Does anybody miss DSJ?

spotted this afternoon at Brooklands...........

Very nice. 

That's not the Duesenberg crankshaft from the original photo so what is it?

Edited by D-Type, 09 October 2013 - 20:36.

i've no idea Duncan

As ever, I make no apologies for noting Jenks' passing 15 years ago today. I do, however, apologise for the poor quality of my shot of him with SCM and Lady Moss at the 1996 FoS. He was not in the best of health at that time.Photo copyright Roger Lund, all rights reserved.This was the occcasion when, as the three of them walked into the assembly area, the crowd suddenly fell to a hush, then the words "It's Jenks," and "it's DSJ" could be heard from the knowledgeable spectators, who broke into a spontaneous round of applause.Many thanks Jenks, and RIPRoger Lund

Thank you, Roger...

A nice reminder.

Different crowd demographic compared to when I met him at Donington at 93 GP. I had spotted the familiar figure (from pictures only ) pushing his little Moulton bike down hill next to the Craner Curves during free practice. Nobody looked twice at him but I seized the opportunity and had a chat with him. He was very opinionated - so he didn't disappoint- 'Mickey Mouse circuit ' etc and we talked for only 5 minutes or so but it was an encounter I treasure.

Different crowd demographic compared to when I met him at Donington at 93 GP. I had spotted the familiar figure (from pictures only ) pushing his little Moulton bike down hill next to the Craner Curves during free practice. Nobody looked twice at him but I seized the opportunity and had a chat with him. He was very opinionated - so he didn't disappoint- 'Mickey Mouse circuit ' etc and we talked for only 5 minutes or so but it was an encounter I treasure.

Opinionated is what we expected of him - and as you'll see from my current sign-off (if your eyes are good enough now it's in a semi-invisible colour) I admit a similar trait. My last encounter with Jenks was in the paddock at a VSCC Silverstone by which time he was on a tricycle so that he "could still sit down when he stopped to talk to people"

Edited by Allan Lupton, 29 November 2013 - 08:45.

I thought it might amuse that the spirit of Jenks has been invoked to describe the soul of the Gran Turismo 6 racing/driving sim in a review today.  I certainly get what the reviewing is driving at (sorry).

Talk about two worlds colliding, I wonder what Jenks would have made of it?

http://www.eurogamer...urismo-6-review

It's a very nuanced review actually.

Regards Mike

I thought it might amuse that the spirit of Jenks has been invoked to describe the soul of the Gran Turismo 6 racing/driving sim in a review today.  I certainly get what the reviewing is driving at (sorry).

Talk about two worlds colliding, I wonder what Jenks would have made of it?

 

http://www.eurogamer...urismo-6-review

 

It's a very nuanced review actually.

 

Regards Mike

"A Rolls Royce engine at the foot of his bed"??? Surely it was out of a Daimler.

Another year goes by; 18 years . If I could   copy post 254 I would, to remind me of that lovely moment again.

Roger Lund

Another year goes by; 18 years . If I could   copy post 254 I would, to remind me of that lovely moment again.

Roger Lund

It's unlikely, but wouldn't it be great if this thread could make it all the way to post 722?

Well, I'll do my bit.  I still get that wonderful book out occasionally and read the story of the poached egg on the draining board-priceless!

I started it, so maybe it's appropriate I help it continue...

Every time I read an old article of his I'm reminded of his magic.

Every so often I will see a photo and there in the background is DSJ just as I remember him. I suspect our first target really should be 356.

It's unlikely, but wouldn't it be great if this thread could make it all the way to post 722?

Well here's a small contribution. 'Twas 1994 as I recall. I was in Blighty visiting my parents for Christmas. They lived in Hampshire but I would always, on one or two days, travel up from New Milton to Waterloo and spend the day just wandering around London, still and forever my favourite city.

On this occasion, I walked into the City Road offices to buy the latest Motor Sport calendar. I still have it. While I was waiting to be served, DSJ bundled into the office and, after a few moments hesitation, disappeared into the interstices of the building. Plenty of time for me to say hello, to extemporate on his Mille Miglia piece(s), read by me over and over, to say how I loved Continental Notes from when I first started buying Motor Sport from Wrights News agency in Tylers Green in 1961 when I was a new boy at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe. Perhaps to query, even, his castigation of Moss in his reporting of the Race of Two Worlds. Or of JYS's stand on safety a few years later.

But I lacked either the courage or presence of mind. Probably both. But I have been in the presence of the feisty little bugger. I loved his writing, his passion and his, er, uncompromising views on this or that.  Put me in firmly in the missing D.S.J camp.

I have very fond memories of Jenks.  He was opinionated of course but that's not a bad thing and although I agreed with most of what he wrote I certainly didn't like everything.  I guess he was the main reason I became an avid reader of Motor Sport magazine.  After his death I stopped reading it for a while until I discovered that Nigel Roebuck's column was not far short of Jenks' standard.  Nigel's column is still the first one I turn to when Motor Sport lands on my doormat each month.  Like Jenks I don't agree with everything he writes, especially his apparent liking for the sound of the new hybrid engines and his view that F.1 can't survive without the mainstream motor manufacturers.  Unfortunately, I don't much care for Mark Hughes style.  His race reports are factually accurate but the absence of opinions suggests a lack of real passion so there's little entertainment value. RIP Jenks and keep up the good work Nigel.

