CLUB CORNER
“ It is run on the public highway , starts late on the Saturday evening and runs through to the early hours of Sunday morning . It is around 120-150 miles with a petrol halt in the middle somewhere . It has become very much something that people have got behind and that is what has got it to where it is now .”
Building the Future
The Club now has a strong offering that combines Cluborganised Interclub Hill Climb and Road Rally events , a solid grassroots base in 12 Car Rallying and a positive collaborative relationship with its nearest neighbour . As a result , there is a healthy appetite for motorsport in the area and Locke feels hopeful that this can grow .
The region is such a popular holiday destination , however , that visitors gridlock the roads in the summer and the increase in holiday home owners means there are fewer people around in the winter . Locke acknowledges that adds a unique challenge to putting on events – but recognises that there could a beneficial side to that too .
He explains : “ There are fewer and fewer roads around here that you can use and because there are lot of holiday homes down here these days , compared to 30 years ago , it is becoming harder to try to persuade people they are not going to notice you going past at 12 o ’ clock at night on a Road Rally !
“ The success of one event enables you to nurture another ,” concludes Locke . “ The Hill Climbs have got a spectator base and they generate the revenue to be able to run these other events at a subsidised price . You are fishing in one direction to catch somebody in a different direction .
“ We are now starting to look at Autotests again because we want to bring them back too . We have been looking for a new venue ever since we lost the last one and are now talking to somebody who might be able to help . It is at an early stage at the moment , but there is hope that something will come out of that .
“ We have always been the sort of Club where you get two or three generations of a family involved , so there is a natural progression . My wife is involved , my two daughters and their partners are involved , and we have great hopes of the three granddaughters being involved eventually , although they ’ re only one and three right now !
“ The oldest one is quite happy to sit in my car and be driven around the fields while we setup the venue , but cannot reach the pedals to drive yet ! There are lots of families in the Club who are continuing the motorsport line like that , and that makes it far easier for the Club to put on these sorts of events and to evolve into the future .”
“ There is a thought , though , that maybe we could work with holiday let owners and encourage them to create packages for Road Rallying weekend holidays . A sort of motorsport tourism . It is a beautiful region and maybe we could encourage people to come down to from all over the UK to enjoy it and do a Road Rally at the same time .”
The Club seems ambitious in its future focus , and by handing the organisation baton to his son-in-law for the Club ’ s second Interclub event , Locke has shown there is hope that the club could move from generation to generation . Assuming the Plymouth Rally is a success . Then it is on to the next one .
To find out more on Plymouth Motor Club and its growing range of activities , see https :// plymouthmotorclub . co . uk
Revolution - March 2025
65