The JOC 2006 open day was being held at the Old Bass (now Coors) brewery at Burton Upon Trent.

Not only had Steve Payne been asked to do a technical talk on the overdrive 518 gearbox we fitted to his MK3, but it was in a brewery so it would be rude not too!

Chris Miller's car is still being fettled for it's MOT, so it was arranged for me and Steve to meet at Miller Towers at 9am on the Sunday morning. Steve is a dedicated tea man, but both me and Chris both like a coffee with a kick like a mule, and he didn't let me let me down with a brew that enabled me to run a 10.02 1/4 mile afterwards. Not in the car, but actually run!

I had spent Saturday polishing 136-8779 to an eye popping lustre. So much so that the jockeys from the stud farm on which I live told me they would need sun glasses to ride the horses past as I worked for fear of eye damage from the gleam.  I declined one of the jockeys offer of an additional horse power under the bonnet as given the size of the horse in question I think closing the bonnet would be a problem!

All fine and dandy until I got up on Sunday morning to find I was snowed in. By the time I arrived at Chris's place the car was like a 15 year old barn find. It didn't get better after the 40 mile trip to Burton, and I got the usual round of abuse from the ugly sisters for the state of my car...

I parked next to this 541 as it was the only car there with wheels worse than mine...

The snow came down non stop all day, and it was only the fact it was so wet that is didn't stick. Image the hardship of being stuck in a brewery!

The car park slowly started to fill up despite the snow.

We had downloaded the Monday Club web site onto CD, and Chris had brought his laptop projector for Steve to be able to review the 518 web page as an aid to his talk on the fitting of the box.

Uber rock star Zac "Careful with that Axe" Marshall asked us to drink to his new found fame with this very stylish tankard available from the Zac at JOC regalia at less than extortionate prices (it's like the bloody shopping channel round here these days!)

While waiting for Sunday lunch to be served, Chris demonstrates to MK1 FF owner Brett Ashford the correct method for Karate chopping traffic wardens.

Traditional Sunday roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, with an oatmeal stout to wash it down.

The look on Steve's face tells you all you need to know!

Check out the registration number.

Chris in front of a Bull Nose Morris delivery van.

Carrying on the equine theme, the museum has a stable of shire horses which in years gone by were dray horses (drays were the name given to beer delivery carts). Originally bred to carry knights in armour, shire horses are the largest and most powerful horses in the world, and unless you have seen one first hand and you cannot begin to imagine the size of the beautiful creatures. Also bloody camera shy, and this was the best I could get.

Part of the day was free admission to the brewery museum, and here is a very old example of a bottling machine.

The snow calmed down enough for an uneventful trip home, and to round the day off a few "Korenwolf" beers brought form the brewery shop.