Motorsport News

Reflecting on the life of this title’s former editor and Formula 3000 guru, among many other things: Simon Arron

- MATT JAMES

“Simon made a huge impression on Motoring News during his time”

Icouldn’t really understand why I was being summoned back up to London for a second time after my initial interview with then joint editor Mark Skewis and Stewart Williams, the production editor, in 1995. But I hadn’t met Simon Arron yet, the other joint editor, as he had been away chasing Formula 3000 cars around in Portugal at the time. I had to return to Bonhill Street to be assessed by Simon.

Very quickly, the conversati­on turned to football, Altrincham FC and what my potential abilities might be like on a five-aside pitch. I must have sold my non-existent skills well because he rubber-stamped my employment before he’d seen me kick a ball…which was just as well.

Having been an avid reader of the publicatio­n for 10 years up to that point, meeting Arron was a pretty big deal.

And getting the chance to work alongside him was an even bigger deal.

Simon was someone you had to prove yourself to, journalist­ically. He was always encouragin­g and happy to guide and point any fresh-faced reporter in the right direction, but he wouldn’t tell you more than once. Listen, take it onboard and put it into action. If you didn’t, then he could be even more demanding in the future.

That wasn’t a lack of patience on his part, it was more the desire to make sure that Motoring News, as it was then, was the best it could possibly be each week.

Simon’s deft use of the English language was always something to be admired, and he was probably more skilled in that department than the rest of the team put together. But there was also an accessibil­ity to his writing, underpinne­d with a huge amount of knowledge and a good sprinkling of humour too.

There are so many memories of working with Simon and his utter dedication to the job. Trips to Le Mans with him in the late 1990s were always a fantastic adventure. A fluent French speaker, Simon did all of the communicat­ions on our behalf. This included negotiatin­g a cheap rate for a hostel to sleep all of us journos and some photograph­ers in one big dorm. Then, on the way home, he would divide up the expenses he had claimed in advance for hotel rooms for us all and we would each walk away with a tidy profit…

Arron had raced, and he proved himself highly adept at it too. Those skills were always on display during the late-evening dash from La Sarthe to catch the ferry home in time for press day on Monday. His skills at opening up avenues to exit the track at super-quick speed among the backed-up French traffic were not for the easily spooked.

When I progressed to reporting on Formula 1 in 1998, I would mostly travel with Simon, who would be there when there was a Formula 3000 race on the bill too. Often, we would share a room, and Simon has never forgiven me for the time in Budapest when I didn’t return to the room until 0500hrs on a Saturday morning after enjoying the city rather too much. Despite his attempts to wake me, which included turning my bed upside down with me still in it, he gave up and I missed my lift to the track…

But as a guiding hand in the F1 paddock, Simon was an invaluable resource with his depth of knowledge and his many hundreds of contacts throughout the sport. It is unknown how some of those relationsh­ips survived after his hilarious but utterly scathing F1 driver ratings, which became the stuff of Motorsport News legend.

After leaving MN, which he had joined in the early 1980s after submitting a photograph of a crash at Aintree that got published, he went on to work at Motor Sport, and the freedom of his role there was something he really enjoyed. It gave him licence to roam, and he was as happy in the British Touring Car Championsh­ip media room (where he was for the final BTCC rounds this season) as he was at a crisp, winter midweek test day at Mallory.

Simon certainly left a huge impression on Motorsport News (or, more accurately, Motoring News), and had built many strong and lasting friendship­s among colleagues, drivers and those within the industry. He will be sorely missed, and our thoughts are with his children Tom and Lucy.

 ?? ?? On the beat: Simon Arron hunting out a scoop
On the beat: Simon Arron hunting out a scoop
 ?? Photos: Motorsport Images ?? Friend of the stars: Arron and Button in 2004
Photos: Motorsport Images Friend of the stars: Arron and Button in 2004
 ?? ?? Arron quizzes the Red Bull boss Christian Horner
Arron quizzes the Red Bull boss Christian Horner
 ?? ??

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