These are true stories happening.    Everything seems to happen on a Friday.

Scenario 1

Early one Friday morning we receive a telephone call from a stranded Dutchman in Dorset.    He had come over from Holland in his rally-prepared Fulvia to participate in quite a tough UK rally.   The rally was due to start the next day, but his Fulvia had lubrication problems, and the engine bearings were damaged.   What does he do?

We phone various people we know in the area, who know what a Fulvia was like.    None were willing to help, apart from a Volvo garage who were willing to lend space and tools..   In any case, no-one in the area had stocks of the parts needed.    How do we get the parts to him?   Someone said try a motorcycle messenger.    No-one could get the parts there in time at any sensible cost.    The Volvo garage had no Lancia experience.

Being several hundred miles away, what could we do to help?   Nothing it would appear, but by 10:30am, an Omicron engineer had chartered a light aircraft, and was being flown from Norwich to Dorset, with enough parts to solve any eventuality.     By 3pm that afternoon, the car was running once more.   The next day, the car entered the rally and finished without any problems.

Scenario 2

We receive a call from an Italian, who was in Scotland about to start a rally the next day.   He manages to contact someone one the rally in a similar car, who luckily, and out of character, had his mobile phone with him, who recommended us.     We found out that his driveshaft had broken, and the car was stuck in a garage.    By 8:30am the next morning, the Italian received a parcel, containing parts required.   Car successfully entered and finished the rally.   

Scenario 3

Mid-way one Friday afternoon we received a call from a man en-route to a prestigious concours event in Paris.   The cars bonnet had opened in transit, causing quite serious damage.    The car was due to be shown in the Concours the next day.    The owner had managed to find a kind garage with compressed air facilities.    By 4pm, our in-house panel-man had collected all the tools, matched paint, primer, underbonnet paint, thinners and other things needed, and packed them in a rucksack - this was weighed before he left at 56 kilos.

After a trip home to grab a passport, Simon was en-route to London Liverpool Street on the 17:20pm train, arriving at 19:20.    At Liverpool Street he found that there was some problem with the underground, and as a result, traffic was horrendous, and taxis were unavailable - so Simon jogs (with backpack) to Waterloo, where he manages to catch the last Eurostar train for Paris by seconds..   Arriving in the French workshops at midnight, Simon works through the night, having already done a full days work, successfully repairs the damage, much to the owners amazement.

The car was shown at the concours the next day.  Word of the accident had reached the Judges and other competitors, although you couldn't tell by looking at the car.    Said Judges, most of whom are Automotive Engineers, Car Stylists or designers or involved elsewhere in the Automotive industry acknowledged Simons effort.    From their background, they knew the time these things took, and to repair the damage properly was virtually impossible in the time available.  He, and us, was given a standing ovation at the after-event dinner, by which time Simon was back in the UK, nursing sore shoulders.