Any conversation about the BARC NW Centre’s Sports and Saloon Car championship will inevitably include the name John Leck. The championship has been running for 40 years and John Leck has been running it for 40 years! John joined the BARC NW Centre committee towards the end of 1982 after attending a NW Centre AGM.

John had no desire (nor skill or money) to race himself and saw that organising the meetings, as Secretary of the Meeting was the next best thing to target. John was appointed Competition Secretary in 1983 and in 1984 John also became Championship Co-ordinator. The championship became the BARC NW Sports and Saloon Car Championship, now most commonly called the CNC Heads Sports Saloon Car championship after our sponsor of the last 14 years.

John was also instrumental, with Ken Mitchell (by now BARC NW Centre Chair), in introducing IT which made the job quite a bit more efficient. They were so successful that HQ took one off the centre to use themselves; NW Centre leading the way!
John was Secretary of the Meeting at most of the BARC NW meetings at Oulton Park and lately Anglesey from 1984 until around 2014 when he decided to step back and hand over the reins of that job to others.

He retained the role of Championship Co-ordinator for the entirety of the championship until 2023 when he also handed that role over to a younger committee member, Duncan Aukland. The fact that the championship has such a good reputation can be laid firmly at John’s feet. He has managed it enthusiastically and meticulously and made sure that the committee addresses all matters to do with its maintenance, development and promotion with positive outcomes. It says a lot for the original concept which John helped to put together that the championship is still very close to how it was 40 years ago. The high quality management has always attracted drivers because the championship is designed to get as many drivers as possible enjoying racing competitively on the track.

John has lived the BARC NW Centre, its activities and its championship for over 40 years and will still be on the committee, keeping a watchful eye and available for advice.

In recognition of John’s 40 years as Co-ordinator of the Sports and Saloon Car Championship he has recently received two awards. The first honour being from the Association of North West Car Clubs with the presentation of the ‘Allan Dean-Lewis Scroll of Excellence’. The award goes to, according to words on the scroll, “a member of a club who has done most in an administrative capacity to further the name of Motor Sports in general, and the Club in particular.” This was presented by Mark Wilkinson, Chair of the ANWCC.

His second presentation was from the BARC North Western Centre for all his efforts as co-ordinator of the Championship over the 40 years. This was in the form of a silver salver and a voucher for a weekend break (away from motor sports!). John was proud to receive this from Peter Gorrie, eligibility scrutineer of the Championship.