THE victim of a fatal road accident at the weekend was to have been best man at his brother's wedding in two weeks, it has emerged.
Robert Hutchinson, who was known to all as Hutchie, died in hospital after his black Kawasaki motorcycle collided with a blue Mercedes van on the Barony Road, near Creggan Crossroads between Omagh and Cookstown around 1.30pm on Sunday last.
The 48-year-old father of two from Tullyhogue had been a mechanic for Cookstown rider Mark Young and Andrew Neill from Newmills, who both died in recent months during road races.
Robert's brother Willie Hutchinson told the MAIL, "He was to have been the best man at my wedding in two weeks time and I couldn't have been prouder to have any other person at my side. But I physically couldn't have gone ahead with the ceremony nor would I have wanted too so soon.
"He lived for the bikes over the last ten years. Of course his two young sons came first, but he definitely put his heart and soul into the sport. He was so humble about it, working behind the scenes for the team. In fact if he had been offered some glory he wouldn't have accepted it. That was the sort of guy he was; he did it for the love of the sport."
"I take a lot of comfort from the fact that Robert died doing what he loved."
Mid Ulster MLAs Ian McCrea and Billy Armstrong expressed their deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Mr Hutchinson. "Hutchie was well known in the area as the former mechanic for Mark Young, who died at the North West 200 races and Andrew Neill, who died a couple of months ago," Mr McCrea said.
"He was a character and was always up for a laugh and will be a big loss to motorcycle racing. My prayers are with his family and friends at this sorrowful time."
Cookstown Councillor Trevor Wilson also expressed his sadness. Cllr Wilson said: "Robert's death is a real tragedy and my thoughts and prayers are with the family at this sad time.
"'Hutchie' was a well-known character in the area and his loss will be felt in the biker community - indeed the community as a whole."
A spokesman for the Cookstown District Motorcycle Club echoed these sentiments. He said, "I haven't heard of one racing team losing three people in so short a time in all my years involved in the sport. This is a massive blow for the local scene and a very sad situation. On behalf of the club I want to offer my sincere condolences to Robert's family."
are appealing for any witnesses of the accident to contact them.
