Peter Hillaby, racing’s tower of strength and promoter extraordinaire in the north of the country, has died. He was 78 and had been battling against Parkinson’s disease in recent times.

For many years he was the force behind the highly successful racing activities of the Auto 66 club and the promoter of racing in its heyday at the legendary Oliver’s Mount circuit bordering the seaside holiday resort of Scarborough.

Mick Grant, multiple winner and lover of the Oliver’s Mount circuit, said: ”Peter and I were always good friends. He was an abrasive character and his last two or three years when he was ill didn’t help but he was straight as a die.

“Going back a few years there was a fight between him and Jim Parker as to who should be in charge of the ACU and , quite honestly, if Peter had got the job we’d have been better off. And,in my opinion, Scarborough needs the old Peter Hillaby in there now.

“He organised racing at circuits like Carnaby, Elvington and, of course, Cadwell Park. He promoted so many things. He had the bike week at Scarborough. Who else in the country would have got Agostini, Jim Redman and Barry Sheene on a regular basis. One year we had the most amazing weekend with Ago, Sheeney, Carl Fogarty and Phil Read parading down through the town on the Friday evening on the bikes with a police escort and then congregating in the harbour.

“The crowd was fantastic. It was if we had won the FA cup final ! We also had the Duke of Edinburgh come for the Golden Jubilee. None of that would have happened without Peter.”