THE funeral took place yesterday of Bob Herring - a passionate supporter of motorcycle racing, who counted many top racers as friends.

Among the 200 mourners who paid their last respects to the popular 69-year-old, was former Suzuki GP rider and Sky Sports commentator Keith Huewen.

Mr Herring, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, was a founder member and president of the North Yorkshire Road Racing Supporters' Club. He died on July 31 after a short illness.

A regular visitor to the Isle of Man TT, he first visited the island in 1955 as a teenager. He went on to become a familiar and highly-respected figure at circuits up and down the country.

He was born in Ainderby Steeple, North Yorkshire, and developed his love of motorcycles while working as a mechanic.

He served with the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers in Sheerness, Kent, repairing, maintaining and testing motorbikes for dispatch riders.

The funeral cortege - which included two motorcycle outriders - was led by a walking procession of mourners along Northallerton High Street.

Family and friends then followed the coffin, draped in red roses, into All Saints' Church for the service, followed by interment at Northallerton Cemetery.

The service was conducted by reader Bobby Cooper and the hymns were The Lord's My Shepherd I'll Not Want, Morning Has Broken and I Vow to Thee My Country.

A poem, Remembrance, chosen by his wife, Mary, was read out and the coffin was carried out of the church to the accompaniment of There Goes My Everything.

Mr Herring also leaves sons Chris and Frank.

Chris Herring, sporting manager of the Honda MotoGP team, said: "He was a strong family man, a strong home person. He was a really old fashioned homely person with a good sense of humour and he was very well liked."

* The Northern Echo attended the funeral with the permission of Mr Herring's family.