Sad news is coming in from Scotland, that the much loved commentator and columnist, Chris John, has passed away....
To the Racewallites his style of commentary, complete with catchphrases that stuck in the mind and his hatred of Swinging Safari, Chris John was the voice of the Racewall. Mr Saturday Night, he would fire up the crowd, with his box of CD's and turn the Racewall into a party zone. CJ the DJ.
My first experience of John's commentary was at Cowdenbeath in 1997 at the World Final. After the bedlam, his commentary was measured and concise, which can often be lost with a Scottish accent
In fact, it was his commentary on the 1st September 1997, when the shock of Diana's death in a tunnel in Paris which summed up the day. With such a divided area as Scotland and with numerous opinions flying about, his words grounded the audience
"No matter what you thought of Diana, Princess of Wales, there's two boys without a mum tonight"
But it was his magazine pieces in Stock Car magazine and revival of Formula 2 Review which started to influence my style. He had a very jokey way of writing. Paragraphs headlined with play on words, mickey taking and general japery, and when I was presented with the idea of writing a column by Steve Linfield back in 2005, it was that kind of style I was to mimic....
So in the words of the great man, at the start of the race
Mr Starter, we are Clean n Green!
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