We just wanted a place to put up the photos we had from the Ally Pally for everyone to enjoy.
Once we have had a little more time to do things with the Photo's, each one will have some words with it. However, I would like to ask people to keep an eye out for the picture which has a photo of Les in it, and Lyn's cross-stitch of over 50,000 stitches of the same photograph. It really has taken her years, and its quite hard to tell the difference between them here, so its a damned good bit of work Lyn!
Reaction Times Article by Les Harris Alexandra Palace, London 25th and 26th February 2006
I write this report for NAST with great sadness, as you will all know by now Terry Gibbs, the man behind the show died last Monday. I'm gutted, not a nice word, but, it's the only one that sums up how I feel, Gutted.
Terry was a good friend, a lovely man, and did so much for drag racing in the UK. I won two championships when Terry was the promoter at Avon Park. I feel, as does the team, so much for his lovely wife Tina. Terry's death is a great lost to all of us.
Anyway, back to the matter of the show. On build up day at the show, at 9.30 at night, Tim and I had put the finishing touches to our NAST stand, and Terry walked over. The 3 of us stood back and looked, 'Well done' said Terry, mint, we were all well chuffed with how it looked. 10 NAST drag bikes - Street, Modified, Top Gas, Top fuel, Posters, Lyn's Cross stitch, T.Shirts, Sweatshirts, Info sheets, NAST photos etc etc etc. All this in a lovely spot right under the huge organ at Ally Pally.
From the start I really wanted to have out NAST stand under the organ (and who wouldn't want to be under a large organ all weekend) and Terry was worried about telling me that's where we'd be. How strange.
This years show started for me a year ago, I had taken my Gas bike Tilly III to the show along with Steve Clutterbuck who took his………… Top Fuel bike. It was then that it struck me 'why don't we have a NAST stand'. So I went and saw Terry and Tine and asked them if we could and that's how this year came about.
At first I had to find six drag bikes for the stand, no problem, Tilly 3 - that leaves 5 to find. I contacted Dave Jones, Brian Udall and Neil Dickerson, well, they do live in London, makes life a lot easier. John Hackney phoned to offer help on/at the stand and also his bike - good man, well done John, and in facty the only person to do so!
Then Terry rang me, 'Can you get 10 drag bikes for your stand?' So I rang Dave Jones who has 2 bikes and Brian Udall who also has 2 bikes and Chris Stebbings, who has a V Rod gas bike. Thanks Chris. So we had soon found 10. We should have had a Junior Drag bike, a twin, Tyler's 125 Honda, which would have been a nice touch, but, we got let down at the last minute. I won't bore you with the details of what happened with the paperwork, forms etc.
On build up day, every member of NAST who said they would bring their bikes did, which was a big relief to me. I would also at this point like to thank Tim, a member of my team LHDRT. Tim was on the case from 08:30 Friday morning until 21:30 at night, I know NAST members helped, but, Tim was for me man of the match - Good boy!!.
After our quiet night (not) at the hotel in Kings Cross, and after paying £25 for overnight parking (yes really) for Bod's car, we, Tim, Bod, Stalky, and I set off for the show. We got there at 09:30ish and already there were quite a lot of people waiting to get in, nice. It gave us a little time to make sure everything was right. Don was on parade as was John Hackney, well done.
All day there was a steady flow of people, it was nice chatting to them and we did get a lot of interest. We also got asked to do some judging, how hard was that, how many classes etc. It was like a GCSE paper. So Lyn, Tim and I started off, after an hour I was called away to sort something out, so Lyn and Tim ended up sorting the judging form.
Don and John and the team manned the stand, what was nice during the whole day was there was a steady flow of people and all very pleasant. I was very proud of the NAST stand. It was good to be a part of such a quality show, and at a beautiful venue.
When the show cleared for the day, it was off via the tube train to the Ace Café, how strange that none of us had been there, been everywhere else, but not the Ace. It was packed, the band played, we drank beer, and chatted to lots of people we knew, which was nice.
Time to catch a bus, as Bod's car was now in the free overnight parking a the show (thanks Tina). It was a lovely sunny day and Ally Pally looked magnificent in the early morning sun, what a wonderful building and the view from there is breathtaking.
Later that day in the bar having a well earned beet, Brian Udall and I were looking out over London and he said 'I can see my house from here' name that film - answers on the back of a £20 note to the usual address please.
Sunday was the best day for me - a lot more going on and more NAST members turning up, Dave Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Mott, Bev, Steve Clutterbuck, etc. Oh and well done Steve for getting the Best Competition Bike Trophy.
On my travels around the show on Saturday I got chatting to two lovely blonde models, who were working on a toy/model stand (heaven) and they had agreed to do a photo-shoot for NAST, good girls! Caz was with us - our very own team photographer. Don and I had a good idea, why not get the girls to wear NAST tops, which they did, and they both looked lovely. That's when Don and I made our first official decision - as a thank you to the girls we let them keep the tops.
It's strange that as soon as the shoot started how many people took an interest in the stand, and how many people now have camera mobile phones. We also did some team shots at the same time, if you would like to view these pics, have a look at my website:
www.lesharrisracing.co.uk
It was also nice to meet up with Chris and Cebe from Antrepp. Chris rides a Top Gas Harley, and they also joined in the photo-shoot. It was a nice surprise to see them there, but, if I had checked my emails before going to the show I would have known he was coming.
The rest of Sunday flew by and it was soon time to pack up and go home, and yet again, Marie worked her butt off, what a star. She's so on the case and got everyone out in such a short time, with no problems.
It was a good show and we all had a great time, I feel that NAST can be proud of their stand. It didn't take us long to get home which was just as well as we were all really tired.
Wow what a tops weekend.
Thanks to everyone who helped.
Love to you all and good luck this season.
Les Harris
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