The roar of hundreds of motorbikes was as loud as Jimmy Davidson’s personality.

It was a tribute as fitting as they come for the 65-year-old biker at his funeral in Carlisle yesterday.

Scores of motorbikes made their way from his Penton home to Carlisle, past his former home in Petteril Bank Road, towards St John the Baptist Church in Upperby, where hundreds gathered to say goodbye.

Jimmy died on October 8 following a short battle with oesophageal cancer.

His widow Jean has paid tribute to her husband. She said: “He was brilliant. He was always the life and soul of the parties.

“He loved his grandkids. He will be well missed. He was really hard working and worked right to the end.”

Ahead of his funeral, motorcyclists were invited to pay tribute to Jimmy and they turned up in their numbers. After arriving at the church they formed a guard of honour.

Among those involved was Ian Glendinning, 56, of Carlisle. He said: “I have known him for years.

“I watched him when he did his racing and always followed him around.

“He was a character. He was influential and always took time to help you."

Jimmy's love of motorbike was a life-long passion which started when he was a boy. It was a dream that became a reality.

His good friend Alistair Janczuk, 64, who lives near Roadhead, raced against him many times.

The pair, who grew up in Harraby together, would ride their bikes at Lady Gillford’s before they were old enough to ride but were often being chased away by the police.

“It was just that feeling of riding a motorbike. It was an exhilarating feeling,” said Alistair.

“When we were kids we used to watch the racing and wish we could do that sort of thing. It grew from there.”

They went on to race together in the late 1970s. If there was a race on at Crofts in Darlington, Snetterton, Silloth or anywhere else in the country, Jimmy and Alistair would be there.

“He was a fierce competitor,” said Alistair. “If you had Jim in front of you, you had a fight on your hands.

“If he had had the right backing, he could have gone on to become a world champion. He had the ability but didn’t get the right breaks.

“He was a world class rider. Jim could equal any rider of world class that he was up against on similar machinery.

“But racing is a very selfish sport and he wasn’t a selfish person.”

Jimmy continued racing across the UK, while his Alistair moved to South Africa in 1980.

Twice named North East Champion, Jimmy won a number of national championships over the years he raced professionally and was presented with various trophies.

There were, however, some crashes. One where his collar bone popped out of his leathers - and he was more concerned about the leathers being cut than the bone sticking out of them - and another which left him with two broken wrists.

His wife Jean said he never got to the Isle of Man TT because he thought it was too dangerous.

Jimmy retired from racing professionally in 1981 but continued to enjoy riding and fixing his many motorcycles.

He got his son Peter into motocross and they would take their campervan to competitions held at Haverigg and Lower Gelt in Cumbria.

His granddaughter Leighanne Stubbs said that when he found out his cancer was terminal, her grandad went out and bought three or four new bikes.

“I have just been brought up remembering him on bikes. He loved it,” she said. “There is no words that can describe him. He really was one of a kind. If you knew him you were a lucky person. He always had a smile on his face.”

Jimmy, who never smoked, wasn’t aware of the symptoms of oesophageal cancer. He was diagnosed at the beginning of the year, months after had been to the doctors with a cough.

His family want to raise awareness of the disease and also asked for donations to Macmillan Cancer Support in his memory. Cancer Research UK says common symptoms include difficulty swallowing, persistent heartburn, weight loss, pain the throat and a cough that won’t go away.

Jimmy, a dad of two, who has eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, was a mechanic by trade. He worked at Clarksons, was self employed as motorcycle mechanic and later became HGV driver.

He ran garages in the Carlisle area, in Rome Street and Caldewgate, and was working until he went into hospital.