Retro Rewind: Tragic racer Malachi Mitchell-Thomas's father 'owed it to my son to carry on'

One of the brightest prospects in the sport, the former Senior Manx Grand Prix winner made a sensational debut at the Mid Antrim 150 at the beginning of the season, winning three races for John Burrows’ Cookstown B.E. Racing team.

Mitchell-Thomas also earned rostrum finishes at the Cookstown 100 and Tandragee 100 before thrusting himself into the limelight on the international stage at the North West 200, where he finished a magnificent fourth in the Saturday Supersport race in his maiden appearance at the event.

Sadly, Mitchell-Thomas was tragically killed when he crashed later that day in the Supertwin race between Dhu Varren and Black Hill on the third lap.

He died at the scene despite extensive efforts to save his life by the MCUI medical team and the remainder of the day’s racing was abandoned.

On the following day, Malachi’s father, Kevin, told me he felt he ‘owed it’ to his son to carry on supporting the sport that claimed his life, revealing that Malachi had been forced to question his involvement in the sport only weeks earlier after his close friend, Billy Redmayne, died following a crash the Spring Cup meeting at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough.

“Mal lost a close friend in Billy Redmayne and those were the times when he questioned whether or not he wanted to remain involved,” Mr Thomas said.

“He had to go through that process as a result of Billy’s death as we approached the Cookstown 100 last month and his decision was that he still wanted to go out, take those risks and be a part of the big road racing family.

“That shows me what I need to do now – I owe it to Mal to carry on,” he added.

“We discussed the dangers at length, more as a result of me wanting to rather than Malachi wanting to.

“As a father I had to make sure that racing was something he wanted to do and that it wasn’t a case of me being an overbearing dad, pushing him down a road that he didn’t want to go down.

“When we were talking about doing the roads for the first time, I asked him: ‘Right, would you prefer to beat Valentino Rossi in MotoGP or John McGuinness around the TT?’

He said: ‘You don’t have to ask me that, I’d prefer to beat McGuinness around at the TT’.

“He wanted to go road racing and Malachi lived more in his 20 years than I have done in my lifetime. I was fortunate that I was able to share those 20 years and be part of the experiences that he made possible.”

Mr Thomas, who said he intended to scatter his son’s ashes at the Isle of Man TT, said Malachi had an intense desire to reach the very top in road racing.

“I’ve never seen such an intense desire to win in anyone before, ever. I’ve been around a lot of riders and sports people, but Mal’s desire to win outshone anything I saw before,” he said.

“I’m not the only one to say that and others involved in this sport have commented that when he puts his helmet on, the look in his eyes is scary.

“Off the track, he was the most laid-back, easy-going person you could have laid eyes on, but put that helmet on and he became a racer, so hungry for victory.”

The grieving dad said his son lived for motorcycle racing and hit out against the critics calling for road racing to be banned.

“Malachi lived, he didn’t exist. If you ever end up in a world where risk is outlawed and people who want to take risks are prohibited from doing that, then you’re not living – you’re only existing,” he said.

“Mal was a petrolhead who just wanted to go fast and he had his drift car, which was his pride, and joy and he knew how to ride a motorbike.

“I’ve no time for the critics, who want to try and protect people from themselves.

“In road racing, it’s a learning curve and the organisers take steps to do everything they can to protect the riders and spectators,” said Mr Thomas.

“I feel the number of fatal accidents are becoming fewer because of safety improvements and better equipment. For me, I don’t listen to the critics because if you ban motorcycle road racing, then what is next? Do we ban horse racing? Or after that do we ban badminton if someone has a heart attack? It’s just nonsense.”

With Mr Thomas’s full blessing, the Cookstown B.E. Racing team and Derek Sheils went on to compete at the Isle of Man TT.

He said: “He was my boy and I’m heartbroken, but I owe it to Mal to go on.”

See also: Picture special - Malachi Mitchell-Thomas remembered* A message from the Editor:

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