No. Not that Jack Daniels of Lynchburg, Tennessee fame. This one has slightly more of a Birmingham flavour to it.
Our Jack Daniels was an automotive engineer who worked with Sir Alec Issigonis to develop the Morris Minor and was a key developer of the hydrolastic suspension found in the classic mini.
So, the Jack Daniels Trophy, together with a cheque for £250, is awarded each year by the Morris Minor Owners Club to an outstanding apprentice, and this year that deserving recipient was yet another Jack.
The photo shows Ray Newell, the Chairman of MMOC, handing the trophy and cheque to Jack with Emma Balaam of the FBHVC who organise the choice of apprentice watching on.
Jack is employed by Richards of England who are Aston Martin Specialists based near Lincoln. He is being trained by The Heritage Skills Academy and his nomination for the award was for the way in which he has changed disciplines from Mechanical at Bicester Heritage to Coachwork at Brooklands seamlessly. The tutors also reported that Jack approaches all his work with huge enthusiasm and has a real can-do attitude.
But Jack has another connection to Morris Minors. He and his friend James who is also an apprentice at The Heritage Skills Academy have entered the 2023 Poles of Inconvenience Rally and the car they have entered is a 1967 Morris Minor.
The Rally is in support of the charity Cool Earth who do brilliant work supporting indigenous and local communities battling increasing changes in the climate. With the war in Ukraine stopping crossing northern Europe our hardy apprentices have chose a southern route through Europe before heading south and then further east through Turkey towards Georgia and Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea.
The apprentices are crowdfunding for the expedition to try and drive as far as they can and planting a tree for every mile they survive!!!
So, please do give if you can at their JustGiving page:
"Weʼre raising £1,500 to drive as far as we can in a 1967 Morris Minor, raising money for charity and getting a tree planted for every mile we drive!"
They may need to take a supply of Jack Daniels with them just to keep them company at the end of every long ole' day. That would be the Lynchburg kind.