RENOWNED motor-racing commentator and driver Tony Jardine is to take on his latest rallying exploit as a tribute to the exceptional bravery of his wife.
Jardine, a familiar face to millions of fans through his work on ITV’s Formula One coverage, will start this weekend’s Wales GB rally just weeks after his Wirral-born wife, Jeanette, lost an arm in a car accident.
The Liverpool-born presenter will continue with the final round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) after his wife urged him to carry on.
Jardine pulled out of the Rally Ireland a fortnight ago on the eve of the event when Jeanette had to have her right arm amputated after being trapped under a lorry for an hour.
He had rushed back to be at her bedside as a medical team fought to save her following the crash near her home in Windsor after a car shunted a lorry which then trapped her.
Since then, the Wirral-born 53-year- old property developer has made a remarkable recovery.
She is learning to use her left arm and has adapted well.
Jeanette, whose parents still live in Bromborough, said she had known almost straight away she had lost her right arm, but was back at work the day she came out of hospital.
She said: “I am incredibly positive and in my own way have, if not accepted it, dealt with it and intend to move on.”
A keen tennis and squash player, she intends to learn to play again using her left hand and her husband praised her “amazing recovery” saying: “She is incredibly brave and I’m very proud of her.”
Jardine added: “I would, of course, have pulled out of the rally if Jeanette had asked but instead she has urged me to take part.
“She is an exceptional woman who is determined, very strong and fit and is dealing with her injuries superbly well.”
He said she is “an inspiration not only for those around her but for me also”. He added: “It is a fantastic boost to know that she is fully behind me in tackling another Wales GB Rally.
“It takes a huge amount of effort to put together a serious bid for the event. My results show how determined myself and the crew have been over the years. We have finished 12 of the 15 events, twice winning our class and taking the journalists’ award three times.
“We have had a very difficult two weeks but I think Jeanette is trying to get things back to normal as soon as possible, and she has had a great deal of support from my mother and daughter and her parents.”
Tony Jardine was born in Liverpool and first went to a Grand Prix at Aintree when he was seven years old.
He later became a teacher but continued his fascination with motor racing through Formula Ford until a massive crash at the Cheshire circuit, Oulton Park.
But even this did not deter him and, despite a variety of jobs both inside and outside motor sport, has continued to race. He began his alternate career as a broadcaster with Independent Radio News in England, the South African Broadcasting Corporation and Sky TV.
Later he worked for the BBC which included standing in for Murray Walker as commentator for the 1985 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, later becoming a pit lane reporter and then moving to ITV when it began broadcasting the races, before returning to Sky.
However, through all of this, he has also remained a passionate fan of rally driving and this week was checking the course for the final round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in Wales.
Jardine will pair up with motorsport journalist and broadcaster Maurice Hamilton.
liammurphy
