As always, it was the now customary early morning start at a Service Station just off the M4. It might have been an early morning but it didn’t start well… Lynda (aka Salem) was carrying a box of tea/coffee equipment, flasks, mugs, etc. and the bottom of the box gave way! All items went crashing to the ground, smashing a number of mugs and 2 of the Thermos flasks; not a good start!!! To make matters worse, when Lynda went to get fuel for the day (at the nearby Tesco) all the 99 RON fuel pumps were empty. With running late at this point she was left with no other option than having to settle for crap 95 RON fuel for the day.

Despite the bad start, it didn’t at all dampen anyone’s spirits. We were all soon standing in the freezing cold – chatting, laughing and catching up with some of the regular members as well as those new members who had joined us on this cold day. And when I say cold, it really was freezing! Whilst we waited for everyone to turn up we stood around and chatted to each other, introducing new folks and checking out each others new modifications and suchlike. Unfortunately, Jables (aka Chris) had picked up a nasty stone chip on his Nissan 350Z on the way to meet us. Although he was not happy, he was at least glad that it was just in the corner of the windscreen and not damaging any of his paintwork.

It was 8:20am so we made tracks towards GotBoost with SharkyUK (aka Andy) leading the way in his Clio 182 Trophy. All 14 cars arrived safely at GotBoost without problem, the planned route having been very straightforward and traffic-free pretty much all of the way.

Shortly after arriving, tea and coffee was on the go so as to warm us all up on the bitterly cold day. NathesST (aka Nathan) had kindly brought the all-important Hob Nob biscuits! Yum Yum (thank you Nathan!) It wasn’t long before Andy had set up all his camera equipment – tripod, camera and bullet camera to capture all the action from the day.

The session started with Gezzmarrelda (aka Gezz) in his Nissan R32 GTS-t who set the bar. Sadly Jinx (aka Laura) said she couldn’t run her Mark II Toyota as she hadn’t serviced the car for 3 years and had been advised not to run it!!

Gezz looking very worried as his car is first up on the rolling road!

A few members turned up during the day to say “hello” – Grumpy (aka Malc) popped over as well as JON13S (aka Jon) in his BMW with R8MXX (aka Jamie) a passenger. We were all dazzled by Jon’s stunning shiny black BMW… I think it was the first time I’ve seen his car clean. I think it might even be the first time Jon has cleaned his BMW so we were all very honoured! Also turning up with Jon and Jamie was M4rv3 (aka Dan/Marve) in his Nissan 200sx. He took the place of PH4TM4TT (aka Matt) who sadly couldn’t attend.

We all know how much Marve’s car loves to spit out flames so a few people stood towards the rear of the car to try and catch some warmth from the flames… and they weren’t disappointed as orange flames licked out on the over run. However, it would appear that Marve’s 200sx was just a little too much for the dyno on the day. When Bondyboy (aka Jamie) put his Civic Type-R on the rollers it was reading a massive 376.8 bhp @ 8,700 rpm (which is very impressive considering it’s a n/a engine!) Marve’s 200sx had apparently upset the dyno. Well, either that or Jamie won’t be needing that supercharger on his Type-R after all…

Marve’s Nissan 200sx spitting out flames

Viewing area with everyone watching

Ian’s 350Z made everyone’s ears bleed…!

Craig had to check and recalibrate the dyno so, whilst this was taking place, a few of us took the opportunity to head outside and take a few photos. MRSnatesST (aka Kez) struck her best poses for the camera! It also gave us all a chance to check out each others engine bays and take a closer look at the printouts from those who had already been on the rollers. It wasn’t long before Craig soon had everything up and running again.

Kez posing with a lineup of Focus ST’s

We had a few guests turn up from another car club, who were running a dyno day the following week. They had decided to pop down for an hour to see how things worked (funnily enough, we did the same thing last week too). We all got chatting and the end result was that they stayed considerably longer than they had intended!

We also had a few other new faces popping in and out during the day. G-Ed from civictype-r.co.uk came over to say hello as did Richard Tricky (aka Rich) who also popped over to say hello. We were also expecting to meet our very own Adz who, as always, turned up fashionably late in his very bright Honda S2000 (yes, he changed his car yet again!) We never thought he existed but – alas – he does! We finally got to meet Jackman (aka Martin). We’re still yet to see his Rallye so he isn’t off the hook just yet… LOL!

Martin – he does exist!

Ever get the feeling things are going on behind your back, Marve?

The day passed very quickly and ended with many of us setting off in convoy, down the country lanes, to the Cwm Ciddy for a carvery meal. Lynda led the way down the lanes; the route was straightforward enough and would have been very picturesque had it not been for the Cement Works and Aberthaw Power Station along the way.

