The island’s motor sport family have joined together to pay tribute to Freddie Gale, who died on this week at the age of 71 after more than 50 years involvement in the sport. Barbados Rally Club (BRC) Chairman Mark Hamilton said: “Our Club, the wider motor sport community and - I venture to say - Barbados has lost a stalwart of a man. May he rest in peace and the Good Lord comfort his family at this time. Our thoughts are with Katie, Barry, Rachel and the wider family . . .”
Freddie was competitor and organiser in equal measure, passing both those attributes on to his son Barry. A navigator from the late 1960s, he competed at home and abroad (including the Carreras 1000-mile navigational rally in Jamaica), before a 15-year lay-off. In a rear-wheel-drive Toyota Starlet bought for the school run, he returned as a class front-runner on racetrack and rally stage, a regular at Old Bushy Park in the BRC Super Sprint Series and race meets. In a front-wheel-drive Starlet Turbo, he won at the Vaucluse Raceway – once in the end-of-day Handicap – and was a multiple BRC Class Champion and joint Champion Driver in 1994.
Rally Club Chairman Mark Hamilton said: “It was with great sadness that I heard of Freddie’s passing. He was a tremendous individual, whom I have known for some time, initially through our mutual love of motor sport and then through our participation as active members of a shooting club. While he was an enthusiastic and competitive driver with several titles to his name, his real and lasting impact was his character. His selfless approach, willingness to help both individuals and worthwhile endeavours were apparent not just to those who knew him well, but also to those with whom he had limited interaction. You could simply tell what type of person he was.
“Freddie was the backbone of many an initiative supporting motor sport. The arranging and supervision of road repairs, supply of equipment and the provision of storage areas for the Club’s archives are but a few of the many ways in which he gave of his time and support. This was maintained through the years and I am pleased that the Club had the opportunity to say a sincere thanks to Freddie at the conclusion of the 2019 Sol Rally Barbados awards ceremony, with a token of our appreciation. It was inscribed: ‘Presented to Mr Freddie Gale in recognition of his significant contribution to the development and growth of the Club’s All Stage Rally, through many years of selfless dedication to the unseen tasks that are critical to making the event successful’. These words sum up the type of man Freddie was.”
