On Sunday at Cadwell Park, Formula Junior lost one of its dearest friends and supporters, when Barry Westmoreland suffered a heart attack as he breasted the Mountain in his Lotus 20/22. The Emergency services were in attendance at once, but very sadly, Barry had died instantly.

Barry joined Formula Junior only in 2003, but it seems so much longer that he’s been racing with us. He had an infectious northern humour, and we had many laughs together – and he was always so kind; even on Sunday morning, he was the man who was there helping me unload the Alexis in the mud when I arrived.

The excitement when Barry won his first Formula Junior race at Mallory Park in 2005, was there to see, followed by wins at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Croft, leading to a Class Trophy in the ‘Millers’ UK Formula Junior Championship that year. Another win followed at Croft in 2006, but he was really a quiet man and was racing for fun, and not trying to emulate young Edwin, but nonetheless was especially interested in the next young generation of FJ racers.

Barry was nearly 68, and had built up a successful plant hire business now run by his son Andrew. In his youth he had raced sidecars, so was no stranger to racing – or indeed to Cadwell Park where he won a treasured trophy back in 1963. He loved his historic road cars, the Ferrari Maranello and the 1929 4 ½ litre Bentley, and above all his fishing in Scotland. To Margaret, who joined Barry at all his races, to all their children, to Dave Rollinson, who had worked for Barry for decades looking after his cars, and to his many friends around Marr, near Doncaster, we have lost a really lovely man.

The funeral, which will be a celebration of Barry’s life, will be next Tuesday 22nd April at 12 noon, at Marr Parish Church. [DN5 7AU], and Barry will be buried in the Churchyard just across the wall from the Old Vicarage itself, the family home.

DCPR