With only 4 weeks until the end of year my thoughts have been turning to the car shows, weekend events and drives that have been cancelled in 2020. We were lucky to get in some great drives towards the end of the year and Maggie and I managed to clock over 1,000 miles in the TR250 which is the lowest mileage achieved since we got the car almost a decade ago.
The final drive of the year was a little exciting. It was quite dull so I turned on the lights so I would be seen by other motorists however I noticed that the blue light in the speedo indicating that the high beams were on wasn’t working. No problem, I reckoned that the bulb had come loose so I put my hand up behind the dash, the blue light flashed once and then smoke started to billow out. Thankfully I turned everything off – including disconnecting the battery – and once all the smoke successfully exited the Lucas wiring, things were a little less frantic. I whipped out the speedo and yup, it was the wire going to the blue dipping light that was charred. As a result the lights aren’t working and neither is the horn or the hazard lights even though they are on separate circuits (go figure). While I haven’t had the time to investigate further I suspect that the column light switch is fried. Guess what Sims is doing over the winter!
Our first Board Meeting of 2021 will be scheduled for early January and one of the first items on the agenda will be to get a report from Keith Stewart on our new website and Rob Ragsdale on the new membership database. The good news is that feedback from club members has been very positive. If you want to send Keith and/or Rob a note I’m sure they will be delighted to hear from you.
Rob tells me that we need members to log on to the system and adjust their profiles so that other club members can see their contact details. No one else has access and you have the option to choose what information you wish to have displayed. It will only take a few minutes and here’s what you have to do;
- Log-on to our new website (www.torontotriumph.com) and click on Members. This will take you to the Membership Management site.
- Log into your profile (click on the Person Icon in the top right corner) using your email address and password (sent previously). If you’ve already logged in and changed your password please use the updated password.
- Click once again on the Person Icon and then click on View Profile.
- Click on Edit Profile and then Click on Privacy.
- If Show Profile to Others is checked then you will be part of the directory and the information shown to others will have the associated info buttons highlighted. You can turn these off and on depending on the info you wish to display in the directory. We would suggest that you only check buttons in the Members column. DO NOT use the Anybody column as this will show your info to individuals other than TTC members.
- If you do not wish to be part of the Membership Directory then be sure that the Show Profile to Others is unchecked.
- While you’re on the site, add a picture(s) of your Triumph(s) so we can all see your pride and joy.
- Finally, when you’re done click SAVE
Thanks for doing that!
Our Events Calendar is looking a little sketchy right now as we just don’t know what 2021 will bring. But I can tell you about two planned virtual events:
- 9th February at 7 p.m. – Terence McKillen will be challenging us once more with a variety of questions during the annual TTC quiz. Because of COVID-19 the 2021 event will be a virtual one. This will be a fun event so don’t miss it!
- 10th February – Drive Your Triumph Day. Rye Livingston, Activities Chairman, Triumph Travellers Sports Car Club contacted me to advise that once again he is encouraging Triumph Clubs from around the world, to celebrate Sir John Black’s Birthday on February 10th, the man who bought Standard/Triumph after WWII and built many of the Triumphs we enjoy today. 300+ photos were sent into Rye last February and 22 of them were from TTC members as depicted on our new website. I’m hoping that we can beat that number this year and I will be sending out details on how to participate closer to the date.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the Covid-shortened F1 season which is almost over; just 2 races to go in the Middle East. In Bahrain last Sunday it was another win by Lewis Hamilton, our 7-time World Champion, driving his #44 Mercedes Silver Arrow. He seems to be breaking more records every time he drives and like Lewis I’m looking forward to watching him defend his title against a young and talented group in 2021. Will the revised regulations affect his performance? We shall see!
The winter weather has already arrived, so drive carefully on your winter tires as we head into the Christmas season.
Cheers; Dave
Dave Sims
President, Toronto Triumph Club.