NOTICE OF DEATH - ALASTER SMITH (1939 - 2024)

It is with great regret that we have to report the death yesterday morning of Alaster Smith at the age of 85. He had recently been hospitalised with a chest infection but passed away peacefully at home.

Alaster was elected as an Associate (Mechanic) Member in 1966. His first main involvement in motor racing had been as mechanic to Tommy Bridger, runner-up in the 1958 and 1959 500cc British Formula 3 Championships, back in the days when it was eminently possible for a driver and his mechanic to run at the front of Formula 3 in a self-prepared car.

Tommy was also racing a Borgward Isabella in those early days of the British Saloon Car Championship, more than once defeating the hitherto 1600 cc class-dominating MG Magnette ZB of Dick Jacobs’s team. The latter was suitably impressed and offered Tommy the opportunity to share a MGA Twin Cam with Alan Foster in the 1958 RAC Tourist Trophy, the final round of the World Sports Car Championship. Alan and Tommy finished 13th overall and third in the 2-litre class behind two works Porsches.

For 1959 Dick Jacobs prepared a couple of MGA Twin Cams, Tommy Bridger joined the team, and Alaster followed him while continuing to care for Tommy’s F3 Cooper-Norton. The MGAs, with Alaster acting as pits mechanic, achieved some notable results even if the fastest of the Lotus Elites tended to finish ahead of them overall but of course were in a different capacity class.

The Dick Jacobs team switched to the very attractive MG Midget coupes for 1962 and, whilst other commitments denied Alaster the opportunity to be involved in race preparation of the cars, he continued to run the team’s pits, taking care of timekeeping and lap charts in those pre-electronic days. In the words of Dick Jacobs when proposing Alaster for BRDC Associate Membership: ‘No matter how long the race or what panic there was in the pits, [Alaster] never deserted his post or made an error.’

When the Dick Jacobs team closed down, Alaster continued an involvement in motor racing with the likes of Alan Foster, Andrew Hedges and Paddy Hopkirk for a couple of years before concentrating on his business interests, becoming a director of Associated Newspapers and, in later years, a director of property management companies. He was a regular visitor at the BRDC Clubhouse, most recently at this year’s Grand Prix.

The BRDC extends its deepest condolences to Alaster’s wife Janet, daughter Jo, son-in-law Ash, step-daughter Kim and Alaster's grandchildren.

Funeral details will be posted on website when confirmed.