Friday 5th March

Over the next few weeks and months, I’ll talk a fair bit about the upcoming VXR Power Events that are taking place over the Summer of 2010. The usual; like what’s coming up, where to go to find out more details, what to do, how to book, who might be involved; everything you would want to know before you actually hand over your hard earned cash, if you don’t already...

So, Spring at last it seems, or mid-winter in Scotland? I can never really tell. And after such a mild winter too, with numerous blissful days of open road driving...and straight into a snow drift. Only to suffer the iniquity of having that momentary lapse of skill captured by a roving news team and being broadcast nationwide. Which is totally unfair...unless of course it was a mate of yours, and therefore perfectly acceptable!

But it is almost that time of year where the clocks go forward (“spring forward, fall back” as my old Headmaster used to twaddle) and Summer starts officially-March 28th just in case you’re interested.  Which means that Vauxhall and the VXR team are here to help shake us all out of any leftover winter funk by daring us to undertake some ultimate challenges. And possibly support a great charity too. What could be better?!

To kick off, I’m going to write about the upcoming Rollercoaster Challenge on the 8th May. Just a word of caution first. As Dr Spaceman from the Ho Chi Minh School of Medicine (or 30 Rock) says, "the thrill of rollercoaster rides, with its climbs, loops and dives, can put extreme pressure on the heart". Not that I’m casting any aspersions on the state of fitness of the VXR community and/or their friends (honestly!) but between now and the 8th May, those who feel so inclined can start a 5 minute office workout; you know, with the usual chair swivels, dustbin deadlifts, desk push-ups, stapler curls and side steps (from the Boss or Kevin in post). You choose. This won’t help though with the height restrictions on certain rollercoaster rides. Sorry. Unless you know someone who has a rack? Or you own lifts...

Joking aside, the Rollercoaster challenge should be an excellent adrenalin fuelled day out, especially if the notoriously fickle British weather holds. Not only is it an excellent event to bask in the company of fellow VXR members and look at their cars, ride some of the best rollercoasters the UK has to offer but there is also the opportunity to get involved and help out in terms of raising awareness and sponsorship money for HelpforHeroes. Just to reiterate the point, this challenge is only open I’m afraid to Vauxhall VXR, Vauxhall V8 and Vauxhall Performance Car Owners. Each owner may bring a friend. As part of everyone getting together on the day, there will be dedicated and exclusive VXR parking at all of the venues.

The aim of the Rollercoaster challenge is to drive to either Thorpe Park or Blackpool, a bit of a North/South divide but the choice of where to start from is yours, with the aim for everyone then to meet up at Alton Towers later in the day.  Tickets are £10 each and provide fast track entry at Thorpe Park to ride Stealth or access to Blackpool Pleasure Beach to ride The Pepsi Big Max One.

So how does it work? Well, all participants on the day will be issued with an event challenge card, which will be stamped or punched by an event staff member when disembarking from the rollercoaster you’ve just ridden. The challenge will be deemed ‘completed’ when you have collected stamps from event staff on all three rides. That’s one ride each at Thorpe Park and Blackpool and two at Alton Towers.

The two rollercoasters at Alton Towers that you will be riding this year are Rita Queen of Speed and a brand new ride (that isn’t even open yet) called Thirteen. I hope this isn’t unlucky for some. There’s a free BBQ at Alton Towers as well as part of the ticket price, starting from about 3pm onwards.

 
To add an extra dimension to the day, it would be great if you’d volunteer to get your friends and family to sponsor you in aid of HelpforHeroes, the charity that helps wounded service men and women. How you want to set up the details of the sponsorship is up to you (there is a form available to download) or you can just ask people to pledge a donation. It really is for a great cause.

Tickets can be bought via the VXR Power Events site, whether you choose to start from either Thorpe Park or Blackpool. Enjoy and I hope you all have a great day and love the rides as well a meeting other VXR owners from around the country. All video footage or photos of your day out would be greatly appreciated by the VXRonline team.