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Welcome to the 2004 B.E.A.T. web site
(British Euro Auto Tour)
Join fellow Owners of British / European car
Owners on a two day tour of Arizona.
Welcome to the 7th Annual International British Euro Auto
Tour, (B.E.A.T.) This event is open to any and all British / European vehicles
and we are excited to share with you pictures, videos & newspaper articles. This
tour has grown to one of the largest multi-marque events in the southwest United
States and we hope you will join us in April for the next tour. 2004 had 115
registered vehicles 17 different marques and over 250 owners & navigators enjoy
the scenery and twisting back roads of Arizona. Let’s get started with the tour,
we’ve got 550 miles ahead of us, the engines are warmed up and rally books &
directions have been reviewed so “climb in & hang on” for two days of fun in the
sunshine.
Phoenix is our starting point and after final registration we are ready to hit
the roads heading north to Wickenburg for our first stop. With a full city block
set aside for our group, we enjoy coffee & donuts and continue the conversations
started in Phoenix. Great picture taking opportunities with the train station
and downtown charm of Wickenburg to take advantage of. After an hour of snacks,
the local police department stops traffic so our group can continue their
journey. With gas tanks topped up, we continue through the Joshua Tree National
Forrest and the special roads and canyons of Skull Valley & Hillside on our way
to enter Prescott from the west side. Upon entering Prescott, we motor our way
to “Whiskey Row” where we have the entire block of the highway all to ourselves.
Special police & traffic control allow our group to occupy the city block where
local car enthusiasts are now gathering to enjoy the cars on display. Lunch is
now on everyone’s mind and we have made reservations at four local restaurants
to honor the enclosed “BEAT Bucks” for lunch specials and discount prices. Also
available to our group are merchant’s special pricing and items from the
“Whiskey Row” merchants to welcome our group. Time to leave Prescott and while
police hold traffic, our tour heads north to tackle the Mingus mountains and
enjoy the history of Jerome and Clarkdale as we motor our way into Cottonwood.
The Riverfront Park welcomes our group as we park and enjoy the soft drinks and
ice cream available to our group. The chase vehicle, truck & trailer provided by
Baron & Kathy Smith, piloted by Ed Williams, join the group with a Triumph that
was “failing to proceed under its own power”. After more enjoyable conversation
and suggestions for additional items to do in 2005 in Cottonwood, we continued
out journey through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon to our overnight destination,
Little American Hotel in Flagstaff. After a brief check in for our group, Happy
Hour started with tails of the road, hairpin turns up and through Jerome. Camera
media cards were displayed on two televisions of the pictures just taken that
day by many of the drivers. A great way to show and tell that day’s driving
skills and the scenery of Arizona. The next morning after the group breakfast
was the beginning of the infamous Raffle prize drawing. Each driver received
with their registration 5 tickets for the chance to win two prizes. From the 75+
prizes that existed, donations from vendors, car clubs and special shopping by
Mike & Janice, all the prizes were passed out including some special selections.
From the Bob Louis & Len Wheeler duo, they selected Charles Taylor’s gorgeous
BMW Z-8 as the most desirable car on the tour. For His efforts Charles won a
secure AutoLock to protect His vehicle from the group. It was then decided that
Roger Dotson in His 1956 MGA with trailer, won the prize for longest driven
vehicle to the B.E.A.T. event. A gas gift card was presented to help Roger
return home. And you may wonder how out tour became, “International”? Thanks to
Frank DeCarlo for driving His 1974 MGB-GT from British Columbia to join our
group. We also had drivers representing California, Washington, Colorado, New
Mexico, Kentucky and Arizona. Additional thanks go out to Al & Jan Zagerman,
Greg Meyer & Chris, Joe Freschnecht, Ken Schmidt & Debra Cook, “Doc” & Margaret
Scadron for their great pictures they made available for our web site. Special
thanks to Frank & Judy Summers for their video shots, our first on the web site.
A big thank you to all who helped and car clubs that assisted. A very special
“Thanks” goes to Matt Williams who is the technical guru for this web site. Make
plans to join us, April 23-24 ‘ 05, for an exciting and fun weekend drive.