A MOTORBIKE racing ace, used to travelling at speeds of more than 100mph has been killed as a front seat passenger in a car.

James Crumpton, of Stourport-on-Severn, died on Sunday when a van in which he and a friend were travelling in was in collision with another vehicle and hit a tree.

The 36-year-old's parents, whom he lived with in Manor Close have paid tribute to a loving and caring family man.

Father Bill, aged 62 said: "We were all very close.

"We could have probably come to terms with it if it had been through racing because that was all that he lived for, it was his whole life."

This year, James returned to 125cc racing after recovering from a blood clot on his brain. James was a Manchester United fan who idolised Bruce Lee racer Joey Dunlop.

Over the years he achieved podium finishes in the Ulster Grand Prix and the Isle of Mann TT.

James' friend and driver of the white Ford Transit 350 van, 29-year-old Glen Combs, from Bewdley, was taken to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Kidderminster Police have appealed for information about the crash, on the B4194 switchback between Stourport and Bewdley shortly after 7pm.

They are keen to trace the occupants of a red/maroon car seen nearby.

A small red car was found abandoned in the nearby Vale Road car park on Monday.

The funeral will be at 10am on Thursday, September 22 at Worcester Crematorium.

Instead of flowers, donations are asked to go to the Isle of Mann's TT Helicopter Fund.

Anyone with any information about the crash can contact Sergeant Mark Layton on 08457 444888.

An inquest opened on Tuesday was adjourned to a date to be fixed.

Police name biker who died in crash

POLICE have revealed the identity of a motorcyclist who died in a crash on the Worcester Road in Kidderminster.

Thirty-year-old Robin Preece, of Blount Terrace, Kidderminster, was confirmed dead at the scene of the crash near the Brooklyn Ford garage at 1.30pm on Monday.

His Honda motorbike is believed to have collided with a fixed sign on the central reservation and came to rest against a blue and white Isuzu van, driven by a 37-year-old who was uninjured.

The road was closed for about three-and-a-half hours and diversions put in place.

Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact PC Gordon Hogg at Kidderminster police station on 08457 444888 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.