Rain, hail and extreme weather warnings couldn't stop the masses heading to Santa Pod Raceway for the 2008 GTI Spring Festival. Here's our best bits for your viewing pleasure. There's a link at the bottom of this news article to more than 70 of the best images that we took during the course of the weekend, so get hyperlinking and set your browser GOLF+ Gallery bound, now!

View the full gallery of pictures from GTI Spring Festival

A huddled mass in pouring rain during this year’s show and shine trophy presentation more or less summed up the vibe at Santa Pod recently, as the 2008 Spring Fest crowd briefly bid ‘sod it’ to the heavens and finally heard who won what in the Show and Shine.
You can see the full results list the June 2008 issue of the magazine, but know that it was a great day namely for Jason Buckley scooping Best Mk1; Greg Howell for best Mk4; Tony Payne for Best Cab and Best Paint, and Jay Mac with his Mk1 for Best Engine, Best Interior and the penultimate award: Car of Show.
It was some consolation for the wet conditions, which seemingly put paid to the much anticipated drag strip action, the track greasy and sodden by intermittent rain with the drying vehicles having their work cut out for them. Snow last week, rain now. And Spring went where, exactly? Still, the event managed a solid turnout with around 130 cars turning up for the self-judged show and shine. A top effort, all things considered.
The biggest disappointment being felt, though, were from the hundreds of punters who’d paid 20-quid to run their fine Dubs down the strip – but just when calls for “money back” picked up pace, a few moments of sun and some rapid strip drying meant organiser Brian Burrows and the team could let the belated runs get under way, giving the people their fun. Good man.
Key times looked forward to were Paul Jordan’s Mk1 Scirocco, which ran a best on the day of 10.51sec – but after competition standings unfortunately, and the long-awaited weapon that is Andy Waite’s 550bhp AWD Mk1, which clocked a stonking 10.57sec in the slippery conditions. Awesome performances there, so it’ll be great to see what happens come the – hopefully – drier weather later this year.
All up it was a good if ‘freeze ya nipples off’ day out, made worse by all those idiots out there who wore shorts in a vain attempt to bluff the sun into showing up for longer than five seconds (okay, it was just me). Anyhoo, that didn’t happen! Oh well, until the next thrilling instalment...
GTI Festival, 6 July 2008. See ya there!

View the full gallery of pictures from GTI Spring Festival