We arrived at the Cwm Ciddy and parked in the top car park (out of harms way!). It was here that we noticed just how bad Chris’s stone chip actually was; where there was just a small stone chip there was now a crack working its way up the windscreen! The screen would need replacing but, thankfully, it wasn’t obscuring his view.

Sadly we could not reserve tables on the Sunday for our meal, so it was a little busy in there! We had to be split apart across 2 tables and in different rooms. Luckily this wasn’t a problem because, once everyone had finished their meal, we all met up in the bar lounge area afterwards.

I personally don’t think I have laughed so much for a long time. My face and stomach was hurting from laughing so much at Jon’s, Comp’s and Jamie’s stories (although it was probably one of those “you had to be there” occasions).

What can I say? Another great day out with fantastic people!. Rebel Motorsport Club is really blessed to have such a great group of members; members who have now become very good friends.

To view more photos from the day, please visit the Online Gallery here.
To view videos from the day, please visit our YouTube channel here.

Christmas came early for us… or, at least, the annual Rebel Christmas Meal came earlier than usual.

With Lyn (Salem) and myself heading off on our holidays very soon, we decided to bring forward the Christmas meal so that we didn’t have to miss out. See how kind and thoughtful we are? Seeing as Lyn and I will be suffering the terrible weathers of Australia for the next couple of months we thought it only fair to bring forward the meal and t o get together with friends and Club Members for a bite to eat and a bit of banter.

An hour or two previous, some of those who came along for the meal had been quad biking – you could see who they were due to their hardened, wind-chilled faces and their rosy cheeks! Others were already waiting at the pub or would turn up shortly thereafter.

With everyone happily seated, the Rose and Crown staff began to take the food orders whilst we sat around and engaged in various topics of conversation. It was enjoyable, if a little quiet in the conservatory area, and we were soon tucking into the first course (which was either a fruit juice or a rather delicious onion soup). For the main course we had a choice of either roast beef, pork or chicken and this was served up with the usual mixture of vegetables, stuffing and gravy. It might not have been the biggest of portions but it was quite tasty. For dessert there was a small selection of sweets available – including strawberry trifle and apple pie. Again, the portions weren’t huge but considering we’d paid less than £9 for the 3 courses I don’t think anyone could be too disappointed!

After the meal, some folks had to leave. They said their farewells and the rest of us made our way into the cosier bar area (with a lovely open fire). Here we continued the conversation for a while until it was eventually time to make our way home. It didn’t feel particularly “Christmassy” (where were the decorations and Christmas tree?!?!) but it was still an enjoyable afternoon that gave friends and Club Members the chance to meet up and enjoy the social aspect of Rebel Motorsport Club.

Thanks for joining us folks and for your continued support and friendship. Have yourself a great Festive Season and best wishes for the New Year.

The rain was falling hard and the wind was a little on the ‘fresh’ side, but it didn’t in anyway stop the fools, er, fearless group of would-be quadbikers from mounting their Honda emblazoned steeds…

Having arrived pretty much bang on time (a little early if anything) we parked up the cars, which was a fun exercise in itself, and made ourselves known to the staff. The first thing that struck me was the fact that a) they weren’t expecting us, b) they weren’t ready for us or c) both of the aforementioned points. The result was a wait of almost 45 minutes whilst another group completed their activity and whilst we waited for a batch of quad bikes to arrive for our own use.

Prior to jumping on the quads, we were herded into a wooden outbuilding where we completed the required paperwork (disclaimer/indemnity). Into another room we went, the kit room. This is where the fun started… We were asked to ‘kit up’ and all made moves to choose from the supplied waterproofs, boots and helmets. They were stinking! Due to the lack of suitable equipment some of our group literally took the gear from those who had just returned… with Duncan even having to wear the boots that had just left the feet of an earlier quadbiker. Sure, they were warm but…

Luckily I got some good waterproofs and boots (which would actually keep me completely dry) but the helmet didn’t do me any favours. Still, safety and function above all else! Once kitted up, we headed outside to find the activity leader and were given a briefing on how to ride and control the quad bike. This was followed by a quick question and answers session to ensure we had picked up the basics. That done, we hopped onto the quads and got ready to fire them up – Malc and I chose the smaller recreational quads whilst the rest of the group went for the larger agricultural type quads.

From neutral, into first, release the brake, apply throttle, away we went… and followed the instructor to a training area. Here we did a few laps (of increasing difficulty due to changes in elevation and surface) to become familiar with the quadbikes and receive a little more tuition and guidance. 15 minutes or so later and we were off following the instructor over various parts of the centre’s 360-acre grounds. The rain actually made for a lot of fun. It was hard not to drift the quad sideways despite being warned not to!

