Being frugal with fuel pays off for drivers in club's inaugural economy run (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Being frugal with fuel pays off for drivers in club's inaugural economy run

CIRENCESTER Car Club recently held its inaugural Economy Run, this the resurrection of an event run 30 years ago and formerly known as the Mobil Gas Run.

The idea came from the renowned Stuart Turner, former head of Ford Motor Sport, who contacted club chairman Martin Saunders last year and persuaded him to run it.

This event used varying ways to achieve vehicle economy but, predominantly, the 'Cirencester efficiency number' was the main factor involved.

The Cirencester efficiency number was calculated from the distance travelled, the amount of fuel used and the weight of the vehicle, including passengers.

This gave the overall efficiency of the car, not just the most economic. The event started and finished at the Crown of Crucis Hotel, taking in 100 miles of scenic Cotswold motoring and stopping off at Batsford Arboretum for lunch.

It attracted some 35 entries from all over the country, including Stuart Turner and Jim Porter, a former RAC Rally winning co-driver for the late Roger Clark.

Vehicles included all ages and types from the Amil Car, driven by Ashton Keynes' Keith Bowley, to a MG ZS, piloted by Basingstoke's Nikki Wild.

Although there were no official results, a table of achievement was produced, showing Reading's Jeremy Boakes driving a Vauxhall Cavalier as the most efficient on the day.

He was closely followed by Malcolm Middleton-Salt, from Cheltenham, driving a focus Tdi and former Mobil Gas Event winners from Cheltenham, Michael Stevens, competing in a Toyota Aventis.

The first Cirencester Car Club driver was that of event sponsor Mike Webb, driving a Rover 214, who narrowly beat Haydn Marks, from Oxford, in a similar car.