalty and three points on your license for driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other road users. If deliberately done, it could be a public order offence, a court appearance and a fine.

Richard Gladman, head of driving and riding standards, said: “With the British weather the way it is, we should all be well practised at driving in the rain. Keeping your car maintained and the rubber (wipers and tyres) in good condition will help you stay safe. In the recent extremes, we have seen that standing water and floods are becoming more commonplace, so take extra care and if possible, avoid driving through standing water. If you’re in any doubt about the depth or surface underneath a flood, then it’s best not to take any chances.”

Come and join Ace Cafe London celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Oldsmobile Rocket 88.  The car launched in 1949 was soon the car to beat. Together with the success of Ike Turners 1951 recording (by Sam Phillips) in Memphis of his song Rocket 88, this is considered by many to not only be the first muscle car, but also the first rock and roll record!

It changed everything….

The hurricane of sounds that swept across the Atlantic in the 1950’s caused a flowering of enthusiasm for rhythmic music both in its American form as well as its British offshoot. The Ace Cafe was there – bikes, cars, and rock ’n roll.
 
This month’s regular All-American Cruise-In features DJ Jimmy Guntrip’s free to attend Halloween “Shock n’ Roll” Rhythm n’ Cruise Rockin’ Record Hop, from 7pm – 11pm on Saturday 26th October . Halloween prizes will be up for grabs at the Ace along with copies of Vintage Rock and UK Rock n’ Roll magazines.  A  pair of tickets for the Classic Motor Show & the Classic Motorbike Show, held at NEC Birmingham 8th to 10th November are also to be won , and  ( thanks to the publisher Mortons, ) a subscription to Classic American magazine!

Prizes will be awarded for children and adults wearing the best costumes, and for the best “dressed” cars.
 
Spend £5 or more over the counter from 6pm and receive a raffle ticket.
 
Draw to be held at 10pm

Listen, revel and be immersed in a mix of the best rock and roll and rockabilly, blended with the London sub-culture sounds, broadcasting 24/7 on online radio and social media.

 4pm – 11pm
Saturday 26th October

Riders gather at Clatterbridge Hospital after the Wirral Egg Run

Despite the hard-knock, hard-living image that many people have of bikers, anyone who knows them knows that they are, at heart, a great bunch of people. There is a camaraderie, a good humour and a positive attitude to life that all bikers share, and that’s what draws many people to join ride outs and biker groups. And nowhere is that spirit more clearly shown than in biker charity events, such as the annual Wirral Egg Run.

Now, there are lots of ways of raising money. You can flog your old gear on eBay. You can claim one of the many online casino bonuses and spin the wheel of fortune. Or you can sign away your life with a loan. But few money-making ideas are quite as spectacular, as roaringly loud, or as perennially popular as the famous Wirral Egg Run, completed by thousands upon thousands of bikers every spring.

A proud history

The Wirral Egg Run started small, with just twenty bikers from the Empress Motorcycle Club riding from New Brighton, on the Wirral, to the local hospital at Arrowe Park. Each rider and their pillion took an Easter Egg for the children who were in hospital over the Easter weekend. It might not have seemed much at the time, but it was the start of a great tradition. 

The following year, the run grew to 50 bikers, and by 1986 there were over 250 bikes roaring from the coast to the hospital, bringing over 400 Easter eggs. The ride out continued to grow, and by 1994 organisers counted 1500 bikes, prompting national coverage in the press and biker magazines. This boosted numbers even further, and by 1996, no less than 4000 bikes, trikes and scooters were making the run, and the venue soon had to be changed to Clatterbridge Hospital as the bikes were getting in the way of Arrowe Park’s A&E services. 

The run reached its peak in 2000, with police estimating between 8000 and 15000 bikes taking part, delivering over 20,000 Easter eggs and raising around £6,500. Unfortunately, this level of involvement brought with it costs and complications, with a huge logistical challenge for all involved, including policing, road closures and more. It also meant that the group had to become a registered charity in 2008. 

The end, but not the end

After 32 amazing years, the Wirral Egg Run officially ended in 2013, due to escalating costs of around £15,000 per year and a lack of sponsorship to cover them. With the charity wound up and the organising committee disbanded, it seemed that this brilliant bit of biking charity work was at an end. But if you know anything about bikers, then you’ll know that they never say die.

