Mr Jim Jones
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our vice-president Mr Jim Jones. He made a huge contribution to motorsport in Wales and further afield and did so much to raise the profile of Caernarvonshire & Anglesey Motor Club.
Jim was initially a member of North Wales Car Club and was involved with their Cambrian Rally. Then, in the early 1970s, he moved from Conwy to Anglesey to work in Llangefni and a chance meeting with the late John Robinson saw him become involved with our Uniflo Gwynedd Road Rally in 1973 as Chief Timekeeper. He was again Chief Timekeeper in 1975 when C&A Motor Club was the first club in north Wales to run a forest stage rally.
In 1977 the event became a round of the Castrol Autosport National Rally Championship with Jim now Joint Clerk of the Course with John. Under their leadership the rally continued to grow in stature and attracted sponsorship from Skip Brown Cars in a partnership that lasted six years from 1984, during which the event’s HQ moved from Llandudno to Chester in 1988. The Skip Brown partnership ended in 1989 and was followed by an eleven-year arrangement with Vauxhall Motors from 1990 to 2000.
Jim was ambitious to see the event continue to grow, and the route would extend from the local forests of north Wales to include classic stages in Dyfi, Dyfnant and Hafren further south. In 1992, the Vauxhall Sport Rally as it was now known was upgraded to international status and became a round of a new British Rally Championship with a start and finish at Chester Racecourse. The next year came a new name – the Vauxhall Rally of Wales - and, as a first step to becoming a two-day event, the rally started at 2pm on the Saturday, had a brief night halt in Aberystwyth, and had the first car finish in Chester at 10am Sunday. The following year it was full two-day event and included two National status rallies running alongside the International BRC round.
With Jim’s drive, the Vauxhall Rally of Wales became a round of the FIA European Rally Championship in 1994 and by now have stage mileage in the region of 150 miles. It now also included a Historic Rally and Landrover Challenge. After the 2000 event, Vauxhall Motors decided to reduce their support for rallying and target other areas of motorsport. Sponsorship of the required level was difficult to come by and the Rally of Wales did not run after 2004.
Before the days of Wales Rally GB, Jim was also heavily involved with organising the north and mid Wales section of the RAC Rally of Great Britain.
Jim would continue to be very much involved with motorsport as chairman of C&A Motor Club and stewarding on many events in the UK as a club steward or MSA/MSUK steward. He had an in-depth knowledge of the Motorsport Yearbook (Blue Book) and was always ready to give assistance and advice.
Jim will be very much missed by those who knew him and we send our sincere condolences to his wife Barbara, son Andrew and family.
Our photos show Jim with Jerry Lucas and James Robertson during the Glyn Stages at Trac Môn and, in the second one, with our Patron Mr Don Mills at the Club's annual dinner.
