End2End 2010 Wrap Article
End2End is StreetSafari's camping event. We're trying to persuade people that caravans are good, especially painted ones, but that's not going so well. Trailer tents are all the rage in the banger rally scene, as we soon discovered this year.
Introduction
Night 0 is held at The Last Inn in England, which is also the First Inn in England, depending on your viewpoint. The pub has a camping field that serves as the initial start point.
First team (a day early – we know as we were a day early as well) was Team Well Oiled in a banging Escort and pop up trailer kitchen. They do need some explaining so I will do my best – the Escort is banging because he changed the shell bearings on the crank and one wouldn't tightenup properly so in true banger rally spirit it was decided by the team leader that “that would do”, and the pop up kitchen trailer was an old trailer that Mrs Team Leader had obviously decided that ten years of it rotting in the garden was long enough, and that it needed a decent send off, as it were.
So the ever industrious Team Well Oiled made a pop up kitchen with the trailer. Obviously a pop up trailer tent bunk bed would have been most peoples choice, but pop up kitchen was more Team Well Oiled. And so took to the road the ancient trailer made into a pop up kitchen. A banger rally team has to eat of course.
The following day (the real start of the event) started quite briskly with Team Bucket of Doom 2 with Jo Shaw and some chap called Dave whose piercings and tattoos more than made up for his lack of hair. His motto seemed to be “I scare people” but despite the facial tattoos and half a pound of metal in his face, I have no idea what made him think that. Dave spent most morning apologizing to people. We'll come to that later.
For the purposes of this article, there are two Dave's, one in Chavbusters and one in Bucket of Doom. In the event of an apology, the apology is made by Bucket of Doom Dave. All other references to "Dave" are of the Scottish chap in Chavbusters.
Chavbusters were also back for a second End2End outing, but carefully staying hidden until the start of the event. They had discovered the concept of “making an entry” and were determined to stick to it.
Atlantic Booze Cruisers were back, full of energy, again, but lacking a team member who I believe was sent to Australia. The team were sporting a space shuttle theme this year. Never a team short on ideas and the theme was excellent as ever.
Team Piston Broke were back for their 30th StreetSafari event (seriously, we've lost count), but this was their first End2End event, and first camping throughout a banger rally.
New notable teams (apart from Well Oiled) was No Cigar sporting a near immaculate Nissan. The team had two members, a sober one, and a not so sober one. The sober one drove each day, the not so sober one slept it off each day.
Team Nitro Nutters were in a zebra skinned Citreon BX. First thing you can tell from a team with a BX – optimism. Misplaced optimism mind you. We always like teams who fight the odds and bring a really crappy car, from a crappy manufacturer, and we always feel especially sorry for those who feel they need to prove themselves with a BX. We wished them well at Check In and with all the sincerity in the world said that we'd love to see them on an event next year – because the chance of them finishing E2E2010 was small. How wrong they would prove us.
Team Dogs Bollocks had a yellow Mercedes done nicely as a taxi. Thunder Plums had one of the best A Team themes we've ever seen. And Team Bert N Ernie were sporting a Saab 9000 Turbo and getting stick from other teams about taking such a nice car. The Ernie part of the team, a very affable lady car breaker going be the name of Kate was ever up for the challenge of breaking a car. Banger rallies were right up her street.
Team Live and Let Drive were back for their third year, this time with fiance Gemma in tow as copilot. Husband to be, digging his own grave each evening with the phrase “she cooks, I put the tent up”, a deal obviously struck when he investigated tent erection times and got one of the easiest tents to put up.
In fact at this point, it's possible to reel off every single team on E2E, which is one of the advantages of keeping an event small. So if I haven't mentioned you please accept my apologies!
Continued...
Click to share thisClick to share this
