Friends of the Rest

11 December 2008

Rest and be Thankful DVD film premiere at Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park New Headquarters, Carrochan, Carrochan Road, Balloch, G83 8EG. Starts 7.30 pm.

Contains Newsreel footage from hillclimbs of 1950 and 1952. Produced by Shell and Esso, these films capture the RSAC round of the British Hillclimb Championship when Dennis Poore battled it out with Ken Wharton for the title. A must have for Christmas.

The Friends of the Rest are a group of enthusiasts who are interested in restoring the old Rest and Be Thankful road as a motoring heritage site. The Rest and Be Thankful has featured prominently in Scottish Motor Sport for many years and was in its heyday in the Rallies of the 50’s and 60’s. It helped launch the motor racing careers of some of the greats of International motor sport such as Sir Jackie Stewart.
The road surface has deteriorated so the first aim of the Friends of the Rest will be to upgrade the surface of the road so that it can once again feature in Historic and Classic events. You can join the group by completing an application form and help the restoration.

Calendar of Events - with confirmed dates
The Rest and be Thankful hill climb is becoming a popular venue for a range of Classic car Rallies and Tours. In the past Caledonian Classic and Historic Motorsport Club have run many events which have visited the Rest. In 2007 the 100th anniversary of Rolls Royce saw some 90 plus Rolls Royce cars climb the Rest, including the original Silver Ghost, on their tour from Lands end to John O' Groats. Other Scottish Motorsport Clubs also frequent the Rest as do HERO on their Le Jog and Classic Malts events.

2008 Events

Club Officials & Road Gang
The long term aim of the Friends of the Rest is to reinstate the old Rest and be Thankful hillclimb to its former glory. In the short term the aim is to organise a working party - the Rest road gang – to prevent the road from deteriorating further. Until such time as the Friends can raise the funds required to re-construct and resurface the length of the road the priority is to keep the potholes in check and deal with subsidence, landslips or flood damage.

Merchandise

Friends of the Rest merchandise will be available later this year, and will include t-shirts, sweaters, hats. The Friends of the Rest DVD with archive footage and clips from recent events will be available for sale at the World Premiere in November 2008.Details of how to purchase items will be on this website soon.
Currently on sale is a limited edition print from the Argyll Run 2007 (W420mm * H590mm, W16.5in * H23.25in) at a cost of £10 plus p&p
Contact: Douglas Anderson 01382 731755

webmaster@friendsoftherest.co.uk
Updated 26 November 2008