Many Irish classic car fans would have heard about the sad passing of John Campion last October at the young age of 57, after a number of years battling leukaemia. Born in Cork, John emigrated to the US in the mid-1980s and lived the American dream, making his fortune in power generation, which allowed him to indulge in his love for classic and rally cars, in particular Lancias including greats like the Stratos, 037 and Delta S4. A great supporter of Irish motorsport, he founded CJJ Motorsports in order to help fund and mentor up-and-coming young talents here, including most recently shipping his restored 1981 Guinness-liveried March F1 car to Mondello Park’s Festival of Motorsport in 2019 to allow some of them some time behind the wheel. He also took to the circuit himself that day, fulfilling a lifetime ambition of his despite his illness.
Jay Leno’s Garage recently uploaded a video of Jay driving John’s stunning Stratos rally car, which you can enjoy below; a fitting tribute to a true motoring enthusiast.
By Andrew Pollock, Editor