BIKERS will give racing crash victim Malachi Mitchell-Thomas a fitting send off at his funeral next week — as his father paid tribute to his fearless son.

The 20-year-old died following a collision on his Kawasaki during the third lap of the Supertwins street race at the Vauxhall International North West 200 in Portrush, Northern Ireland, last Saturday.

Up until about 18 months ago Cookstown Burrows Engineering Racing team racer Malachi and his father Kevin Thomas lived in Horwich — before moving to Adlington near Chorley.

Malachi, a former Blackrod Church School pupil, turned professional at 14 and went into the industry straight after leaving Rivington and Blackrod High School.

Mr Thomas, aged 51, said: "He turned into the most happy, pleasant and well-mannered 20-year-old young man anyone would have ever wanted to meet.

"The response online has been the absolutely overwhelming.

"People have sat down and thought about what they want to say and written beautiful words.

"It's been really comforting that to know he made so much of an impact."

Riders and drivers have been invited to accompany Malachi's cortege from outside the Macron Stadium in Horwich to his funeral at Charnock Richard Crematorium, near Chorley, on Tuesday.

They will gather at Middlebrook Leisure and Retail Park at 2pm before escorting the cortege.

Mr Thomas said: "I think the biking community proves all the time that it is one big family.

"I put out on Facebook that anybody who come along if they wanted to go and it seems to have snowballed into a massive ride out."

Attendees are encouraged to wear their team colours to reflect the mix seen in the pits at races.

Mr Thomas said that if Malachi had survived the crash that killed him he would have run back to the pits, grabbed a spare motorbike and headed back onto the course with the determination to take the same corner at an even higher speed.

He said his son loved the buzz and glamour of the profession and did not tire of the press and public attention.

He said he was happy to talk and sign autographs for fans.

Mr Thomas said: "Malachi was a petrolhead.

"His whole life was about engines and going fast.

"He had bought a Japanese import Nissan car and learned to drift and could have even started competing in drift racing.

"He started racing bikes on his sixth birthday when he had already had a motorbike for two years. He was fearless."

Malachi was a prodigal talent and competed in motocross, supermoto and most recently superbike and road races on high-powered finely-tuned bikes.

Mr Thomas will be scattering Malachi's ashes on the course of the Isle of Man TT.