The route took in grassy hillsides (very slippy!), rocky brooks and streams, mudbaths, tarmac and gravel surfaces and some fairly steep inclines and declines, too. Being high in the hills, the views (when given chance to admire them) were pretty impressive. Half way into the ride we stopped for a short break and were split into two groups. Malc and I were to head off with the older instructor whilst the other 8 members continued on with the same instructor. I have no idea what those 8 guys go up to…? Malc and I, however, followed our instructor up and down and around and around and went up high into the hills. The instructor also removed the throttle restrictor (usually in place to stop over enthusiastic kids from killing themselves) and the increased power made the quads much more fun in all truth.

After covering a fair distance we stopped atop a large hill and saw below us the rest of the group.  Here we carefully descended the hill to rejoin them before heading back towards the farmyard where it all began. Many were soaked despite the waterproofs (I was lucky!) and some changed their clothes as a result once back inside the wooden building.

Despite the poor weather and – for some – ineffective waterproofs, it seemed that all had enjoyed themselves. I know I enjoyed it and, with the centre only a few minutes away, I’ll likely be heading over there again soon for more quadbiking.

To finish… a quick “thank you” to those that came along and to Lyn for organising yet another excellent get-together. A special thanks also to Matt for travelling over from afar with friends Will and Steve, both whom enjoyed the quadbiking. Let’s do it again!

For those intrepid individuals who may fancy giving quad biking a go (or some other activity) then take a look at their website by clicking here.

Well it soon comes around and it’s that time of year again for our annual Rolling Road Day at Power Station.  It was as customary with Rebel Motorsport Club meets and events to be an early start and a few of us met at Magor Service.  Ian aka fn1964 had driven down the night before all the way from North Yorkshire just to join us again, I think he must like us but maybe not the early starts!!!

There was a few meeting up at Major Service Humran aka Type R 69 who we hadn’t since August 2007 since then he has brought another new BMW M3.  Also we meet up with Ben aka Cardiff R33 in his DC5 and some of the regulars Malc aka Grumpy, Ann aka Ann Teek, Colin aka Agent Smith and Chris aka CJRamze along with a few others.  Once all fuelled up we made our way to the next stop Michael Wood Services.

I was at Michael Wood we meet up with Scott aka Phunkmastered, Dan aka M4rv3, Chris aka Comp, Jamie aka R8MXX and a few others.  All were in bright spirits Dan had enough food in his car to sink a battle ship along with duckie and his snake which I was informed was won on a fair.

Once all grouped up we made our way to Power Station.  We arrived nice and early which gave us plenty of time to sort out the paperwork and take some photos before the day started as most people had turned up on time and were ready to go.

First up was the BMW’s and sadly Humran was a little disappointed with his figures but I pointed out that maybe the dyno hadn’t warmed up either as his BMW was certainly pulling well enough.

Dan aka M4RV3 Nissan pulled in some very impressive figures and his pipes were glowing up lovely which made for some good photos.  Grumpy was happier with his dyno figures as they were up on last years after he had sorted a couple of minor problems out.  Next up was the Hondas and al seemed very happy with the figures so much so everyone seemed to be waiting for Lynda’s aka Salem car to go on to see if the figures were same as last year seeing as she had done no changes to the car… surprise surprise bang on the same as last year so at least now we know if the read out is wrong its consistently wrong!!

Andy aka SharkyUK was interested to see if there had been any difference made with his new Pro-Speed Exhaust and sports cat needless to say he was very pleased to find it was up by 2bhp and 7lb of torque on last years figure.

The loudest car of the day had to be Scott aka Phunkmastered I have never seen a room empty so quickly and those left in the room all had fingers in their ears, it really was deafening.. Scott’s car certainly got a lot of attention that day as it turns out there is a photographer above Power Station who photographs glamour models and he asked if he could use Scott’s car for some photos and soon Scott car was being photographed with glamour models.  Now you think all the lads would have been out viewing this but no not our lot of petrol heads they soon got bored after a couple of minutes and went back to watch the cars on the rolling road…

After everyone had been on the rollers a few of us went for a meal at a local country pub that stayed open for us.  Sadly they had a problem with chip fryer so there was no chips on the menu which disappointed a couple of the lads however this was soon forgotten when they realised  there was a hen party going on so needless to say a couple of the lads Dan aka M4RV3 were in their elements eyeing up the eye candy.

The meal was lovely despite no chips and I think it is safe to say everyone enjoyed the day. To view these photos and more from the day click here.