FEATURE : ALAN JONES
Motorsport , the HSCC and me
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In the office in 2007 – with hair ! ( photographer unknown !) Note : photos by Alan Jones , unless otherwise noted
This is one of those reverse stories that starts at the end . I have , since announcing my retirement , received , cards , kind words and gifts from the many people I have been fortunate to meet and work with in my time with the HSCC . Thank you . All comments are very much appreciated and probably undeserved on my part . Putting it simply I have spent the last 16 years , being paid to spend time pursuing my hobby , drawing on the experiences and racing I have been watching all of my life . Not many people can say that .
At one time , the pseudonym of The Anorak was bestowed on me . That ’ s not really justified as over the years I have met and known people with a very wide knowledge of motor sport . If you are talking anoraks , spend time with some of the marshals like
Andy Wallace winning at Le Mans 1988
Andy Wallace in his formative years
A tale of coincidence fate and luck . Our retiring competitions secretary Alan Jones reflects on his motor sport story so far .
Bob Sketchley , or engage our scribes and commentators Marcus Pye , Ian Titchmarsh or Paul Lawrence . They are the full encyclopaedic anoraks : I am the very abridged version . My failure is my memory . I could never remember things at school and unfortunately that blank has followed me through life .
Asked to write this piece on my time with the HSCC , I picked up a thread that takes me back to the beginning and the more I followed it I could see how people and events all became interwoven to culminate in my time with the HSCC .
Being cyclical the story begins at Silverstone and for this part is completed there . My dad was a keen enthusiast and he went to Silverstone in 1948 . He was a
“ The colour , smell , sight , sound and feel of being close to a racing car ”
farm labourer at the time and cycled with a group of mates from the farm to Silverstone to see the first Grand Prix . He was a subscriber to British Racing Motors and he arrived in time to hear the BRM engine fire up .
When I was old enough my dad took me to Silverstone . The noise hurt my tender ears , especially close to . But I was excited by it too . The colour , smell , sight , sound and feel of being close to a racing car . My dad worked on Saturdays as he had left the farm , learnt electronics and became a TV and radio engineer .
Aside from the BRDC Daily Express Trophy practice days which were on a Thursday and Friday , the first race meetings I went to were on the Bank Holiday Mondays organised by the Nottingham Sports Car Club . Look on Facebook and see the huge crowds in the stands and the full four-three-four grids . That was motor sport in the 1960 , even at club level . We could not afford to go to the big meetings , so when Formula 2 went to Silverstone for Easter in 1967 we went to Mallory Park for the NSCC races . I was totally addicted and by 1967 comics were out and I was collecting Motoring News from the newsagent , avidly reading the race reports and the event previews .
The years moved on and I first cycled then drove to Silverstone . It was my second home . We had a group of pals we would see at each meeting , with the agreement that whoever was first reserved the seats . Back row yellow seats of the Woodcote grandstand looking up the Club Straight .