Motorcycle Club Pays Tribute To Navell Darrell
[Written by Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Club President Takara Dill]
Navell ‘Beetle’ Darrell was a veteran racer of our Club and last year he was credited with being the eldest member on the grid during our 2017 circuit.
When we first heard about the motorcycle accident on Wednesday and that it might have been him, I believe it’s safe to say that everyone prayed that it wasn’t true. He was just in attendance at our Family Fun and Race Day the Sunday before and he, along with the rest of us, were eager to see him back on the track again for this season.
Once it was confirmed that it was our beloved Club member we were understandably upset. He was a dear friend to all of us. Our Club is like a family so when a family member passes on we feel that loss deeply.
He was passionate about the sport, whether he was on the track or not. Race days he could be seen in the pit area socializing with his fellow riders even when his bike wasn’t prepared to race. He did a lot to help out our SPARK program participants, proudly volunteering to drive the floats in the Bermuda Day and Santa Claus parades.
He made sure that the truck was picture perfect and his exuberance was easily picked up on by those around him. He played a huge part in introducing and re-introducing the sport to some of our well-known riders who have gone on to become veterans in their own right.
He started way back in the late 90s when the Club first began. He was one of the riders who used to participate in the Saturday ride around to help garner publicity for the Club. The ride around was when a group of riders traveled the island to bring awareness to the fledgling Club and introduce the public to a previously unheard of sport.
Mr. Darrell, or ‘Beetle’ as we called him, loved racing. He would race anything and always did it with incredible skill and passion. He was part of the group that raced at the old TCD when we first began and then moved over to our current location at the Bermuda Motorsports Park in St. David’s. Even after a small break he was excited to come back and be on the track again, doing what he loved. We were equally excited to have him back.
He was such a positive person, always full of energy and a ready smile for anyone, whether he knew you or not. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him mad or if he was, he wasn’t mad for long.
He will be remembered not only for the things he taught us about racing but for his kindness, compassion, love of the sport, easy-going personality, bright smile and beautiful, palpable energy. There is not a member in our Club, or even a person that he has come into contact with, that doesn’t have at least one fond memory of Beetle that they will cherish forever.
