R.I.P. Stuart Smith 391 / 1 The Maestro, The 1 and Only, Super Stu

[Chris24]

Today the BriSCA Stock Car Community is paying it's respects to its greatest ever driver Stuart Smith who sadly passed away this morning after collapsing at work with a suspected heart attack. Not only the greatest driver the sport has ever seen, maybe the best driver ever born in this country.

6 Times World Champion, 13 Consecutive National Points Titles, 3 British Titles, 1 European Title, 500 Final wins and close to 6000 race wins over a 22 year career.

World Champion 1969, 1972, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985
British Champion 1969, 1981, 1984
National Points Champion 1969 to 1981
European Champion 1978
Grand National Champion 1972, 1973, 1976, 1980
Ben Fund 1985
Brisca Supreme 1971, 1973 & 1974

In the 1970's , Stuart beat the likes of Markko Alen and other superstars of motorsport at a special one off event driving Ford Escorts at Wembley Stadium, cars the others were used to driving. At one race meeting Stuart raced in both the F1 class and F2 class jumping from one car to another and won his heats, and both finals in both classes and then completed the day by winning the F1 GN.

Stuart Smith was my #1 motorsport hero and my boyhood hero from my earliest memory of racing, right up to his retirement at his testimonial meeting in 1986. I then continued to support his sons Andy and Stuart Jnr when they started their own racing careers which some of you may have seen on BBC1 "Gears and Tears"

Stuart was the reason I fell in love with stock cars. His skill, ability, showmanship transcended the sport. He was the first genuine superstar of the sport. Even today, people who haven't been or heard of the sport for thirty years will ask "does Stuart Smith still race?" Such was the ever lasting impact of Stuart on our sport.

RIP Stuart Smith 391.....The 1 and Only......The Maestro.....often imitated, never bettered. Legend is an over used word, but it sat very well on his shoulders. We will never see his like again.

[Steve Pyro]

As I've previously posted, my better halves father owned Aycliffe Stadium up until about 1985.  So she has many memories of Stu when she was younger at Aycliffe.

Here's a picture from August 20th 1978.  Stu Smith had won an event at Aycliffe Stadium and was paraded around with the then 17 year old Eileen (looking very serious).

[Chris24]

Nice picture Steve, any problems if i was to use it in a tribute article that I am writting for a magazine.

Regards
Chris

[Steve Pyro]

Nice picture Steve, any problems if i was to use it in a tribute article that I am writting for a magazine.

Regards
Chris

Yup, no problem at all Chris.  Mrs B says if you want any background info, just let us know.
The original scanned print is a larger resolution if you need that.

[jonners]

Stu Smith - RIP

My first motor racing hero at Odsal stadium in the early 70's, what a legend.

[Chris24]

On behalf of the Smith family -

'Dads funeral service will take place on Friday 14th January, at St. Chads Parish Church, Sparrow Hill, Rochdale at 11.30a.m. and followed by a private service at Rochdale Crematorium.

All wishing to pay their last respects are welcome at the funeral service.

Space within the Church may be limited, so please respect that we would like Dads personal friends and family accommodated within the Church. However, speakers outside the church will be provided in the event of the Church being full.

Many Thanks
Andrew and Stuart Smith'

[Chris24]

Not the best way to be spending my birthday, but I must be at the funeral of my greatest sporting hero. It's going to be a really strange day though and Rochdale won't know what has hit it next Friday as it will be grid locked.

[Chris24]

Yesterday was a mixed day of emotions for me as 14th January is my Birthday, but I spent it at a funeral, not really the way you want to mark another year on this earth. However I wouldn't have missed it for the world as I simply had to be there to pay my respects to my all time greatest hero whom I had idolised ever since my first memory of stock cars around age 4. As Mike Ashcroft put it, Stuart was the closet thing to a God for me as well.

The day although very sad, it was more of a celebration of Stuarts life and a proper stock car send off for the Maestro. Stuart lived and breathed stock cars in life, so why should his death be any different. The order of service was more like as race programme than a usual order of service. , titled. "The Programme" Celebrating the Life of Stuart Smith. The whole thing had a racing theme, checkered edging, crossed checkered flags on the back. The opening music was fittingly, " Fanfare for the Common Man" which made me chuckle a bit as it made me wonder just how many people in the church would instintively reach to answer their mobile phones, even though they were switched off.

Several of Stuart's best friends got up to talk about their lost friend including Phil Chance, Keith Davids and Chris Green and all had to great funny stories to tell, most involving either alcohol or being pulled over by the police on the way home from race meetings or BOSS Pantomines. (I really would have loved to have seen the look on the police officers face when he pulled over a car containing Keith Davids dressed as Cinderella with Stuart and Dave Hodgeson in the back as his ugly sisters.)

Both Stuart and Andy's tar cars accompanied Stuarts last, 3 x World Final winning car on display next to the doors of the church and it was very fitting that Andy carried the World Final trophy into the church and placed it either near Stuarts coffin or on it. Nice touch to have the flowers / reef in the Super Stu superman S logo.

Also an unusual thing to see but a very fitting way that Stuart would have approved of. The whole Smith family arrived together on the Team bus rather than in seperate cars. First time i have ever seen a transporter behind a herse but i loved it. The whole day was planned in a stock car way that Stuart would have loved, right down to the family drinking Stuart's favourite Newcastle Brown Ale outside the church after the service.

Stuart was once asked what he wanted for funeral arrangements and his reply was simply. A very big party ! And a very big party was what Stuart got today in Rochdale Town Hall, no less. It was fantastic to be able to look at all the old photos, posters, and memorabilia on display in the main function suite of such a beautiful building. The slide shows on the big screen brought back some great memories and also some fantastic shots from Stuarts career from before my time which was great to see.

The Gears and Tears crew paid the best tribute anyone ever could to Stuart, by putting together roughly a 10 minute film dedicated to Stuart made from achieve material and Gears and Tears material and it only demonstrated why Stuart was the best driver and showman in the business and a great family man away from the sport. I found it very difficult to hold back the tears whilst watching it and i know i would have been a blubbering mess if i had been watching it on my own. So John, Beth and Rachel, take a bow, you did both Stuart and his family the greatest honour you could ever do and given them the greatest gift you could ever give them with that 10 minute film. Loved the bit from Baarlo and the tension building in the room and everyone starting to egg him on and cheer as he closed down the gap on Welters and when everyone in the room cheered and clapped as Stuart launched Welters into and almost through the fence.

More stories from Phil Chance followed as well as a fantastic poem from Paul Harrison which had everbody laughing.

It was great to see so many names from the current sport, come together with so many names from the past and all get togeather for the same purpose to celebrate Stuart's life and his passion for stock car racing. Today brought the memories flooding back and provided me with so many new ones from all the stories that people had to tell. Stuart certainly got the big party that he wanted, its just a shame he wasn't there to enjoy it.

One small thing that made us laugh, Rochdale and indeed the town hall has l;ots of steps. The function room was upstairs and the toilets in the basement and i heard many discussing all the steps. My dad overheard two people talking in the toilets. "All these damn steps, I'm sure this is Stuart getting his revenge on us, making us walk up and down all these steps. I bet he's up there watching us and peeing himself laughing"

I like to hope so.

Many thanks to the Smith family for allowing us to attend Stuart's big send off, and allowing us to share the memories and tales from everyone else. This is one birthday that i willl remember for a long time.

Thank you.

[Lord Steve]

Thanks for that mate. Sad loss of one so great. RIP from an ex Aycliffe regular.

[Andy Zarse]

Lovely tribute Chris. I know next to nothing about stock cars, but the guy was clearly a legend.