Neville Hay’s Obituary and Funeral Details as follows:
Neville Hay was born in Kidderminster Worcestershire on 12th November 1938. He was educated at King Charles 1st Grammar School Kidderminster and as a young man always listed his interests as girls, cars, and the Theatre in that order!
Neville worked briefly as an Actor and then joined the Motor Trade for some years. His theatrical interests
continued and this was where he met his future wife Dorothy in 1957. They married over 60 years ago on September 10th, 1960, and have three grown up children Richard Stephanie and John and six grandchildren
In 1960 he joined a Timber Merchants and Importers, a specialist Joinery Manufacturing business, of which he became Chairman and Chief Executive until he sold the business in 1975.
He started commentating on Motor Sport for fun, as cars and Motor Sport have always been present in his life.
As a small boy in the forties, his love of History and Motor Sport history in particular started and continued throughout his life.
The direct involvement in motor sport commentary began fifty years ago, and expanded in to writing as early as the sixties, covering road tests and Motor Shows throughout Europe.
His theatrical and his own motor racing ambitions became sacrificed however in order to hold down three different means of making living in the sixties and early seventies of which Motor Sport became a dominant part.
By the mid-sixties his Motor Sport commentaries began to centre around Film Commentary, Public Address and Broadcasting and by the mid-seventies this was a full time occupation.
The Film, TV and Broadcasting activities required writing scripts of course and by now he was a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers whilst also working as a freelance Commentator for BBC Radio. Worldwide TV
Commentaries followed including Channel 7 Australia, Screensport, Eurosport, Sky ITV and Channel Four.
In 1981 Neville and Dorothy Hay founded the successful television production company Hay Fisher Productions.
They were joined in the business by their elder son, Richard, who became a director in 1985.
In 1993 Neville was delighted to be invited by the Directors of the BRDC to become an Associate Member
The Hays sold their interest in the business to son Richard in 1994, Their younger son John who is a Partner in a Suffolk Solicitors practice, has also been involved, regularly assisting in what is now his brother’s organisation as a skilled and experienced cameraman
Neville continued commentating regularly until 1997, while producing TV Films on Motor Racing history became a major activity throughout the Nineties.
He has a large private library of Motor Sport books and Archive Film and Neville and his wife produced, wrote and directed well over a hundred Archive programmes.
The writing side of his activities expanded in the late nineties and was encouraged by his friend, Ed McDonough, and Charles Harbord, founder of the Magazine “Cars for the Connoisseur,” who invited him to write a regular column.
Neville and Dorothy Hay moved to the Isle of Man in 1997 and over the last twelve years Neville has concentrated on writing They now live in semi-retirement close to the sea with, as Neville puts it, ‘as much garden as my wife can manage’.
His Biography of Prince Birabongse of Thailand and the British Racing
Driver Tony Rolt were published in 2009.
He continued to commentate for TV, Radio and Circuits at the events he enjoys such as Le Mans, the Goodwood Historic Meetings, the Silverstone Classic and the Ormskirk Motorfest.
He has devoted more time to his other interests including good food, wine and cooking. Alongside writing he is an avid reader and his broad tastes in music and the theatre reflect a lifelong interest in both.
The Hays have always loved animals, particularly dogs, and have two King Charles Spaniels, Vince and Harry who play a large part in their lives.
One close friend has been heard to opine that given the choice,
he would come back as one of their dogs!
Neville started commentating for ACC at the Aintree Festival of Motorsport, in 2004, when we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Grand Prix Circuit over a 3-day event held in late November.
Neville had VIP treatment, staying at the same Hotel as Sir Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks and his great friend, Roy Salvadori and attending the two Black Tie Gala Dinners we held on the Friday and Saturday evenings.
He was also a regular visitor to Liverpool for treatment at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.
Neville then joined us for our Club Relaunch in 2009 and then became our Event Commentator for the Ormskirk Motorfest from 2011 to 2019, flying over from the Isle of Man and staying in his favourite Premier Inn at Scarisbrick, often accompanied by his wife, Dorothy, who would join us for our traditional “Motorfest Eve” Dinner in Ormskirk.
Neville would generally only commit to Motorfest a few weeks before the event because, to quote…”I never thought I would last this long!”
