The Rubis Jersey International Motoring Festival hosted its biggest and most ambitious event in its 24-year history earlier this month.
Thousands attended each day of the free, four-day festival, both locals and tourists.
The event showcased the local motoring community alongside iconic cars from motorsport history. This included demonstrations from two historic Formula One cars and the Le Mans-winning Jaguar XJR-9. Motorsports legends were also in attendance, with former Formula One driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Derek Warwick, and 1992 Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell, who supported his son Greg competing on a motorcycle at the event. The event attracted an estimated 1,000 additional visitors to the island for the week. Classic cars from the UK and Europe turned back the clock on Jersey’s roads, parked outside the island’s many tourist attractions. The festival clearly served as a catalyst for Jersey holidays.
Jersey International Motoring Festival (JIMF) organisers today announced the 2025 event will take place on Thursday, 5th – Sunday, 8th June. However, they emphasise that funding the event has become increasingly challenging in recent years. Maintaining the current level of promotion for the island, with no government support, is proving difficult. Several plans for the 2024 event fell through due to a lack of government funding.
One of the organisers, Robert Surcouf, said: “Sadly, the government was unable to provide funding for this event. We had hoped to run it entirely on sustainable fuel, which would have been a first in the British Isles. We also had the opportunity to bring Richard Hammond over to film a whole episode of his ‘Richard Hammond’s Workshop’ for series 3 on Discovery+. Sadly, both these opportunities were missed.”
Event lead coordinator Steve Salmon echoed these concerns: “The JIMF team is a small group of volunteers who work year-round to produce the festival, showcasing the island and providing entertainment for islanders and visitors. We are incredibly grateful to our title sponsors Rubis, along with the Jersey Development Company, Condor Ferries and AAL Recycling. Their support was essential to making this event happen in 2024. We are hopeful that positive steps can be made in the next 12 months to secure the festival’s future and allow it to run into its 25th year and beyond.
“Our desire is to grow the event, not only locally but also overseas, to attract more competitors, exhibitors, and spectators to the island, further supporting our tourism and hospitality industries.”
