Joy Rainey and Mark Riley are now crossing the United States in a 1904 Oldsmobile in aid of Cancer Research. Click here for a photo or go to www.joy-across-america.com

The 500 Owners Association won best of show at Avignon. Click for a review

The 500 Owners Association's new promotional flyer, click here

There is standing invitation to all 500s for the Haynes Rare Breeds Show in September 2013. Click here for more.

Colin Davis, Cooper driver in '55 and '56 and son of SCH "Sammy" Davis has  passed away peacefully aged 79 on 19th December at his Oranjezicht home in Cape Town with his wife, Eva, by his bedside. Our sympathies to friends and family.

JB is organising a pre-season test day at Curborough for the end of March. He can be contacted by email at jjones@withersrogers.com or by phone in the evening on 01926 613800.

Chairman Challis took his Cooper Mk VIII to Macau for a play! Click here for a report.

This year's AGM with be on a Saturday 24th November at the Hellidon Lakes Hotel starting at 11:00 A Dinner is planned for the evening

We am very, very sad to convey the news that Dr. Mike Gilbert has finally succumbed to the rare form of Leukemia from which he had been suffering for quite a while. Our sympathies to Anita and family. Nigel Challis said "Mike was a loyal and long term Member of the 500 OA and VSCC and also raced his Riley, last at the VSCC Sprint at Goodwood last year. He will be very sadly missed indeed. I still have the pleasure of many memories, particularly of his normal post race visit to the nearest ice cream van, a smile would always spread across his face !"

We are very sorry to hear that Les Leston passed away last night. Les was one of the 500 greats driving various Coopers and his own Leston Special before becoming a works driver for 1954, alongside Stuart Lewis-Evans. Les beat Don Parker to the Formula 3 Championship by the narrowest of margins at Brands Hatch on Boxing Day. Les went on to drive a wide range of sports cars and single seaters as well as running his "Modern Motorists Store". Our sympathies to his family and friends.

This year's Lewis-Evans Trophy will be part of the BRSCC's Oulton Park meeting on the 1st September. Stuart Lewis-Evans won at Oulton in August 1955, beating Ivor Bueb, David Boshier-Jones and Jim Russell so it's entirely appropriate. We hope to have Steve Lewis-Evans on hand to present the trophy.

JB and Nikki Jones will be hosting a summer garden party on the 11th August at their farm in Bishop's Itchington, Warwickshire, just 5 minutes from Junction 12 of the M40.

Merrick was tragically killed in a road accident whilst driving his beautiful Alfa Romeo Barchetta, He was the owner of the Taraschi FJ and Kieft 500 that Tony Steele races and recently graced the Autosport Show. Merrick was awarded his OBE in recognition of his outstanding contribution to developments in the automotive industry, and profound influence in inculcating the design culture into manufacture, and in the industry-academia interface.

We are sorry to hear that Hugh Dunsterville, builder of the original Freikaiserwagen had passed away at the age of 96. The Freik took the outright hill record at Shelsley in June 1949 and was an inspiration to the 500 movement. Our sympathies to friends and family. Click here for an appreciation by James Fack.

We are sorry to learn that Helmut Polensky has passed away. Helmut was one of the first to build a Formula 3 car in Germany, the Monopoletta, finishing fifth in the 1950 West German Championship with Walter Schlüter third in the sister car. He went on to drive for Porsche, Fiat and Lancia at Le Mans and in rallies and was a successful businessman.

The 500 Owners Association will be at the Autosport International on 12-15th January 2012 with the HSCC. We hope to have Mike's Cooper Mk V on the stand.

Click here for a report on the AGM and Prize giving held the the Heritage Motor Centre.

Zula Holland, wife of Cooper driving James, was made a Freeman of the City of London in a ceremony at the Guildhall on Friday 4th November. Apparently this gives her various rights but the most useful is probably the right to be drunk and disorderly within the City Walls and demand safe passage home. Click here for a photo of the event.

We are very sad to hear of the loss of Don Truman, our own poacher turned gamekeeper. Don raced for 12 year years and was one of the first "impecunious enthusiasts" acquiring a Marwyn in 1947. Having (fairly inevitably) crashed it, he modified the car to become the Bardon Turner and raced this until '52 when he bought a Cooper Mk VI. Having retired from the cockpit. Don took up race management and became Chairman of the BRSCC. He continued as Clerk of the Course at Mallory Park until the end of 2009 and the 500 OA still compete for the Don Truman Trophy at Mallory. Our sympathies to Don's friends and family. Click here for his story.

We are sorry to learn that Tom Cecil, known to most as simply as Rigger, has passed away. Tom was a key player in the 500cc movement in the US and much missed. Click here for an appreciation.

We are sad to learn of the passing of Reg Hargrave at the age of seventy five. Reg won the Earl of March Trophy in his Parker-Kieft at Goodwood in 2002 and was one of the few regular circuit racers in the late 90's. Our sympathies to friends and family.

The 500 Owners Association website recently featured in Classic Car Weekly. Click here for more

New for this year is the test day at Curborough on Saturday 16th April before the usual early season competitive sprint on Sunday the 17th. This event will be run just like a competitive event with participants being able to have a useful number of runs during the day, with times available for information. MAC members taking part in both of the weekends events will only pay £135.00 for both days, making these events useful for setting up cars as well as being very affordable. Participants with motor homes, caravans or tents are able to stay at the venue overnight. The closing date for these events has passed, but we are not over subscribed so if you would like to do either or both of these events we will try to accommodate you. Contact Roger Thomas, Competition Secretary at the MAC.

We are sorry to report that Jack Turner has passed away. Jack had a hand in a number of 500s including the Bardon-Turner, Revis and his own design of four cylinder engine used in the Turner-Kieft. Our sympathies to friends and family.

The 2011 Bo'ness Revival is 10th and 11th September. In the February issue of Classic & Sports car, Editor At Large Simon Taylor has voted the 2010 Bo'ness Revival as the Best Event of 2010 Simon said "Bo'ness Revival: a marvellous evocation of what hillclimbing was like 60 years ago, organised by dedicated volunteers working with a benevolent local authority. Others please copy."