Common’s amazing motor
The elegant driveway planted in the streets around the All England Club is an annual attraction, and the cars in the driveway aren’t bad either – the front of Maryate Road is packed with Porsches, Bentleys, Mercedes and more. A Sunday morning walk up the hill brings a special treat for fans – a classic car race at Wimbledon Park. By 9am the tattered heathland was filled with a fantastic range of cars, from a Lotus Elan to a DAF 600, from a brand new Morgan to a 50-year-old Stingray. The hustle and bustle on the south side began during the coronavirus era, when two friends, Charles Evans and Jamie Whitley, started getting together, drinking socially distanced coffee and going for drives. What started out as just two cars now attracts dozens of eye-catching engines on the first Sunday of every month – while retaining a low-key and local atmosphere.
Shana’s Faith Journey
One of the regulars who spy on each other is Shana Parmeshwar, who has been customizing her Ford Ranger for the past four years. Its sides open to reveal a microwave, refrigerator, and even a pull-out dresser and mirror—all must-have items for her solo overland trip to Africa, which begins on Monday. Parmeshwar will provide prosthetic limbs to The Gambia and Ghana and raise funds for the Bristol-based organization to repurpose the limbs in the process. In addition to traveling through Morocco, Mauritania and the occasional minefield, she will also spend 300 miles across the Sahara Desert, “and this is where things get really sketchy.” She says her love of engines is as valuable as her faith: “My insurance policy is the guy upstairs.”
Brad’s rebranding continues apace
Brad Gilbert took time out from a busy week coaching Coco Gauff and doing commentary for ESPN to add new ones to his legendary player nicknames – favorites include ” Mad Man [Jack] draper, boy band [David] Goffin and Francis illuminate [Tiafoe]. France’s Giovanni Mpehi Pericard’s promotion to the fourth round of the men’s singles sparked his latest Nando-inspired effort. Now we have to wait and see if “Peri-Peri Hot Sauce” can face Rune-DMC in the finals, or even meet Gimme Shelton or “Escape from Alcaraz”.
