Road race ace Frank Whiteway
Frank Whiteway, (picture last year at Barbon) the well known Barrow-in-Furness road race and trial enthusiast passed away on Monday, February 20 aged in his early ‘eighties.
Frank was the guest of honour most recently at last year’s Barbon Hill Climb organised by the Westmorland Club where he spent the entire day meeting many friends and acquaintances at the meeting who he knew from riding both trials and road racing.
As the guest of honour at the meeting his appearance was relished by the hill climb fraternity as he relived his success on the Cumbrian hill when he broke the absolute Barbon record on a 250cc machine in 1981 having previously won the meeting outright several years earlier, again on a 250.
Frank was man who will be forever associated with the Suzuki factory, and in particular the machines built and raced by Barrow dealer Eddie Crooks. Frank had a successful career on the Isle of Man, winning the 1968 250cc Manx Grand Prix at record speed followed two years later by taking victory in the 500cc Production TT. And to demonstrate his versatility in the same year – 1970 – he won the last ever British 50cc Championship on the tiny Suzuki TR50 racer.
Frank was also part of the Crooks Suzuki team which established the 350cc endurance record at Monza in 1968 on a slightly over-bored T20 Production TT machine averaging a fraction over 91mph.
In his later years, he competed in Northern Centre trials, and was very much an enthusiastic competitor in whatever branch of motorcycling he rode.