The AACI SummerNationals was a sellout with the gates closed to non pre-entries at 2 pm on Saturday.                                                          Main Pic by Hemiguy

The weather forecasters got it right for this weekend some said it was too hot, but great weather guarantee's maximum turnout for the show organiser's and a good selection of cars for the punter's. With my Edsel's exhaust not finished in time it was the daily driver Passat for me. I had arranged to meet  Neil Frost a fellow Edsel owner on the way down as this was his first trip to Billing in his 59 Ranger after it's recent engine rebuild. We met up at Tibshelf Services on the M1 and after the usual greetings set off at a leisurely pace as he was still running it in. We pulled off after an hour as it was running a little hot but there had been a couple of big hills.  I had a look and diagnosed that the radiator wasn't big enough   (Anybody got a 57 /58 Ford radiator going spare then let me know?) We set off again and there were no more problems and arrived at Billing at around 3:00 pm, it was packed, in all the years I have been going to Billing I have never seen it so busy on  Friday afternoon. The Blacktops had saved some spaces for us and we set up quickly as it was getting hotter. They just kept rolling in and space was getting to be a bit tight and one or two heated discussion's could be heard where people had set up in spaces other's had saved for late arrivals but it was worked out amicably in the end ( I pitied the people who weren't arriving till Saturday as trying to find a space then would be very tight). This was going to be one hell of a weekend!!! Off to the chippie for some food, and then a beer or two before the evenings entertainment....or so I thought after getting half way through my second bottle of Foster's Ice I didn't feel quite right so left the beer and went in the caravan for forty winks. After an hour Lisa came in and woke me up to get ready to go over to the marquee, I didn't feel like going so stayed in (Boring fart I know!) I'm glad I did, as within 5 mins of getting up I spent the next 4 1/2 hours being unpleasantly sick..the Blacktops had arrived back at camp and looked after me really well until the ambulance arrived and after the paramedics tried to sort me out it was deemed necessary to take me to hospital  Once at the hospital I was diagnosed with food poisoning caused by fish.  I was discharged and got back to Billing at 3 am and straight to bed I was knackered and so was my Lisa (thanks luv and a big thank you to the Blacktops for their help and concern a better bunch you would be hard pressed to find, Sylvia you were a diamond. Anyway onto Saturday and what a day it was.......