The Hot Rod Hayride is the brainchild of Terry Howarth and other members of The Executioners Car Club. Terry wanted to create a completely new type of event based purely on the cars and the music of the rodding scene. So he teamed up with Jerry Chatabox, who was already heavily involved in the Rockabilly and DJ scene, and with the success of last year's first Hayride at The Black Swan, this year's event was even bigger and better!

The scenic Headley Park Hotel provided the venue for this year's event; a natural display area in the centre, surrounded by banking, trees and a fantastic lake it was the perfect meeting point for friends and clubs alike. Almost 1000 people filtered in on the Friday evening, filling the car park and camp site. As well as British Rodders, there were plenty of visitors from across the pond, with German, Belgian, French and Swiss contingents.

Entertainment wasn't thin on the ground either: Little Carl and Jerry Chatabox provided the Rockabilly music the entire weekend, with live sets by the excellent Jack Rabbit Slim and the UK's very own No.9. Cosmic Keith then took his place at the decks as the stage was cleared for the final act. Leila Domini gave her brief, yet entertaining burlesque show to cheers and whistles from the hundreds now crammed into the marquee. Suitably teased, Cosmic Keith was back on the decks and the music continued to the small hours.

Saturday morning was a mass of bleary eyes and crooked quiffs. Starting things off was a cruise and at 10.30am the rod parking area sprang into life as one by one hundreds of rods set off on the short ride to the Mecca of British motorsport, Brooklands. Once there the paddock area became jam-packed with cars eager to sample the delights of the legendary Test Hill. This unassuming 352 feet of track starts at a modest 1:8 gradient and over its length steepens to a knee-aching 1:4 just before its peak, the British weather providing its own additional excitement with a steady fine drizzle of rain, making parks of the track like driving on sheet ice.

People mingled and admired the cars as they filled their bellies with burgers and beer, and their ears with the ever-popular mellow tones of The Radio Ramblers. Brooklands have done their best to keep the grounds exactly like they were in the Fifties and the workshops and museums proved to be the perfect backdrop for the keen photographers snapping shot after shot in between the showers.

At 1pm the fun and games began. The rods formed orderly queues as the marshals gave the go ahead for the Test Hill sprint to begin. The first few cars started in the dry so made the hill look simple and unassuming. Then the fine rain returned and frantic oversteer seemed to become the order of the day. Cheers and camera flashes became the perfect backdrop as smiling drivers took their turn on the infamous slope. Fastest of the day proved to be Dan Williams in his '34 Roadster with a very impressive 8.65 second run.

A brief respite and it was back on the open road back to the campsite. Traders re-opened their stands and a few of the bravest took the opportunity to have a permanent reminder of the event with Portsmouth-based tattoo artist Reno setting up shop inside the hotel itself. But what people were really waiting for was the entertainment. DJs The Collins Kids warmed things with a few tunes before The Blue Flames took the stage for 45 minutes of musical delight. Cosmic Keith returned for a brief stint before Smokestack Lightnin', joined by Mouse, hit the stage for a frantic high-energy set.

Headline band The Mad Men made the journey all the way from Croatia for the weekend, and boy was it worth it. Right from the off the marquee bristled with energy. These boys know how to put on a show. Lead guitarist Darko played it cool, frontman Branko strutted the stage as if he owned it, bass man Goran wowed the crowd with some stunning upright bass aerobatics.

Then as quickly as the Croatian sensations arrived, they were gone, though the audience weren't quiet for long as flame-haired Gwendaline D'Amour tantalised and teased her way through a stunning 10 minutes of tongue-in-cheek burlesque show. DJ Little Carl ended the evening with more Rockabilly as people drank and danced their way to their beds. What a day!

Sunday morning was a Typical English mix of grey mix of rain, rain and more rain. But it didn't dampen people's spirits. New friendships had been forged and winter project plans finalised. In keeping with the tone of the event, a few prizes were handed out. Best Hot Rod went to Jez Hoye's '32 five-window coupe. Best Custom went to the '51 Dodge owned by Christophe Denis of the French Chisellers Car Cub. The Paintbox Choice went to Huggy in his period-perfect scarlet racer and Chics Choice award went to another European, the four-banger T from the Parisian Loud Mufflers Club. The Coolest Hayrider award went to Bob Broadway. His stunning '34 five-window coupe was a real talking point with its patina blue paint and old school-inspired louvres and racing numbers adorning the doors. And last but not least, the Hard Luck Award. This was shared between Wee Davie and his girlfriend Karen. A spectacular gearbox death and a rapid parts run Sunday morning didn't remove the smile from their faces, just one of those things. Well done that man for the true spirit of rodding.

So should you come along in 2007? Hell yeah! Pencil in the August 10th to 12th now so you don't miss out on the best proper hot rod weekend of the summer!

See more of Neal's photos on his website, www.retrophoto.co.uk.
Retro Photo, Tel 0772 998 2464