VOL. 56 ISSUE 10 MARCH 12, 2019 P39
Vale Keith Flint
T
he Prodigy lead singer Keith Flint took his own
life, Monday, March 11. Flint was one of the
legendary members of the 1990s electronic music
alongside stage partner Maxim, where the two
guided the band to number-one hits in Europe and
the U.S.
Flint was also an avid motorcycle rider and racer.
The Essex man was introduced to motorcycles via
two older brothers and started riding a Yamaha FS1-E
two stroke, graduating to Yamaha RD400s and then
to a Suzuki GSX-R1100 EFE and Honda CBR900RR.
"When I joined the band and started to earn a
bit of dollar, I got the 1992 FireBlade when it first
came out. Then I got it Repsol'd because I be-
came a massive Mick Doohan fan," Flint said to
British publication MCN. Flint's love of racing saw
him purchase the ex-Sean Emmett Reve Red Bull
Ducati 996 British Superbike racer in 1998, but
after suffering a big crash during a club race at the
time when the band's seminal hit Firestarter was
topping global charts, Flint curtailed any hopes of
racing competitively for a decade.
He began competing again in 2010 in the British
Hottrax Endurance Championship on a Cresent-
tuned Suzuki GSX-R1000, winning the 2014 British
National Championship. He then moved into the
British Superbike Championship as a team owner
in the Superstock and Supersport classes, and
the Isle of Man TT, signing Ian Hutchinson for his
returning TT wins and American James Rispoli for
the British Championship. He even bought and
rode a Moto2 machine.
Tributes to Flint from the motorcycle race com-
munity poured in over social media, with Rispoli
writing on his Instagram, My heart feels like an
anchor. I owe everything to Keith. Mrs. F and him
gave me everything to come from the U.S. and
make it in the UK. He was by far the coolest guy
on planet Earth. He would give you his shirt off
his back if you asked for it.... Thank you.
Former six-time British Superbike Champion
Shane Byrne said, Gutted to read the news of @
keithflintofficial passing away, a nicer more genu-
ine motorcycle racing fan you couldn't ask to meet,
R.I.P mate, heaven better prepare itself for some
wild parties!! CN
Along with being
one of the most
recognizable faces
in dance music,
Keith Flint (seen
here with American
John Hopkins in
2012) was an avid
motorcyclist, racer
and team owner.
