Summer Madness at Croft
Posted on: 16/10/2014Summer Madness is a north east England car cruise event which regularly attracts a vast number of modified cars.
It is the brainchild of Jamie Garside who started it off as a memorial cruise in memory of Karl Blackett who tragically died in 2006. What started off as a small car meet has grown into one of the biggest modified car gatherings in the region over the past 8 years. The meets are very popular among the modified car community and are organised through collaboration with local law enforcement and land owners to ensure that everyone can enjoy the events without the fears of being asked to "move along" by the local constabulary as is usually the case in this world.
In order to round off the year's summer time events, the organisers of Summer Madness decided to put on a slightly different show at the end of September. Instead of meeting at a local car park somewhere, they had pulled out all the stops and worked with Croft racing circuit in Darlington to put on one of their biggest meets yet with the promise of some fantastic car clubs in attendance as well as some track time during the day for those who were a little more serious about their pride and joy and wanted to get their hand at a bit of track day-style circuit driving. The show was open to all and with entry tickets at a reasonable £10 it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
Upon arrival it was clear the SM staff were perhaps a little overwhelmed by a show of these proportions as there was some confusion as to the parking locations for the various groups that were arriving; car clubs, track cars and members of the general public, however eventually the pieces started falling into place with a little help from the Croft circuit's own staff. By midday the show was in full swing with hundreds of cars and people arriving from all over the north east and although the weather was a bit gloomy the atmosphere was buzzing, especially with the noise of the cars flying past on the track. In addition to the club stands and track time there were also a number of traders available on site to offer up their latest products and even a bouncy castle to keep the kids entertained!
Track time was one of the main focus points of the day and slots were on sale well in advance of the show date and were nearly sold out, with special price offers available to those who booked multiple 15 minute sessions at a time. It was great to see the large number of car owners who were confident enough to take their pride and joy on the circuit as it definitely tests both car and driver on a level that wouldn't otherwise be experienced on the road.
Croft circuit itself is a very high speed track - with speeds reaching 120mph+ in some cars and it is used by the British Touring Car Championship. Clearly in very high demand during the day as there were sessions on every 30 minutes from the early hours of the morning to closing time at 5pm. Perhaps one criticism of this part of the day would be the categories some drivers were assigned as the sessions were split between novice, intermediate and advanced, however perhaps due to the high demand some less experienced drivers were entered into advance sessions and thus were creating a little inconvenience for those more experienced drivers. However apart from this and one unlucky Subaru owner rolling his car, the sessions ran pretty smoothly and attracted large crowds in both the pit wall and the grandstands.
Aside from the track there were some excellent cars on display throughout the show grounds for everyone to enjoy, with some highly modified creations in attendance. As usual it's great to see owners making an effort to bring their cherished toys along and share their knowledge and experience with others. Although the day started off a little slow and bumpy with the organisational glitch, it was quickly rectified and both the SM and Croft staff ensured everyone was treated to a great day out.