ACMshow
round-up
50Grand Slam
The south’s wheels head to North Weald for the Damn
Yankees’ annual one-dayer.Words & photography: Andy WillsheerThe Damn Yankees’ annual Sabbath
gathering has, over the past three
decades, become a favourite one-day
outing for enthusiasts of American
automotive marques. This July’s
Summer Slam went off rather well
in spite of a dire weather forecast
earlier in the week, starting with
a lengthy traffic queue to gain
admittance to the event that’s called
North Weald Airfield home since the
turn of the millennium. It must have
been gratifying for the club to see
a bumper turnout from ubiquitous
show’n’shine entrants as well as those
who rolled through the gate as part
of the supporting club displays and,
importantly, eager Joe Public, all
desirous of a laid-back day in the sun
that duly transpired to be exactly that,
the pluvial factor being welcomely
conspicuous by its absence.
A number of US military personnel
here in the UK on three-year
deployment terms courtesy of Uncle
Sam came along and, with some of
their number taking their rides into
the main arena for a lunch break
grilling by jocular commentator John
Price, it transpired that this was the
first time that the Yankees had played
host to this select band of servicemen.
Other highlights of the occasion
that encompassed a group of bikers
from the Invicta Chapter UK Harley
Owners’ Group, a goodly gathering
of other two-wheel aficionados and
support from other American car
clubs, included a trio of quarter-mile
machines – the Essex-domiciled
Draper Bros with their Alky Altered,
Belinda Bull and the Chevy S10 pickup
that acts as a rather impressive
mobile billboard for husband’s Jeff
Bull Race Engines business, plus John
Dewey’s Lenco-equipped nine-second
street’n’strip ’57 Chevy Bel Air – that
were wheeled into the central arenaand fired up to impress onlookers
pressed up against the safety barriers.
Tony Betts (he of the winsome
twosome Viper-engined ’55 Chevy
and Hemi-powered seven-second ’34
Ford three-window nostalgia strip star
featured together in the July issue
of American Car) brought in a Ford
Bronco and endeavoured to make a
burnout sans working line lock and
failed miserably. Oh well, with a pledge
to bring the ’34 next year, the noisy
lunchtime interlude, er, sounds to be
off to a promising start.
The pleasantly warm proceedings
were well augmented by a passel of
trade stands peddling an assortment
of parts and pieces, stalls offering
sustenance and beverages, some
creative face painting for the younger
visitors and – a favourite with the
adults - a mobile bar that was almost
drained dry by the time the event
was concluded. The customary
trophy awards were doled out
mid-afternoon, leaving attendees
ample opportunity to stick around
for a while afterwards and shoot the
breeze, listen to nostalgic notes from
live band The Reflections or take a
leisurely ride home.
Next year marks the show’s 30th
anniversary, at which time chairman
Gary Hall will likely announce his
intention to retire, just like he did after
the 25th. This dubious declaration
should again be howled down by
everyone who looks forward to the
annual get-together, if only because
he and his handful of volunteers
always put in an exemplary effort in
making the club’s prime fundraiser a
firm favourite on the show calendar.
And with many people reckoning the
2015 edition was the best in quite
some time, I can only hope that he
again defers any thoughts of stepping
away from overseeing the Slam. AC Mshowroundup - yankees.indd 50 21/09/2015 11:41:04