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1
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MO
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Right, Geoff and Elvis Payne in the studio today, now guys, you’re doing something completely different and if you don’t mind me saying, I think it’s slightly daft and bizarre because you’re driving from Tamworth to the North Cape, which is the furthest point in Europe, not in just a normal car is it, it’s in something a little bit different.
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GP
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Yeah, it’s in a 1990 Reliant Robin Mk 2
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MO
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and why you doing this
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GP
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because really, I mean we decided that we are gonna help by raising money for Focus for blindness, the Birmingham group, but basically because me and my brother have got quite close now and we decided that we just wanted to do some mad cap scheme together.
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MO
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and you thought of thinking, OK well we are from Tamworth, and what’s Tamworth well known for, Reliant Robins, let’s drive up there. If mean you don’t mind saying, you’re pretty big lads, you know, you’re quite tall, reasonably well built and you are both going in the same car
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EP
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We are indeed yes, I don’t know how we are going to fit in there to be honest, us two, three weeks worth of supplies, so, it will be quite packed.
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MO
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and I assume a tent or something as well because you can’t sleep in the car can you?
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EP
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No, we are hoping for these tents, like emergency tents, take then out of the car and flip them up in two seconds.
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MO
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So tell us a bit about the journey then
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GP
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Well basically we start from Tamworth, and we, on June 7th and we leave Tamworth at 12 o’clock from the Castle grounds, we from there drive down to Folkestone, where we spend the night, we meet up with a few other Reliants and then we grad the train, across to France. drive up through France and through the various different countries up to Oslo where we actually meet a load of European Reliants and once we get to Oslo, we spend two days there and then we carry on, up through Norway to the Cape and then we come back which takes approximately seven days through Sweden, back to Oslo where me and Elvis then will jump on a ferry back to erm
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EP
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Newcastle
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GP
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Newcastle, and then come back to Tamworth to finish the trip on the 28th of June.
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MO
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So have you got actually stuff planned for an event here in Tamworth apart from being at the grounds what are you gonna do whilst you’re there?
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GP
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We are hoping to bring awareness for Birmingham Focus for blindness but basically, just do a bit of a fun day so people can come down, see the Reliants, all part of 3-wheelers.com, and get to know what a Tamworth product really was.
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MO
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Where’s the love for the Reliant Robin, the most annoying car in my opinion in the World, where does the love come from?
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EP
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I used to have one at university about 10 years ago, went to university and had a motorbike, and I hadn’t passed a car test, so my mom said buy a Reliant Robin, I mean, you’ll manage to get all your bags and cases in the back of it and you’ll be fine. So I bought a Reliant Robin, it was bright pink it was and having a Reliant Robin was one thing, but having a bright pink one was bad news so I painted it blue, and, from there to be honest, people always laugh at them, but once you have got one. it sort of injects some sort of personality into you and even though now, I don’t drive one every day, I’ve got two other cars, Reliants, that I still use for weekends and shows.
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MO
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So I’ve actually just slated two of your cars?
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EP
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You have yes.
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MO
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My sincerest apologies, tell us about your web site, it’s 3-wheelers.com isn’t it?
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EP
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It is, I started it about, in 2000, initially all my photos from university, Reliants, I put on the web site and it was so well received, I made a web site for all 3-wheelers and over the years, it’s grown and grown and grown and now it’s over a thousand four hundred pages in size and quite soon it gets it’s one millionth hit.
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MO
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Is it the biggest 3-wheelers web site in the world is that right?
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EP
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It is, I mean, it’s been in Microsoft Encarta, the BBC, I’ve helped them with some DVDs
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MO
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right
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EP
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and Only Fools and Horses, I was actually on the DVD in the biography
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MO
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oh wow
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EP
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and I’ve been in newspapers and magazines and I’ve been in newspapers and magazines all over the World with it.
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MO
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and have you actually seen Del Boys car, because, I mean, he is synonymous for his 3-wheelers isn’t he
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EP
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Well
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MO
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have you seen that
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EP
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they used quite a few in the series, I think it was about 11 altogether, so, I’ve seen one at the Cars of the Stars museum in Keswick and there are so many copies now, I mean, everyone buys a Reliant van and just puts Trotters on the side of it and paints it yellow
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MO
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paint it yellow and job done
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GP
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Not even if it’s the right one, they actually use Mk 2 Robins, they use Rialtos, stick it, make it yellow, stick the sign on, there’s a Dell boy van. I think not
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2
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MO
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Now you’re looking for sponsorship for the event as well aren’t you because I assume there’s going to be quite a bit in fuel cost and everything else like that so you need that covering, you also need to get some sponsorship anyway for Birmingham Focus on Blindness. How can we get in touch and help out on this?
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GP
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There’s a couple ways, I mean, we’re looking hopefully to raise about £3,000 through corporate sponsorship and, so basically we are selling spaces on the car, we’ve already got Morris who have come on board and we are being helped by the Black Country Living museum as well as Tamworth Borough Council, so if any corporate sponsors, they can contact us through 3-wheelers.com, there’s a link on the site and if anyone would like to just give to the charity, Birmingham Focus for Blindness, we’ve set up a special section at justgiving.com, so it will be, www.justgiving.com/reliantchallenge and then they can go on there and do a secure online donation.
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MO
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Good work
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EP
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We hope to raise £10,000
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MO
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£10,000 from a Reliant Robin, how many could you buy with that?
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EP
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Not even one to be honest, a new one.
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GP
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No because a new one is quite expensive now ... if you can find one
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MO
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Just having a look at some of these here, you really, really are passionate about them aren’t you, you got the Old Red on her which looks more like a bike, the New Blue, as well which is the one that’s going out on the trip isn’t it?
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GP
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Yes, that’s right
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MO
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a 1991, so what sort of speeds can you get out of this?
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GP
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Well with Old Red, her top speed is about 35 - 40mph, it’s the oldest one known to exist in the Midlands, if not further afield, it’s 1949 and people can actually see that at the Tamworth Heritage day and hopefully at a couple of other local events around Tamworth because the Black Country Living museum loan it to me to bring out, but New Blue, she should be able to cruise quite happily at 60 mph once she is fully loaded, they can actually touch up to 90 / 95 mph
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MO
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Is that safe?
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GP
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Well that’s another question
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MO
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I mean, let’s be honest, OK it’s illegal anyway to do 90 mph so I’m not condoning that.
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EP
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Theoretically!
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GP
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Theoretically, yes, in the safety of an airport track.
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MO
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I wouldn’t like to take it around the Top Gear track with the Stig, I think that would be on its roof pretty quickly wouldn’t it
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GP
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Yes, I think so.
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MO
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All right guys, well thanks for joining us today and best of luck with it, let us know how you get on, on the challenge and feel free to call in everyday as well throughout the challenge and we can keep a bit of an on-air diary for you as well
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EP
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Great, thank you
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GP
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Thank you.
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