Actions talking loudly

05 June 2014 / Words by David Lawler

One aspect of clubs like ours that appeals to me is the camaraderie and support that exists between most club members, regardless of their diverse backgrounds. This is particularly true of the MX-5 Club of NSW, and was reinforced for me at our Wakefield Park track day on 1st June.

Peter Barnwell and his partner Kim Jacobs brought their road registered turbo MX-5 to the track day on Sunday. For Peter this was his second club track day, although he has experience at other track events. But for Kim, it was her first time on the track. At the driver briefing Kim met Ralph Thompson who would be her tutor during the first-timers session.

Peter took their car out first, but his run came to an early end with the car having problems. Despite efforts by a number of mechanically-minded club members, it was not fixed when Kim was called for the first-timers group. So Ralph took Kim out in his own car, with Kim enjoying her 6 minutes in the drivers seat with Ralph advising from the passenger seat.

So far the help given to Peter and Kim was typical of the support MX-5 Club members give to each other, but then something extraordinary happened, and is the reason I am writing this story. The problem with Peter and Kim's car took some time to diagnose and fix, and during that time Ralph allowed Kim to use his car for her runs. Ralph had only met Peter & Kim that morning at the drivers briefing, and the wet & slippery conditions were extremely challenging even for the most experienced drivers, so I was impressed by his generosity. Ralph is known as a man of few words, but his actions spoke loudly.

I have chosen to write this story to recognise his kindness, which is not unique in our club, and to remind all club members of the sort of generosity and support we enjoy from each other. It makes me proud to be a member of the MX-5 Club of NSW.