d_dublya

Just wonderin where everyone, if anyone, heads to.

ulsterscooby

Been up to portrush a couple of sundays but up for anywhere

d_dublya

Not much then?
We headed to Portstewart a couple of weeks ago. Its usually ok. Used to go to BishopsCourt, Millisle and stuff like that years ago, but that seems to have died down. I hear Portadown and Cookstown are places to visit.
Damn web sites have ruined cruising. Bangor used to be a spot all through the 80s and 90s - showing my age here, then along came the web site and a couple of years later - dead.
Personally, illegal or not, I love the screwin around - diffin, burnouts, and 1/4 mile stints - it seems that these are now frowned upon by the car enthusiasts of web clubs - or maybe thats just a community relations front.
I know people have their affiliations to clubs / websites - just wonderin where the scoobys ended up on a traditional sunday night cruise.

c0lin

i go 2 bangor the odd time...

geoffo

well...

i helped run bangorcruise for a long time, started goin when I was 16 and am 33 now, made the journey from larne to bangor every sunday and once thru the week to discuss shows etc. then i simply got fed up burying mates that wer into a scene that constantly pushed itself to an point of no return. Ive been involved in everything from dragging to diffing and made the call to organise it all but when you come out of the church after a service with another mate in a box and there’s 100’s off cruisers all standing with black ties, red eyes looking at you coz you’re the one that’s been behind it for years you soon change your trail of thought, so i myself made the call to the PSNI that changed the whole damn scene went in the telegraph and on tv with a message for guys to slow down, the word spread and soon i helped North Coast Cruisers (to name but one) put the same message across and the cops helped us all-out and thats how we started the Cruise Control Shows that are a positive step forward for car enthusiasts.

I miss the illegal stuff at bishops, the nights dragging in balloo after all that’s why I built my cars so could run at these things I have loadsa pics of us down there or at nutts after a good old break in, diffing in all arts and parts of the country but i got touched by the darker side of things “too” many times and that’s why i turned over a new leaf and believe me the scene is a bigger part of my life than most, its cost me a fortune doin all the shows and given up time to be there but we built a track car and take it to proper events instead of putting innocent lives at risk so that’s what the websites have done, perhaps made it safer they certainly haven’t ruined it or caused its “death” as d_dublya may have mentioned. Im sorry if its ruined it for you but if you wer in the loop then you’d know what still goes on and is still happening for those that still wana see fit to play with lives in less controlled environements.

Now I aint a “goody to shoes” by no means and I think a few on here will back me up on that but im jus fed up being pulled everynite, getting phoned that another mate aint coming home, doin “other” charity events to raise cash because the family cant afford the funeral - I love this scene and feel very strongly about it but wen uve been in as deep as I have and saw what you can start with a txt and how it can end then maybe just maybe one thing you’ll modify is you’re future behaviour coz behind it all is a person that’s started it and im fed up with that label.

theres a time and a place for everything, learn it or run the risk of goin down with it, your choice, simply as.

d_dublya

Didnt mean to single Bangor out but it did used to be one of the greatest, that spanned decades. What I was trying to make out was that it belonged to no-one, and I feel that web sites have attempted to claim these cruises and in turn made themselves responsible.
I understand the illegal racing thing and I'm guilty of taking part and enjoying the thrill of it.
It is good that there are plenty of good legal things to attend but alot of it is a rip off or very overcharged.
But on discussing this matter earlier tonight with a friend I see that years ago people were into their cars, not many drove either. These days everyone drives and and the modified car scene has exploded. With it brings more attention and ********. Maybe the cruise thing out grew itself by going commercial and mainstream and was doomed to implode.
Maybe I'm just old now and remembering fondly driving through Bangor in the late evening, sun still up in a Toyota Carina, bumper to bumper and before loud sound systems and things are the same - I just dont have any hair left now.

geoffo

bangor still does get a good crowd on a sunday mate, i know for sure that on most occasions only a handful and i stress less than a dozen are regualars from the site so the ones not goin are ones not associated with the site so we can hardly point fingers.

i admit to the the thrill of the less legal stuff too, if you wer around the last night they broke into nutts corner after the sports car show in the kings hall then il have to agree it was the best cruise i was ever at.

as for things being a "rip-off" its hard to set shows aside to differ from eachother BUT jap heaven is a diffo set-up from the rs show in the port as is the vauxall guys too and i really dont think anyone minds paying a few quid towards charity... as thats what most shows put the cash too, infact i think thats wer it all goes, bangor road trauma fund, carnology - cancer etc.

i no the scene is full of more of an antisocial element as is football etc. which is why guys like me tried to show the difference between the two with websites and shows as its hard to tell the difference in a carpark or up the strip at a ton in an industrial estate. looking back i think i havent got thru to many.

i too have little hair lol! and im long in tooth but things are very much alive as time stands still for no man and as things change either change with them or fade out altho the more meets you goto the more guys you'll see that share memories like ourselves so your not alone but its hard to keep the young ones out as we ourselves wer in there shoes years ago and imsure others spoke of us as we do of them if ya get my drift.

im not picking arguements man, jus think its good to get a constructive topic going on here as we both obviously feel strong about this. i think attending the dragging at a track is a bet betta, timed runs, legal, safer, ambulance crews OH! - and you can keep our licence.

fabiostar

with age comes sense ,well sort of. and we can look at the younger guys now and shake our heads but as stated above im sure nobody can call themselves an angel..

there is a good scene at the min and there will always be an element.we may have been that element ourselves 20 years ago. im a kinda newbie to it and having a ball in my car.mind you theres a time and a place for antics...and when i wana get the antics out im in a good position as i still race supermoto bikes in the ulster and irish champinships.mega fun .

and hands up guilty as charged as in the 80s my mates and i used to go to bangor on a sunday night on 160mph bikes to "car bait". which generally ended up out on the road to belfast doing silly speeds.

yup it was wrong and yup sometimes i sit and think what a **** i was.but its done and i have to thank the big man upstairs for getting me to this wrinkly age.

the sad bit in the world i came from(bikes)was that i spent a lot of time at churchs. .and not in a good way .

fabio(43 and still having a ball.this time with my head screwed on)