Despite the original organisers asking people to ‘refrain from organising their own version’, the Wirral Egg Run lives on. Since the official disbandment of the event, a ‘Wirral Egg Run Tribute Ride Out’ has taken place every year, growing to almost 7000 riders at this year’s event, and raising thousands more in cash for local children’s charities. The event has even gained support from the police and permission from the local council to have street collectors on site at the meet up point and key viewing points along the route. 

The Wirral Egg Run Tribute Rideout Facebook group has almost 6,000 members. Between them, the unofficial event has raised over £10,000 since the formal version was cancelled. And official or not, the ride out continues to go from strength to strength every year, with thousands more bikes and bikers of all shapes and sizes expected to gather on King’s Parade next April for the 2020 event.

With tens of thousands of pounds raised, and hundreds of thousands of Easter eggs collected, the Wirral biking fraternity are proving what a great bunch of people bikers can be. You can join them on their Facebook page for all the latest news, or better still, why not take a ride up to the Wirral next spring and join the party? Just don’t forget your Easter egg!

• Be sure to check your local weather forecast beforehand so you can plan your journey accordingly. If you have no choice but to travel, use main roads where possible which are less likely to get flooded.

• Don’t forget to check your windscreen wiper blades and lights are working properly. You will need to use dipped if visibility is significantly reduced so give them a check too.

• On flooded roads, think before driving through deep water, do not stop in standing water and drive through the highest section of the road slowly. If there is any doubt do not enter it. Once you have managed to drive through check your brakes and dry them out as quickly as possible – a light touch of the brakes whilst still moving should do the trick.

• Roads will be more slippery than usual in wet weather – be sure to give yourself more time to react when approaching a hazard. Increase your following gap to at least four seconds from the moving traffic in front.

• Keep your eyes peeled on the road at all times as spray from other vehicles can suddenly reduce your visibility. Remember it affects others too, so anticipate their actions and be prepared.

Top tip - If your tyres begin to lose traction, ease off the accelerator, avoid braking and allow the speed to naturally decrease until you have full control of your car again.
Driving in wet weather can be challenging, and with delays and increased concentration needed it can be more tiring too. By allowing increased time to stop and extending your following distance you can remain safe.

Driving Advice from IAM RoadSmart on driving safely in the wet

A rare timepiece given to Mike Hailwood by gifted watchmaker and pioneer entrepreneur Jack Heuer will feature in the Bonhams auction at the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show at Stafford later this month.

Regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time, “Mike The Bike” Hailwood later went on to compete in Formula One and other classes of car racing, making him one of a very select few men who competed at Grand Prix level in both motorcycle and car racing.

It was during his time competing in Formula One that he was presented with the 18k gold Carrera with “To Mike Hailwood for a successful 1972 Jack Heuer” engravedon the case’s back.

Having only recently been added to the auction, this ‘timely’ late addition was presented to Hailwood in 1973, and was likely to have been partly in thanks for his role in pulling Clay Regazzoni from his burning Formula One car.

Jack Heuer said about the 18k gold Carrera 1158, which was his favourite model: “These watches have a deep emotional meaning for me, as we have lost drivers to racing accidents.”

A similar 18k gold Carrera 1158 timepiece sold for around £87,000 at a previous auction.

Other stand-out lots in the Bonhams auction include a 680 Brough Superior, and a 1949 Series C HRD-badged Girdraulic fork sporting Vincent Rapide expected to prompt a lot of interest. Two Nortons will also feature – a flat tank model 18 and an early, bolt-up frame Featherbed frame Manx which will be both admired and desired. The auction takes place over the Saturday and Sunday of the event, attracting bidders from across the globe.

Outside of the auction hall, the showground will also be home to excellent club stands, exciting live action including the wall of death and Classic Racer GP Paddock, classic competition machines and special guest stars from iconic eras of motorcycling. Throughout the weekend, the event will feature more than 900 traders, dealers and autojumble stands offering a wealth of parts and spares for every project.

For October 2019, guests of honour are 10-times world sidecar champion Steve Webster MBE plus the ‘Genius Engineer’ and Classic Motorcycle Mechanics contributor, Allen Millyard, who will both be interviewed by compere Steve Plater.

The 26th Carole Nash International Classic Motorcycle Show will take place on October 19-20. To find out more about the show, and to save money by buying your advance tickets, visit: https://www.staffordclassicbikeshows.com/