If you can’t resist the smell of engine oil and warmed up car tyres, and the sounds of revving engines and sleek gear changes are both music to your ears and pure delight for your senses, then Jersey will be a dream destination in which to run your business, and to make your home.
Last month saw the grand finale of Jersey’s motoring season in the form of the Jersey Motorcycle and Light Car Club's ‘Jersey Rally’, probably the greatest action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled motoring event of the year. For two days, the usually quiet leafy lanes of Jersey are transformed into an island-wide, high-speed motor racing course, with local speed limits temporarily raised to the sky's the limit! The famous Colin McCrae quote “straight roads are for fast cars, turns are for fast drivers” is all too true for this event!
Competition, is always keen to say the least, with up to 100 cars made up of local drivers and navigators racing against visitors from Europe, the UK, Guernsey and beyond, to gain the hard-fought top spots and win the coveted trophies. Anyone meeting the required safety and registration regulations can enter this race (albeit you can race in anything from a classic, a modern sports car to little road runner) so relative novices are able to test their skills against some of the best (like Nicky Grist in 2009!). Though it must be said that for some, competing in and finishing the two day gruelling competition, with a relatively intact car is achievement enough.
Jersey has a surprisingly rich history and love of motorsport, the first rally having taken place in 1935 and continuing almost annually to the present day, but pausing, relatively briefly, during the darker days of the German occupation. However, with the Island’s strong spirit undefeated by war, Jersey hosted the first, post-war, British Grand Prix race when the Jersey International Road Race, a Formula 1 non-Championship race was held in St Helier in 1947. Following WW2, there were no motor racing circuits in operation in Britain and so a street circuit was staged in Jersey. It triumphed as the first large, international motoring event to be held following the end of the war and ran for 4 years. Now, after so many decades, motorsport clearly runs through the veins of the Island, with multiple generations of families competing over the years and so rallying has become a rite of passage for many motorsport loving families.
For me, the Jersey Rally is the sporting event of the year, showcasing pure tenacity, talent, passion, bucket loads of adrenaline, community spirit and great fun, though perhaps I may be a little biased in my praise! Mine is a motorsport family, with my big brother competing in events over the last several years, in a car he rebuilt himself. Whether you’re looking around the cars at the pits, cheering from the roadside or celebrating with the crowds at the finishing line, there is so much goodwill and community spirit in evidence that it’s hard not to get the rallying bug.
There are so many motorsport events in Jersey that you can get involved in. Whether watching as a spectator, taking part in classic car cavalcades, hill climbs or sprints, sand racing, car shows, motor-cross, karting and dirt rallying, there is something for everyone of any age, with many clubs and events right on your doorstep!
There is always something to look forward to or get involved with here in the Island, and if motorsport is your passion, and you decide to move to Jersey, you can go to any of these events and feel the welcoming spirit of Jersey for yourself as you share your passion with other motorsport enthusiasts!
A selection of vehicles from this year's 2018 entrants- Cars; 69, 6, 38, and 81.
If you want to know more about moving to Jersey, get in touch today and speak to a member of the team by calling +44(0)1534 440604 or email us at locatejersey@gov.je or alternatively you can find a specific member of the team here.