Sad Times

Many of you will have heard me say it before; one of the great things about this job is all the interesting and talented people you get to meet. Sadly, in the last few weeks three of these people, whose company I have really enjoyed at various times, have been taken from us. Elsewhere on these pages we have all too brief appreciations of George Costain, a gentleman in every respect of the word, who raced with, and beat, the best on his own Manx turf; Nobby Clark, one of the few race technicians to deserve the same star status as the legends he worked for, and Dave Johnson, the likeable lad who spannered for the best riders of his generation to success. Our regular visits to the Isle of Man won’t be the same again without bumping into George either in the Crosby Hotel or the Shore. What a great memory he had and always with a smile on his face. George and the guys that raced in the same era had, in my opinion, the most fun. I only really met Nobby latterly, when he was a regular on the classic scene, especially at the AHRMA Daytona races, but I felt I knew him by reputation. What a modest, unassuming bloke. I’m proud to have known him and I guess my only regret is I didn’t get to spend more time with him. Dave was a man almost out of his time, a genuine ‘let’s make it work’ mechanic, something he was still doing until his untimely demise. He worked with some real stars, the likes of Tom Herron at the GPS, and anyone whom he met during those days remembers his work ethic but also his sense of humour, something he needed when working for Steve Parrish. Steve pays a personal tribute elsewhere on these pages. It’s safe to say I won’t be the only one missing the company of these three, very different, but equally great people this coming year.