RIP KEITH ANDREWS

RIP KEITH ANDREWS

RIP KEITH ANDREWS

It is with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to a multiple champion and longstanding stalwart of Classic Car Racing at Killarney, a true gentleman of motorsport, a doyen among Alfisti and an extraordinary font of motorsport knowledge and history.

Keith Andrews passed away on 23 September, at the age of 69, after a long and valiant battle with cancer. It was typical of the man, however, that few knew of his illness and his passing came as a shock to most of the Killarney family.

Keith was a second-generation racer, the son of former racing driver Chris Andrews. He competed in a series of classic Alfas, all prepared by his close friend and mentor Jan Driedijk and always immaculately presented. Keith won the WP Classic Car Championship in 2010, 2011 and 2013 – and lost out on the 2012 title by just four points due to a mechanical gremlin in the final race of the season.

He would never take credit for his successes on the track, always sharing the laurels with Jan and his pit crew. It was never “I won”, but always “We won”.

Less well known is that Keith was the owner and curator of a world-class private motorsport museum at his auto spares business in Steenberg, including an astonishing collection of racing memorabilia and literally hundreds of display-quality scale models of racing cars, collected by Keith over many decades.

For the fortunate few who were invited to see it, the museum was a never-to-be-forgotten treasure trove of motor racing history. It is to be hoped that a way will be found to conserve this collection so that it may stand as Keith’s legacy.

But that is for later; right now our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Susan, his daughters Leigh and Christina and his grandchildren.