A couple of years back, Matt Bishop ruined my Monza weekend when he informed me that the former head of communications at Minardi, Graham Jones, had died.

Over the years we had become good friends, and both looked forward to our regular meet ups in Soho, where we talked motor sport and generally put the world to rights over a few beers.

This weekend, just ahead of the opening practice session at Monza I learned that another 'old friend' had passed away.

In this age of instant news coverage, when everyone on the planet has the ability to 'break a story', it seems difficult to comprehend a time not so long ago when there was no live coverage of Grands Prix. Though a couple of races, Monaco and Britain, were broadcast live, more often than not we had to rely on the TV news, or even the cinema (Pathe News), for images.

I remember leaving school at lunchtime and running down to the library to read the results and reports in the Daily Telegraph, whilst, once I started a Saturday job I was allowed to spend some of the money on specialist publications, such Autosport and Motoring News.

Other than checking out the nudey pictures in Amateur Photographer, the library also gave me access to Autocar, where Eoin Young's regular column brought the world of F1, indeed motorsport, to life in a way many readers will be unable to comprehend today.

Leaving school, and now enjoying a regular, albeit humble, wage, I was able to experience other motorsport writers - though sitting on the underground pretending I was reading, and understood, the Italian magazine Autosprint was to prove embarrassing - but I always retained a soft spot for Eoin.

Imagine my delight therefore many years later, whilst attempting to recruit writers for the website I was editing at the time, when I received a call from the man, who had been put in touch by another legendary motorsport writer, Dr Mike Lawrence.

Talking to Eoin over the phone, and subsequently enjoying my first lunch at the Barley Mow it was hard not to go into full 'schoolboy gush' mode.

Often, meeting one's heroes can be a monumentally disappointing experience, this was not the case with Eoin. We became good friends.

Having he and Mike Lawrence write glowing testimonials for me in order that I might join the Guild of Motoring Writers was, for me, like having Lou Reed ask if he might play a song I had written, it was a dream made reality.

Other than the long lunches - with plenty of "moist" pie - at the Barley Mow, we regularly met up ahead of the British Grand Prix. One memorable year we were joined by our mutual friend Mario Acquati of Libreria Autodromo fame, two men who had forgotten more about motorsport than I would ever know.

When Eoin returned to New Zealand we kept in contact and one of the best moments in my life is when he sent me a copy of his biography of Chris Amon, my childhood hero. Remembering a silly schoolboy anecdote of mine concerning the Kiwi driver when he was at Ferrari, Eoin had included it in the book... which Amon had also signed.

I am ashamed to admit that in time we lost contact, that is until I was recently advised by Mike Lawrence that Eoin was gravely ill.

Knowing Eoin as I did, I wouldn't put anything past him, what better time to go than the start of the Monza weekend, a time when all of us remember our heroes.

Along the way, there are certain people in life that inspire you, truly inspire you, they light a fire that is never extinguished. In my case, one was my music teacher Mr McEvoy, another was Eoin.

More than that, I was lucky, I was privileged, to be able to call him a friend.

Chris Balfe

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Paul C, 10/09/2014 3:25

"Great tribute, Chris. I remember enjoying his writings when I found them."

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2. Posted by Kiwikaze, 09/09/2014 0:42

"One of the best in the business. No better tribute than to have another read of 'Forza Amon', I reckon."

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3. Posted by miss d'it, 08/09/2014 18:12

"Yes, a real heartfelt tribute
You can tell from the words, how much Eoin inspired you, and how much you enjoyed his freindship

Deepest sympathy to Eoin's family"

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4. Posted by Chris SA, 08/09/2014 14:38

"Awesome tribute to a great man."

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Eoin Young (1939 - 2014)

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