May his memory be preserved in the hundreds of motor racing films and documentaries he has produced, his motor racing commentaries and the pleasure we had from his jovial and enlightening company over the years.
The Club offers it’s condolences to Neville’s wife Dorothy and his children, Richard, John and Stephanie.
Wake to beheld at The Crown and Sandys Hotel, Main Road, Ombersley, WR9 0EW
Photo: Neville on the grid of the first Ormskirk Motorfest in 2011
OCEAN SPEED REVIVAL SOUTHPORT 2024 EDITION NOW OPEN FOR EARLY BIRD ENTRIES – SAT 14TH SEPTEMBER
Presented by
We are now accepting entries for the OCEAN SPEED REVIVAL SOUTHPORT 2024 EDITION.
This will take place on Saturday 14th September 2024 and use the same section of Southport’s Marine Drive as the 2023 Edition.
We are delighted to announce we doubling the length of the course to 1 Mile/1650m!
Please download the Event Supplementary Regulations from here
Please read and understand these SR’s for event details, particularly the Classes that you may enter.
To enter your car, please click here This will take you to our Online Entry System (with another link for the SR’s).
Invited Clubs/Associations:
Association of North-Western Car Clubs (Championship Qualifying Round) S.D.34 M.S.G.(Championship Qualifying Round) Aston Martin Owners Club Benjafields Racing Club Bentley Drivers Club (all regions) British Racing Drivers Club B.A.R.C. (all regions) B.R.S.C.C. (all regions) Bristol Owners Club Bristol Owners and Drivers Association (Championship Qualifying Round) Ferrari Owners Club Hillclimb and Sprint Association Jaguar Drivers Club Jaguar Enthusiasts Club Lancashire Automobile Club Liverpool Motor Club Longton and District Motor Club (Championship Qualifying Round) M.G. Car Club (all regions) (Championship Qualifying Round) Midland Automobile Club Morgan Sports Car Club
TVR Car Club Veteran Car Club of Great Britain Vintage Sports Car Club (Championship Qualifying Round)
Payment is by Bank Transfer or Cheque.
The event is a round of the ANWCC Sprint and Hillclimb Championship
Dates announced for 2024 Southport Classic and Speed/Revival.
The Club is delighted to announce that dates have been agreed with Victoria Park and Sefton Council for the 2024 Southport Classic and Speed and Ocean Southport Sprint Revival.
The Sprint Revival will take place on Saturday 14th September.
The eventwill feature a significantly extended speed course, with relocated start/finish with the Paddock remaining in Victoria Park.
The proposed changes are subject to Motorsport UK Approval and Track Licence.
Classic and Speed will take place the following day, Sunday 15th September and will follow the established show format in Victoria Park followed by the Grande Parade along Lord Street and The Promenade.
Entries are now open for Classic and Speed 2024. To enter your vehicle, click here.
If you have a PRE-WAR Car (Registered prior to Sep 1939), we have a concessionary entry. To enter your vehicle, click here.
ACC announces appointment of new event officials.
Aintree Circuit Club is delighted to announce the appointment today of two new event officials:
Alex Hughes has accepted the invitation from Club Chairman, Mike Ashcroft, to take up the position of Chief Marshal.
Alex has a very long-standing association with the Club being the eldest Son of Club President, Graham Hughes and brings with him a wealth of business, military and motorsport knowledge and experience to the role.
We have also appointed one of our long-standing Marshals, Michael Lovegrove, as Assistant Chief Marshal, who will work alongside Alex, ensuring we continue to deliver safe and successful events.
Southport Sprint Revival 2023
Update: We shall be publishing the Supplementary Regulations shortly.
Please use the contact box below to register your interest in entering the event:
Ormskirk Motorfest 2023 opens for Entries!
PRESS RELEASE
Ormskirk Motorfest returns for 2023!
Aintree Circuit Club is delighted to announce the return of the Ormskirk Motorfest, the biggest event of its kind in the North, after a long-awaited absence of 3 years.
Motorfest 2023 will take place on Sunday 28th May (Spring Bank Holiday weekend) and will be organised in partnership with Ormskirk School and The Endeavour Learning Trust (ELT).
The event will take on a slightly different format to previous editions, with greater community engagement, and instead of the previous closed road parades, there will be a Touring Assembly into Ormskirk through surrounding areas and a fantastic new venue at Ormskirk School. This will avoid the impact to traffic locally yet still provide a wonderful opportunity to see the amazing vehicles and atmosphere that Motorfest has brought to and enjoyed by thousands, in previous editions.
