Engine Punk

Trevithick's road locomotive Hidden away in the steep sided combes of south–western Britain, concealed behind unremarkable facades in market towns and sleepy hamlets, tucked deep down into wooded valleys or crouched against the elements on wind blasted heaths and moors, something is stirring. This is Britain ’s crumple zone against the Atlantic and, against very long odds, Cornwall is still home to an ongoing automotive tradition that has been quietly surviving for over two hundred years. If someone announced that they had written a book on Cornwall ’s motor industry, a very slim volume would probably be the result – not so much a book as a pamphlet. Being able to produce over 150 well illustrated A4 pages initially seems nothing short of remarkable. Having read Cornwall ’s Motor Industry by Peter Tutthill, it’s clear that he has unearthed a wealth of material and some fascinating insights into a surprisingly varied cottage industry. I am also struck by the influence of...

I have been in discussion with my some writer friends about the benefits of self-publicity. One or two have voiced the opinion that if they self-publicise before they have a book deal, won’t they come across as rather bitter losers who blame the world for not noticing their brilliance? I never know for certain what other people think, but I would say no. I think the general public is – actually – far more receptive to new ideas than mainstream publishers. It's up to us to find our readers. And once you are published, my understanding is that your publisher will expect you to publicise your own books. So you might just as well start sooner rather than later. In fact, if you are good at self-publicity, wouldn't that influence the choice of a potential agent or publisher? They certainly seem to appreciate the easy PR that come with celebrities. I am currently reading The Long Tail by Chris Anderson. This book confirmed something that I’d been wondering for some time. The i...

And awwwaaaayyyy they go In reverse order, there was the CCM 604 of Geoff Westcott and Michelle Maidment. I seem to have taken one of them leaving as well. I am still getting used to the various modes on my digital camera. In the middle is a Troll, a familiar enough car to me (I really like the colour) but I can't make out the number to determine the crew. The one of the Imp smoking its tyres is, unfortunately, of Bill and Will Rosten coming to grief. Bill suffered a puncture and by the time he got past us the tyre was spinning on the rim. We had a quick word with him and he'd been doing well until then. My biker mates Pete and John noticed Bill was wearing motorcycle boots. This caused no end of ribaldry because they know I like Imps and - I am sorry to say - that mention of The Flintstones was made and aspersions were cast. Thanks to Mr Robinson-Collins who, with Dave Turner, was next in the running order to Bill and Will, I can now reveal that Bill is a...

The boys dun good! Dave Turner and Rob Robinson-Collins cleared all the sections in Dave's BMW 318S, which means they won a Triple award. This is the first time ever for Rob my erstwhile sidecar pilot. I think Dave has a few under his belt. He certainly looked very nonchalant going up Fingle but apparently just floored it at Simms and cleared it in style! Here are some more photos. Unfortunately, I wasn't ready when Dave and Rob came by, either, because I swapping tales of derring-do and mechanical mayhem with my mates on that corner, plus a couple of knowledgeable strangers and - well - anyone who would listen, actually. And I didn't take any of the yellow Dutton, probably for the same reason (see comment on previous post below - can't believe I was first on the web with some smudges of the Trial!). First is John Adams on his Honda MT5, yes that's a 50cc sports moped that somehow survived all the learner abuse over the last 25 years. An astute choice of mach...

Geoff Westcott and Michelle Maidment climb Fingle on their CCM oufit I've just got back wet and muddy, cold and tired but very happy from Fingle Bridge, near Drewsteignton on the northern edge of Dartmoor. I was spectating on the Exeter Trial. This is real grass roots motorsport and a few tree roots came past my ears today not to mention mud and stones. Anecdotal evidence suggested that it was wetter this year but last year I got soaked watching at Simms, near Ilsington. Bill Rosten was really unlucky with a flat tyre As usual, I saw quite a few of my mates. I've either marshalled or competed for some years now and sometimes we often don't see each other for years but we just know that we're out there, somewhere. It's a Troll On a price per mile basis, classic trials are brilliant value. Sadly, the organising body, the Motor Cycling Club, has to put in a tremendous PR effort with each event to allow them to continue. The fun police are sniffi...

So what is an engine punk again? An engine is any sort of mechanical contrivance. The original calculator was described as a difference engine. My interest is mainly internal combustion engines and the uses to which they can be put. Or put-put-put-put. According to Wikipedia a punk is "a young male hustler, a gangster, a hoodlum, or a ruffian" and for many years it had that kind of negativity. But with punk rock came the kick-ass, DIY sub-culture thing and that is pretty much mainstream these days with the internet and all the connectivity that it offers. I'm not a gangster or very young any more but I certainly feel like a punk and if my Stiff Little Fingers will let me I can bash out "I wanna be a Ramone" by The Scopies.

Somebody said they found the 5 star review on Amazon useful. This morning my ranking leapt up to 36,762! It's now back down to 73,576 but I am 76th in Contemporary Sci-Fi! That's in the top 100! I didn't realise I was "urban fantasy", too. I now declare a moratorium on bragging about my Amazon rankings. I expect it's getting a bit boring for you (although the novelty obviously hasn't worn off for me). I had intended to do this when I received the much coveted three digit Amazon ranking but reckon 76th beats everything. Thinks - if 73,756th overal relates to 76th, where would I have been at 36,762th? In the top 50? Okay, that's all on this subject I promise. It's not my fault if I'm popular.