Richard Britton Racing
News 2005 19th October 2005
Tribute # 1
Hundreds of mourners gathered at St Michael’s Church in Enniskillen yesterday (Wednesday), to pay their last respects to their hero, Richard Britton, who died on Sunday at a race meeting at Ballybunion.
The Stereophonics song “Dakota” played as men, women and children filled St Michael’s to celebrate Richard’s life and to say their final goodbyes to the popular Enniskillen rider. Among the mourners were Richard’s family, friends and neighbours. Hundreds of Richard’s friends from the world of motorbike racing also attended and formed a guard of honour with their bikes as the funeral made its way into the church. Hundreds of motorcyclists also formed a tribute in front of the cortege as it made its way from St. Michael’s Church to Breandrum Cemetery. Many of them displayed the No.8, Richard’s racing number.
Father Brian D’Arcy, who conducted the heartfelt sermon described Richard as a wonderful human being who had two great passions in life, “One was racing and the other - his real passion - was his family”.
Richard had been married to Maria for eight years and they had one son, Loris. Father D’Arcy explained how Richard cared so much about them both.
“Richard was a wonderful father, husband and human being in every aspect of his life. He was respected for his gifts and for the goodness of his character. Grace and mercy are two characteristics that he had, and his life has made us all think about where we are going in our lives,” he said.
“He was a fantastic biker; one of the all time greats. He was a gifted and talented person that we are all proud of.”
Richard Britton died after crashing in the 250cc race on Sunday at Ballybunion, County Kerry. It was the first race meeting to be held there.
Father D’Arcy recalled how he was initially in denial upon hearing about Richard’s untimely death. He knew the talented racer as a wonderful, safety-conscious person. But, he said, no-one knows why these things happen. And he encouraged Richard’s family and friends to think about the great life that he lived.
“The only answer given is that the length of life is not nearly as important as the quality of life.”
“His accident was one that could have happened anyone. It was a freak accident.”
Father D’Arcy praised the fantastic support offered by the huge number of people who attended the funeral and he said it demonstrated that the human race is made up of great people, particularly young people, who have shown an outpouring of grief at this sad loss.
He said Richard had now joined many great racers including his own favourite, Joey Dunlop, who also died as a result of a motorbike accident.
Father D’Arcy described the honour that the past pupil of St Joseph’s College had bestowed not only on his family and his friends, but also on his County. He said his lengthy and successful racing career had made him the number-one racer; “a winner to the end”.
Overall, Father D’Arcy said, it was Richard’s smile that had captivated everyone he ever met and it will be one of the things he is remembered by. “He was a pleasure to work with and that gorgeous, big smile never seemed to move from his face. He infected the world with his smile,” he added.
Richard Britton was one of the nice guys, one of the real nice guys who, on more than one occasion, proved nonsense the old adage “that good guys don’t succeed at sport”.
In over 14 years of competitive road racing, Richard Britton proved that you can get to the top, that you can win with humility and lose with dignity, that you can compete fiercely and still be friends with your opponents and that it is easier to smile than frown despite the pressures that were so obvious in his chosen sport of road racing.
Richard proved that sport was about enjoyment, about living your dreams, about winning, about losing and about entertainment. He experienced it all and more and was well aware of the risks endemic in road racing but it did not stop him nor did he want it to stop him.
Tragically, however, on Sunday morning, Richard Britton paid the ultimate price, his life, for pursuing his chosen sport. Ironically, though, as details emerge it would seem that a freak accident claimed the life of Richard Britton as he was slowing down with his hand in the air at the time that his bike stopped and threw him into the air.
There but for the grace of God, go any of us.
Road racers are, though, a breed apart from most sportsmen in so much as every time that they go out to compete they know that their life is on the line.
Richard, however, was a breed apart from most road racers.
Pacemaker photographer Stephen Davison travelled with Richard to such places as Macau, Daytona and has photographed Richard up and down the length of Ireland and beyond.
He was still coming to terms with the loss on Monday: “If you go around the paddock, you see a lot of racers and and they may not necessarily have all got on together, but ask anyone of them, and they all got on with Richard,” said Stephen. He added: “Richard had a laid back, easy going approach to racing but he was still awesomely fast. Road racing has never been stronger than in the last three years with some of the action between Adrian Archibald, Martin Finnegan, Darren Lindsay, Ryan Farquhar and Richard the like of which we have never seen before and now one of them is gone. The sport and the paddock will never be the same again.”
PJ O’Kane supplied bikes for Richard for a number of years, enjoying plenty of success and a lasting friendship. Like everybody else, he was still in a state of shock this weekend.
“Richard was one of the nicest guys you would ever wish to meet. I had a great time for the family they were always so appreciatve of everything. The smile on his face will never leave my memory.”
The BBC’s Stephen Watson also knew Richard well and had commentated on many of his races and interviewed him many times.
“Richard will be remembered more for his big broad smile than his speed on the track and I mean that as a compliment because he was one of the best and fastest on the track. Motorcycle road racing is one of the most exciting sports but it is also one of the most cruel.
“Richard was so easy to deal with, so accommodating and always available for an interview. He was the biggest personality in the paddock and always was willing to have on-board cameras on the front or back of the bike and he certainly played an integral role in helping take coverage of road racing from where it was ten years ago to where it is now. Obviously all our thoughts are with his family at the moment.”
Fellow Fermanagh man Barry Maguire finished second to Richard in Killalane just a week before his tragic death.
“Everybody loved him. He was always smiling and anything you ever asked him to do it was never a problem. You always got a laugh. If you got close enough in a race he would look round at you though the visor, or even when you were sitting on the start line waiting to go and he always had a smile,” said an emotional Barry before adding.
“Without a doubt he was one of the safest out there. He wasn’t a crasher - it just didn’t happen. Deep down the thought that this may happen is there but you never think it will. The enjoyment of the sport outweighs those kinds of thoughts. I still can’t believe it.
“I have a lot of good memories of him. I’ve had good races with him and plenty where I’ve been looking at him in the distance. It’s tough. It’s really tough.”
In death, Richard has left a void in the sporting world in Fermanagh that will mean it will never be the same again. That void, however, is nothing compared to the loss of his family. May he rest in peace and may his family take solace from his achievements both on and off the track.
In life, Richard Britton was dedicated to his family and the sport of road racing. He was as popular off the track as he was fast on it. In so doing, he gained the respect of his peers not only as a fearless racer but also as a person and made a wholly positive contibution to the society in which he lived. Surely, in this a 21st century dominated by global terrorism and a disposable society, there can be no better measure of a man.
Richard the great, he certainly was.
