4:13pm Friday 15th May 2009
By Neil Johnson
CLITHEROE and District motor club have two thousand reasons to celebrate after the Jack Neal Memorial Rally was hailed a success.
Over 50 cars and crews contested the charity event at Blyton airfield in Lincolnshire as a tribute to the well-respected MSA scrutineer who passed away last year.
And by the end of the day, a total of £2000 had been raised for Pendleside Hospice, where Jack spent his final days.
Clerk-of-the-course and driving force behind the rally, Bruce Lindsay, was delighted with the result.
He said: “Thanks to everyone involved, the competitors, marshals, officials and sponsors, it was a fantastic event.
“I was lucky to have a great team behind me, and well-behaved, good mann-ered competitors, all of which made my job both easy and worthwhile.
“I know Jack will have been looking down with a big smile on his face to see us all having a great day’s motorsport.”
And Lindsay revealed that that such was the success of the event at Blyton, which was used as a rally venue for the first time since 1997, that plans are now being made to make the Jack Neal Memorial an annual event.
“We didn’t know just how good it would be, but it’s now clear from the feedback we’ve had from everyone that we should make this a regular fixture on the calendar,” he added.
“The club is now going to apply for championship status, which will hopefully attract even more competitors next year.”
Overall victory went to Peter Jackson in his Ford Escort Mk2, who paid his own tribute to Jack Neal.
“The venue was fantastic and the organisation was brilliant, but the biggest thanks of the day must go to the big fella himself,” he said.
“Every event I attended he would pull me to one side, ask how my dad was and tell me tales of scutineering his cars in the 70’s and the antics they used to get up to.
“Never a bad word just lots and lots of wisdom, Jack will be missed but never forgotten, words that echoed through the paddock all day.”
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