 |
|
Concours Competition at Olympia,
Washington, USA
"Top Point MG". William Harris of River Ridge, Louisiana I had been informed early on to expect upwards of a dozen examples of the M.G. marque to be entered into competition at MG 2005. I was prepared for a very busy day, along with my volunteer judges, scrutinizing some very fine examples of the Marque. As I came onto the showfield, I was pleased to find that the Concours class has been placed front and center, right at the entrance to the portico of the Red Lion Hotel for all to see and enjoy! Although I verified that twelve owners had indeed registered their M.G.s for this class, only seven were present and accounted for when it came time to instruct the participants and the judges on the protocol involved during judging. And that's okay as people often change their minds or may have misunderstood what Concours judging involved. I first met with my team of judges (six in all, including myself). Bob Gloyd and Alan Magnason of Colorado, Paul Hanley (previous Concours winner in 2003 and 2004) of Maryland, Steve Hanagan of Washington, and Bruce Wyckoff of Michigan all volunteered their time. Judges were grouped in teams of two and given final instructions and their clipboards holding the official NAMGBR judging sheets. I then met with the owners of the seven M.G.s on display in Concours. I was pleased to see Harry Sharp present as he had competed in Concours at MG '99 in Vancouver with his Pale Primrose 1969 MGB Tourer that he purchased new! But Harry was not the only original owner in Concours this year, as Larry Gill was also listening to my instructions. Judging actually went rather smoothly this year, and in under two hours, I was double checking the arithmetic of each judge and making final calculations on point totals. The winner would not be announced until the awards banquet that evening. I was assisted with the presentation of the Concours field and winners by John Taylor, chairman of MG 2005 and local club president. The entire field was recognized for their efforts and thanked, in addition to the judges who worked that afternoon. Honorable mentions were given to: Awards of Excellence were given to: "Top Point MG" went to a surprised William Harris of River Ridge, Louisiana with a very nice example of a 1980 MGB-LE, scoring 965.0 points out of a possible 1000 points. Worthy of mention is that Niki and Laura Tugwell also chose this Limited Edition to be the recipient of an award as "Favourite MGB-LE", in honour of Niki's late husband, Ron Tugwell (former Chairman and the Registrar of the MGB-LE for NAMGBR since the mid-90's). I would like to mention the fact that Paul and Kathy Hanley chose to put their 1964 MGB Tourer on "display only" as they had won Concours the previous two years at the NAMGBR national car show in additional to a plethora of awards throughout the country. This Iris Blue MGB was also featured on the banquet room floor that evening along with the MGB-LE under the guise of providing fine examples of an early model and a late model MGB to the banquet goers. But Paul was to receive recognition for his sportsmanship and enthusiasm by receiving the President's Trophy that evening from John Taylor. Well deserved recognition I might add! I thank each of the participants and judges for their efforts at MG 2005 and look forward to next year's competition in Gatlinburg! Rick Ingram
Judging
|
|
Rick Ingram, Concours Coordinator To a lot of enthusiasts the word "concours" brings to mind glistening automobiles worth thousands of dollars on display behind barrier ropes at Pebble Beach. Brought in on trailers that more than likely cost more than the MG you or I drive every day, it has probably been years since these cars have been driven on the roads of North America. Let me assure you that NAMGBR concours judging is not to be compared with this style of "invitation only...concours d'elegance" car show. Concours is an integral part of each annual convention...so important that its place on the show field is mandated by the Register's convention guidelines. "Why?", you ask. This may be the only opportunity many of our members may have to see an MG that is in the same condition (or as close as possible) as it was when it first left its "womb" in Abingdon. Many restorations have been assisted by photographs of "concours" MGs found on the show field.... the correct colour, fitting, or routing of wiring can be found here in "concours". Concours assists us in "maintaining the breed. Over the years and with the assistance of many members, the Register has developed a standardized set of scoring sheets and guidelines. This ensures that a Midget judged on the East Coast has been scrutinized under the same standards as a Midget on the West Coast. Being an international Register, continuity between meets is important. Scoring is broken down into three categories; condition, originality, and technical inspection. Thus, a highly original example of an MGB with the patina of maturity can score as well as an overly restored MGB in which originality has been sacrificed. The "official" references should any question arise during judging are "The Original MGB" by Anders Clausager and "The Original Sprite and Midget" by Terry Horler. In order to ensure an unbiased selection of "top point MG", cars are judged by teams made up of both NAMGBR "personnel" and local enthusiasts. While members will never be forced to display their MG in concours at one of the Register's conventions, we do periodically attempt to persuade participation in this aspect of the meet by members whose car we feel is an obvious candidate for this type of judging. Please consider this option should you be approached and accept the challenge. This is one way that you can give a little back to the Register and its membership. Concours judging is a great way to find out what's correct and what's been modified on your car to get guidelines on how you can improve it. There is no pressure, no one will berate you for what the previous owner did, but this is where you can find out how to improve. That's what has impressed many people after going through their first concours show. You walk away with a judging sheet that has your future restoration work prioritized. The next time you attend the car show at a NAMGBR convention, please take time out to view the cars in concours competition. The efforts of our members whose cars are on display will be obvious.... and you WILL learn something about your MG! "Cheers" Webmaster note: As of October 2005 the Concours Coordinator and his address is as follows: Paul Hanley
|