THE family of a former British champion motorcyclist who died in a crash at the weekend have spoken of their grief at the loss of a "loving family man".
Andy McGladdery, 58 died on Sunday morning when his Kawasaki bike collided with a Ford Galaxy car on the B6279 Staindrop Road on the outskirts of Darlington.
A former competitor in the Isle of Man TT races, he retired from professional racing in 1990 but retained his passion for the sport and for various interests.
His widow, Caroline and sons Nick and Dan have jointly spoken of Mr McGladdery as a loving family man who enjoyed skiing, yachting, cycling and walking.
He was a strong supporter of the Croft racing circuit and also the Scarborough racing circuit at Oliver’s Mount.
“He was the sort of man who would do anything for anyone, no favour was too big. He will be greatly missed by everyone,” they said.
Mr McGladdery was also a member of North Yorkshire Road Racing Club at Northallerton and a keen fan of Middlesbrough FC.
He did stints as a local radio commentator and wrote for Middlesbrough’s ‘Evening Gazette’ on motorcycle sports.
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