Eric Dymock 1934-2026
Guild members will no doubt be saddened to hear of the passing earlier this month of renowned motoring and motorsports journalist and author Eric Dymock. Ray Hutton has kindly penned the following tribute to Eric.
“On a spring day in 1962, Jackie Stewart had arranged a private track session at Oulton Park. He recalls that he drove down from Scotland with three friends – a local golf champion, a motor trader and ‘Scotland’s newest motoring journalist’. On that day, Jackie decided to become a professional racing driver and the journalist was set to launch a career that showed him to be among the very best in his profession. His name was Eric Dymock.
Eric died on 18th January at the age of 91. It is fitting that only a year ago, his own publishing company should produce a new edition of the book that he co-wrote in 1970: Jackie Stewart World Champion. Eric’s journalism started with The Hamilton Advertiser – the Jaguar E-Type was one of his first road tests – but not long after the Oulton track day he moved to London to join The Motor.
After three years on the road test staff, with weekends assisting the sports department, Eric took the bold step (for the 1960s) of leaving to become freelance. He travelled around Europe with the Grand Prix circus, reporting for The Guardian and others. His friendship with fellow Scots Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart gave him a head start with the racing community and his stories benefitted from a greater insight than his Fleet Street rivals.
In the following years Eric’s portfolio widened, with a general motoring column in The Observerand, subsequently, News International’s Sunday newspapers. He wrote scripts for TV motoring programmes from Thames TV, Australian Broadcasting and the BBC, including the first version of Top Gear, and was a regular contributor to Going Places on BBC Radio 4.
While motoring editor of The Sunday Times, he revived and chaired the Fleet Street Motoring Group, an exclusive luncheon club which hosted captains of industry and the movers and shakers of the motoring scene.
Books of motoring history were a sideline at this busy time but in 1990, Eric and his wife Ruth established Dove Publishing to produce Eric Dymock Motor Books, a series of comprehensive marque histories, and other titles. He was awarded the Guild’s Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy in 1997 for Saab – Half a Century of Achievement and in 2008 for The Complete Bentley.
Eric was particularly proud of Jim Clark, a biographical tribute published in 1997, so it seems appropriate that, in 2004, he was awarded the Jim Clark Memorial Award by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers honouring Scots who have achieved excellence in the field of motoring.
Eric had a healthy scepticism of politicians and environmentalists and was never afraid to speak his mind. Always well informed, his writing combined the clarity of a good journalist with the friendly conversation of a true enthusiast.
He was a precise and skilful driver, fast whenever the opportunity arose, and the perfect companion for those long-distance test drives that the more adventurous manufacturers staged in the 1980s and 1990s. I know, because he and I chatted and laughed our way to the ends of the earth – well actually, to the Arctic North Cape and across deserts in North Africa. Good times with one of the finest motoring writers of the era.”
Eric’s funeral will be geld on Thursday 26th February at Lea Fields Crematorium, Gainsborough Road, Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 5PL, starting at 12.30. The service will be followed by a gathering at The White Swan, Scotter, Gainsborough DN21 3UD. Eric’s wife Ruth says that all are welcome – she can be contacted here.
Jeff Bloxham kindly forwarded the excellent image below, showing Eric at the centre of a jovial gathering of colleagues at the Guild dinner in 2009.
