John Batchelor (racing)

William John Batchelor (born 4 January, 1959 in Sheffield, England) is an English businessman, politician and football investor. He was chairman of York City F.C. from 2002–03, during which time he was also the owner of York City Racing, a motor racing team competing in the British Touring Car Championship.

Early life

Batchelor was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, where he lived for a short period before moving to Surrey, Kent and Portugal due to his father's work.cite news
title = York City are in for one hell of a ride
url = http://archive.thisisyork.co.uk/2002/3/15/289439.html
publisher = The Press
date = 2002-03-15
accessdate = 2008-04-03] He received four O-Levels at school and had an exchange year in Oregon, United States, after which he sold insurance door-to-door in East Lancashire.cite web
title = Batchelor with singular ambition
url = http://www.yorkcitysouth.co.uk/xdb-batchdt.htm
publisher = York City South
accessdate = 2008-04-03] He worked in this for nine months before selling cleaning products for five years, when he started "System Hygiene", a janitorial supplies company based in Accrington. The company was sold to business partner Robin Huddleston for "single digit millions of pounds" in 1999.

Racing career

He became a racing driver in 1999 after being backed by Blackburn Rovers and their sponsors, which helped him gain enough money to build a 220bhp Ford Fiesta and entered the Super Road Saloons Championship. He won the title in his first season and moved into the Ford Fiesta Zetec Championship the year after and secured a sponsorship deal with BBC programme Top Gear, which saw him change his name to John Top-Gear through deed poll. He entered the British Touring Car Championship in 2001 and after asking over 800 companies for financial support he persuaded B&Q, the DIY megastore, to join him before the start of the season and also changed his name to John B&Q to help him gain funding.cite news
title = Mansfield Town to be named after Sky Dream Team Harchester United under John Batchelor?
url = http://www.chad.co.uk/stags/Mansfield-Town-to-be-named.3924217.jp
publisher = Chad
date = 2008-03-28
accessdate = 2008-04-03] He stood as an independent candidate for Tatton in the 2001 general election,cite web
title = Parliamentary Candidates
url = http://www.election.demon.co.uk/cand01.html
publisher = election.demon.co.uk
accessdate = 2008-04-03] which saw him win 0.8% of the electorate with 322 votes.cite web
title = Tatton
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/results_constituencies/constituencies/570.stm
publisher = BBC News
accessdate = 2008-04-03] He injured his third, fourth and fifth vertical vertebrae in a race at Oulton Park in Cheshire, which almost forced him to retire. Batchelor secured a £1 million deal for his racing team to be sponsored by battery company VARTA in 2003.cite web
title = Team Varta
url = http://www.btccpages.com/teams/2003/varta.php
publisher = btccpages.com
accessdate = 2008-04-03]

Football

Batchelor became the owner and chairman of York City F.C. on 15 March 2002 after buying the club from Douglas Craig.cite news
title = Saved
url = http://archive.thisisyork.co.uk/2002/3/15/289440.html
publisher = The Press
date = 2002-03-15
accessdate = 2008-04-03] After taking over the club, he said he had two sites in mind for a new 15,000-seated ground.cite news
title = York unveil new owner
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/y/york_city/1871592.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2002-03-15
accessdate = 2008-04-03] He revealed an interest in buying ITV Digital in May,cite news
title = York chief's ITV digital bid
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/y/york_city/1961626.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2002-05-01
accessdate = 2008-04-03] which he later admitted was unlikely to succeed.cite news
title = Batchelor's ITV digital bid fades
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/y/york_city/2040700.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2002-06-12
accessdate = 2008-04-03] He changed the club's name from York City Football Club to York City Soccer Club, in an attempt to appeal to United States markets. Also Batchelor's racing brand was incorporated into other parts of the club, the official badge had a chequered flag brought into it, as did the first team kit, which had a racing style print on one sleeve.cite web
first = Adam
last = Bruce
title = This is our club!
url = http://www.yorkcityfc.com/articles/brucey_ourclub.php
publisher = Red & Blue NET
accessdate = 2008-04-03] He promised that he would buy York's Bootham Crescent ground, give the Supporters Trust 24% of the club's shares and invite two supporters onto the board, but none of these were fulfilled. It was reported that Batchelor received some death threats in regards to way he was handling the club.cite news
title = Batchelor receives death threats
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/y/york_city/2555817.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2002-12-08
accessdate = 2007-03-24] It went into administration and he was trying to purchase the club,cite news
title = Batchelor heads York bid
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/y/york_city/2707419.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2003-02-11
accessdate = 2008-04-03] but the Supporters Trust eventually bought the club.

He was a part of James Derry's bid to buy Mansfield Town in March 2008, but eventually launched his own bid to buy the club.cite news
title = Former York owner bids for Stags
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7318088.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-03-28
accessdate = 2008-04-03] He revealed plans to rename the club "Harchester United", after the fictional team in the Sky series Dream Team.cite news
title = 'Dream Team' vision for Stags bid
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7318218.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-03-28
accessdate = 2008-04-03] This was called "absolutely bizarre" by Mansfield mayor Tony Egginton,cite news
title = Mayor slams Dream Team name plan
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7320124.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-03-29
accessdate = 2008-04-03] who was later appointed as the club's non-executive chairman, which put doubt on Batchelor's takeover bid.cite news
title = Mansfield mayor handed Stags role
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/mansfield_town/7323074.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-03-31
accessdate = 2008-04-03] He was later revealed to have had a £1.5 million bid for Accrington Stanley turned down by chairman Eric Whalley, which proposed moving a newly formed "Lancashire United" to Leigh and building a 10,000 seater stadium.cite news
title = Stanley reject £1.5M bid to buy club
url = http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/accringtonstanley/stanleylatest/display.var.2170286.0.stanley_reject_1_5m_bid_to_buy_club.php
publisher = Lancashire Telegraph
date = 2008-04-03
accessdate = 2008-04-03]

References