IN LIKE A LION, OUT LIKE A LION! . . . There were some great events in July but so much of it overshadowed by the extreme weather internationally.  For us it was the Goodwood Festival of Speed in three-digit Fahrenheit.  Our Hospitality Suite paid off in protection from the sun, opposed to previous years from the rain.  Go figure! Unless you were hiding under a ‘no-sport’ rock, July provided its usual highlights of Grand Prix racing, Wimbledon tennis, Tour de France cycle racing, and the World Cup soccer championship. All in difficult weather temps.  Roll on August, hopefully with a little lowering of the heater.

MONTEREY CAR WEEK . . . Yes, coming up arguably the biggest car event in the USA.  Since 1994 I religiously headed down to the Monterey peninsula for what was then a four-event week – Laguna Seca Historic Races, Italiano Concorso at the Quail and Pebble Beach Concours plus a car auction.  Ruined by its own successes, you now require a booklet (thank you Sports Car Market) to negotiate the myriads of events, particularly the auctions, going on all week. Accommodation was never cheap, I recall $250 a room night in Carmel no less.  I don’t have to tell you the costs now. There are no rooms available anyway, unless you have booked them immediately following the previous year’s event. I have now passed on Monterey week for a number of years.  I miss it, but not that much. It’s not just Monterey. All major events are becoming a wealthy man’s sport everywhere.  Try Monaco at $3,000 for a regular seat, $10,000 for a balcony spot and $25,000 for a pit walk.  People were paying thousands of dollars for one match during the World Cup.  Of course, I really shouldn’t protest too much as my car tours in Europe have done very well.  I bring originality, great viewing and camaraderie together on a budget that, while not cheap, does allow my clients super value and still leaves a few dollars in their pockets. How did you like that segue? Never miss an opportunity to toot your own horn!

ANOTHER NEWS FLASH: September 23rd, Fitz is hosting hot laps in the McLaren at Silverstone. Call Steve for info

NORMANDY & the LE MANS CLASSIC, 2027 …. We already have the Itinerary loaded on our web site. Actually, we do the same program every two years. It’s very popular. As this year’s event is this weekend, we won’t get the 2027 announcement for at least one more month. However, I feel safe to say that it will be the first week end of July. Over the years we have built up a strong relationship with both the hotel at Omaha Beach and also in Tours. With Tours we share the incident when in 2023 our coach was blown up. The relationship between Normandy and British/Canadians/Americans is as strong as eighty odd years ago. When our bus was attacked, (I add at night when we were not in it), the reaction from the locals and businesses was outrage. They came to our aid in such a way that we felt like it was right out of 1944. The only distress was from Interpol, whose agent felt sure that the English guide (me) and our coach driver (Italian) were the perps – they only say ‘perps’ on US TV. In Europe, the word is much ruder. Fortunately, the agent eventually realized what upright citizens we were and removed us from the Most Wanted list. We cannot guarantee any future attacks. Most unlikely, but should they occur, we will certainly charge you for it.

Track sprint, always a highlight of the Le Mans Classic

Derek, a popular guy

Our doomed coach

Before with ‘perps’

To get all the details on our 2026/27 Tours, you can find them on our website –  www.steveaustinsgreatvacations.com
by Email – steveaustin@colton.com or Cell: (503) 349-8769