Motorfest is now inviting owners to enter their vehicles online at:
Michael Ashcroft, ACC Chairman and Event Secretary said:
“We are delighted to announce the return of the Ormskirk Motorfest for 2023 and our new partnership with The Endeavour Learning Trust. We think participants and the local community will warm to the new format and fully support the event as in previous editions. The event will remain free for the Public to attend. Ormskirk School is an ideal venue for Motorfest, and we look forward to working with the School and The Trust to ensure the event is a great success for all.”
For all information relating to Competition, Officials and Marshals Licences and Motorsport Regulations, please go to the Motorsport UK Website.
Aintree Circuit Club is a Founder Member of The Association of North Western Car Clubs, the biggest Regional Association in the UK, with over 120 Member Clubs.
As a Member, you are entitled to compete in numerous events organised by these Clubs covering all forms of Motorsport including Stage, Road and Targa Rallies, Sprints & Hillclimb and Autotest/AutoSOLO type events across a region stretching from Anglesey and North Wales, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cheshire and up to the Scottish Border.
For full details of all events, please visit their extensive website:
The Welsh Wonder Rally with The Benjafields Racing Club
ACC Officials and Marshals had a fabulous Welsh Wonder Touring Assembly last month with The Benjafields Racing Club…based at The Thornton Hall Hotel.
This Closed to Club event was a mix of a Touring Assembly and a Gymkhana testing both navigational, driving ability and non-driving skills such as ping pong ball throwing!
The was organised by ACC Members Sean Bramhall , Kev Haworth and Mike Ashcroft, covering a route from South Wirral to Snowdonia across some fabulous roads and equally fabulous countryside!
Entries were limited to pre-war sports and touring, with close to 30 “W.O” Bentley’s competing along with some very quick Talbots with a combined value of close to £40Million!!
Driving tests started on the Saturday Morning at nearby Thornton Manor, the former home of Lever Brothers (Unilever) founder, Lord Leverhulme, now owned by BDC Member Philip Cowan.
These were a mix of tarmac and loose surface roads timed to less than 5 sec, with the added spectacle of some unusual non-driving tasks thrown in!
Following this was a trip to the Glan-y-Gors Kart Circuit near Bala, for some quicker tests than Thornton, with cars displaying some very strange driving angles around corners including one of two doors opening unexpectedly.
A very nice Hog Roast lunch was provided after the test, which went down very well with all!
A further test was held near Bala after lunch, on the approach road to Casper Gillicks Vintage Restoration workshops with some demonstrations of metal working.
Cars then returned to Thornton Hall for the evening’s Gala Black Tie Dinner.
Sunday morning started with a drive back into North Wales to the Cae Drai 50’s themes Museum near Denbigh followed by a private visit and lunch at Peter Neumark’s fantastic collection of cars including some very rare road and racing Jaguars.
Some great photos from our resident photographer Sammy Dutton:
ACC Marshals on Parade! – 100th Aniversary Remembrance Day Parades in Skelmersdale and Burscough
ACC’s Corp of Marshals were once again called upon to put their motorsport and event operational expertise to community use by Marshalling the Parades Routes for both the 11.00AM Parade in Skelmersdale and the 14.00 Parade in Ormskirk.
Under the Command of Chief Course Marshal Lee Reece, both Parades ran like clockwork with a particularly large public gathering at Burscough, which necessitated the closure of the A59 Liverpool – Preston trunk road for an hour.
It was very nice to see the truck drivers held up in this attend the Remembrance Day Ceremony, which was at the War Memorial, adjacent to the A59.
It was a brilliant turnout and a huge thanks goes to everybody involved with the service. A wonderful ceremony and one of our Marshals laying a wreath as a man who’s served in our Armed Forces himself! We will never forget them.
The Leader of West Lancashire Borough Council, Cllr Ian Moran was in attendance and thanked our Marshals for their time and effort in ensuring the Parades were run safely and on schedule.
Well done to all our Marshals!
Our Monthly meetings take place from 7.30pm 1st Wednesday of the month at the Nordico Lounge Cafe-Bar, 22-24 Moor St, Ormskirk, L39 2AQ
