Back in the mid-1960s I was with Motor Racing magazine and a newly-launched stablemate named Miniature Auto. Alongside my motor racing fixation I was an avid model maker, and at that time slot-car racing centres were just gaining a British foothold. One day my colleague Darryl Reach – editor of the new Miniature Auto – and I drove to Clacton (yes, we got all the very best gigs) to view a brand-new slot-car centre there. I’ll never forget our arrival, the proprietor greeting us warmly and bawling over his shoulder “Maurie – put the kettle on! Very important visitors!”.