DAVID PIERRE (1945 – 2021)
It is with great sadness that the British Racing & Sports Car Club learns and reports of the passing of long-time club member, official and volunteer David Pierre, who passed away yesterday at the age of 76.
David was a loyal stalwart to the club and gave his time, service and dedication over several decades in the sport. He was chairman of the Midlands Centre for a number of years and also provided training to many marshals and clerks along the way with the reach of his advice and teaching managing to travel as far afield as China and South Korea. David himself had marshalled at race circuits and events all over the world, which made him an authority on all things volunteering in motorsport, something which served him well when he was a member of the Midlands Centre’s Rescue Unit, where he eventually became its captain and also formed a part of Motorsport UK’s Rescue Panel for several years. David was also involved in the marshal selection process for the Formula 1 British Grand Prix during the 1980s and 1990s.
In more recent times, many people knew David as an international race director and clerk of the course, first gaining his clerk licence in 1992 and then becoming a Motorsport UK Steward in 1998. David’s vast experience of clerking and race direction allowed him to oversee major series such as the British GT Championship, the National Formula Ford Championship and the first season of W Series in 2019, the latter something he was honoured and proud to have been selected for. From 2015 up until last year, David had also been the Permanent Clerk of the Course for the F4 British Championship Certified by FIA – powered by Ford Ecoboost, keeping an eye on many of the young racing stars of the future including Lando Norris, Colton Herta, Max Fewtrell and Jamie Caroline among others. In 2014, he was honoured by the club as the winner of that season’s Bert Lamkin Memorial Salver, an occasion that also saw him celebrate his 70th birthday on the same evening.
BRSCC chairman Peter Daly led the tributes from the club and its members, stating “David was someone who was instrumental in my education and tuition to become a clerk of the course and a race director myself and it’s him I have to thank for playing such a significant part in my career in motorsport. Not only was he a fiercely loyal member of the club, but he was also a dedicated volunteer, a superb benchmark for all clerks and marshals to measure themselves against and someone who truly knew the ins and outs of what it took to be a successful race official. Above all else, he was also a great friend to me and many others within the club and both British and international motorsport and I am certain that he will be deeply missed and very much fondly remembered as much as I will myself. I give my sincerest thanks to David for everything he did for me, for the BRSCC, for its volunteers and officials and to the sport in general and I pass on my condolences to his family and colleagues for this very sad news.”
The BRSCC expresses its heartfelt condolences, thoughts and wishes to David’s family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time. Funeral arrangements will be confirmed and delivered in due course once the club receives more information on the service.
