14th March 25. Mansfield & Chesterfield a two van day

This morning started with the one mile walk to my Aylesbury Main dealer, customer who wanted on van delivered to Mansfield and another collected from Chesterfield. So having collected the first van the previous evening to facilitate an early start.

Setting off around 5.45am to arrive around business opening hours I usually set the Sat-Nav up to save myself thinking the best way out of Aylesbury without thinking about it. This time heading north it took me towards Buckingham. Instead of the usual route to Milton Keynes towards the M1. Letting it do the work for me I was surprisingly going along some country roads I hadn't been down. Trusting the system I let it lead.

It wasn't until I got to a village called Stow. I realised I was obviously close to Silverstone circuit. I didn't know it was so close to home.

It immediately brought back some great emotions and memories of the 1999 British Grand Prix. Yes I hadn't been back to the place since then. Losing interest slowly in F1 since the death of my hero Ayrton Senna.

We only went in 1999 because at that time I had a business in car rental and leasing. We had a small sports car fleet and a few motorcycles. Maybe I will be brave enough one day to write about this in more detail. For now though. We had been asked by the chief engineer at Jordan F1 to supply him with a bike for the race weekend. Which we did. He gave us out of nowhere, some passes for the Thursday and Friday testing and practice. What an amazing experience this was. Back then. It was very corporate and professional but with more freedom than today. We were allowed access to every part of the track for viewing the cars on the circuit and the pits, pit area including the car working area, reception and hospitality. Chatting with all the team, even Eddie himself. We were also taken to the factory and shown the cars and engineering processes and handling body parts. Being handed a whole front wing of the car by two people who seemed to be holding something heavy and finding it light as a feather and being able to balance it on one finger shows the cutting edge of this technology at first hand.

We were shown Damon Hills car and the modifications needed for it to be comfortable for his big feet. An amazing. Truly fortunate experience. At the end we were given a whole box of Jordan memorabilia including Hornet T shirts one of which I still have in it's original packaging. As I'm writing this a few weeks ahead of this date. I wasn't to know as I had these amazing memories today, that sadly, Eddie Jordan would pass away only a week later on the 20th March 2025. RIP Eddie

Onwards to Mansfield and the retail customer for this brand new Transit van. I'm always amazed how well these drive. This one being an automatic and higher spec especially. I found the company address and the customer came out to collect the van and I quickly found an Uber to the station

I got a train from Mansfield to Chesterfield which takes me on the following route today

So I arrived in Chesterfield just after noon and walked the shortish walk to collect another van. This time and unregistered Transit again but a basic one in white to drive back to Aylesbury

The route from Chesterfield is easy. A short 5 minutes to the M1 with an Asda fuel station just before the motorway to get fuel and anything I need at real world prices. Instead of paying £3.99 for a small bottle of water.

I arrived safely in Aylesbury and dropped off the van around 15.00 and walked home to an early finish.

A good two van day. Done.