Oh yes, as the man himself might say, Roebuck has passion to throw away. I'm somewhat embarrassed to say the I can scarcely recall any opinion Nigel has put forward that I disagree with. 

Especially when he whinges about what 'They've' done to our Formula One. 

Everytime I read this topic's banner 'Does anyone miss DSJ', whenever it returns to page one of TNF, I always feel it implies there is some ambivalence in the question towards the passing of DSJ. Ray Bell, the creator of the topic, certainly stands very much in the DSJ camp as basically do the postings that have followed so maybe the topic heading should be reworked to read 'Why we miss DSJ'.  

As for me - I do. He was of a time and of an era. Both sadly are now gone. 

Edited by retriever, 30 November 2014 - 17:45.

Ps. Sorry for the spelling error, now corrected - hopefully.

Edited by retriever, 30 November 2014 - 17:46.

Sorry, Doug...

I don't understand.

RogerFrench, on 03 Dec 2014 - 19:36, said:

I suspect Mr. Nye is taking a leaf from Jenks's book, as well as a bit of mickey.

Only suspect?

I suspect Mr. Nye is taking a leaf from Jenks's book, as well as a bit of mickey.

Just is.

This is really exciting, isn't it ?

Ray Bell, on 05 Dec 2014 - 02:06, said:

Not for me...

I would have been about as likely to have tried that as I'd have been to put money down at the casino across the road.

I suppose you prefer witchetty grubs!!

As the topic has turned to food, the last time I met Jenks was in the Little Chef coming up the Hogs Back from Farnham.

I was on the way back from somewhere West of here and he was on his way home from a day at Brooklands. Although we had not seen each other for a few years, to my surprise and delight he remembered me and we had a chat while waiting for our food to arrive.

We finished eating before him and said "Goodbye" and outside was red Porsche 924/944 I forget which.

Snails are food?

I'd have thought that was really stretching a point...

First item on a Little Chef menu, it's their speciality, they're famous for them. They have a never-ending stream of French customers.

Snails were were part of the British diet too in the Middle Ages! Personally, despite having spent 15 years living in Paris, I have never tried them. I just could not take the smell of the garlic laced butter they are often served with. Witchity grubs on the other hand.......

Snails are food?

I'd have thought that was really stretching a point...

We have about half a dozen Blue-Tongue lizzards in our garden who would not agree with you.

Snails are food?

I'd have thought that was really stretching a point...

Snails were were part of the British diet too in the Middle Ages! Personally, despite having spent 15 years living in Paris, I have never tried them. I just could not take the smell of the garlic laced butter they are often served with. Witchity grubs on the other hand.......

Archaeologists have recently discovered that snails were the first creatures that man farmed! Must have been Frenchmen! 

Depends... whenever I see a snail, and bend over to have a closer look or even pick it up - WHOOSH, it's gone!

Much prefer those on the table: can't move, and taste yummy!

And boy...doesn't Geoff Morgan's Group S car go !

Interestingly, our little hero would have celebrated his 94th birthday today, still 6 years off the 100 he aimed for,  had not the events of 1996 prevented it. I often wonder how he would have regarded our sport as we see it today. I know he always enjoyed the technical side a great deal, which explains his love of the original turbo era where it was all about the drivers' ability to master the power, but I am unsure just how he would see today's efforts in effwun, where I read recently that the driver's controlling  input was a mere 10%, with the car/techno stuff representing 80% of the success. I am not sure how he would regard the tech input from the pits or even the data analysis  office at home base telling a driver what to do and how to do it..... I am pretty sure he would have appreciated modern big  motor bike racing, the body language of the  tyres and bikes as the rider opens the throttle etc.

Roger Lund

And Marquez would be his new Senna...

Interestingly, our little hero would have celebrated his 94th birthday today, still 6 years off the 100 he aimed for,  had not the events of 1996 prevented it. I often wonder how he would have regarded our sport as we see it today. I know he always enjoyed the technical side a great deal, which explains his love of the original turbo era where it was all about the drivers' ability to master the power, but I am unsure just how he would see today's efforts in effwun, where I read recently that the driver's controlling  input was a mere 10%, with the car/techno stuff representing 80% of the success. I am not sure how he would regard the tech input from the pits or even the data analysis  office at home base telling a driver what to do and how to do it..... I am pretty sure he would have appreciated modern big  motor bike racing, the body language of the  tyres and bikes as the rider opens the throttle etc.

Roger Lund

I think he would have welcomed this season's return to 'more power than grip', would have been frustrated by the occasional need to go into fuel-saving mode, would have appreciated the quality of the noise (so much better live than on the box), and would have been very pithy about push-to-pass overtaking enablers such as DRS.  I don't think he and Bernie would have hit it off all that well ...

Can anybody help with a DSJ query? I knew he was anon combatant in WW2 but I assumed this was because he had a reserved occupation. Wikipedia says he was a conscientious objector - can anybody confirm? I am not personally bothered what he was but I do want to be accurate in an article I'm writing .

According to Doug Nye in Jenks: A passion for motor sport (P 196) he registered as a conscientious objector.  If writing an article on him, you must read that book.

Oddly enough I am writing about the book but not having re-read every page recently I had forgotten that fact. Thanks for the reminder.